Gaming’s influence over popular culture is clear and obvious. In fact, as games become more lifelike and their stories more compelling, Hollywood is tapping them more often for movies and TV shows.
For Hollywood, it’s a win because they release a movie that’s got a built in viewership. For those who don’t game, or don’t play a specific game, the movie or TV iterations serve to expand the audience of the game. It’s a win, win situation.
As the relationship between gaming and Hollywood continues to evolve, we expect we’ll see a lot of gaming inspired materials in the future.
For now, we wanted to point out a few select examples.
Resident Evil
Capcom’s bioterrorism series is a survivalist’s dream. It’s inspired a number of movies that have been super successful, including the trailer we linked above. Many of the movies are a departure from the game’s storylines, but that’s a credit to the broad success of the game’s influence and reach.
Directory Paul W. S. Anderson really captured an apocalyptic world post a zombie virus. The movie stars Milla Jovovich and Michelle Rodriguez. The film starts with an incident at the Hive, a vast underground genetics laboratory where an experimental virus is stolen.
Its a fun one.
Silent Hill
Konami’s iconic horror game series led to a film adaptation in 2006, it’s success prompted a sequel in 2012. Silent Hill as a game and movie is an eerie experience often pitched in foggy, haunted scenery. Expect spooky monsters abound in the game and the movies.
Director Christophe Gans leverages concepts from the first few games with content that’s unique to the movie. It’s horror and features a pretty chilling soundtrack to boot. There’s a religious fanaticism theme that runs throughout.
Definitely recommend, particularly around Halloween.
Castlevania
Another Konami classic, this game series was adapted into a mature animated series for Netflix. Follow the Belmont family as they take on Dracula in both game and series. The series offers a much more in-depth storyline experience, in case you’re wondering.
Hitman
From the barcode tattoo to the shaved head, Agent 47 is a cold, stealth character in both the game and the 2017 and 2015 movies. Both iterations aim to convey a world of mystery and intrigue and both accomplish this in spades.
Assassin’s Creed
Heart pouncing. That’s how we best describe Ubisoft’s game translated into the 2016 movie adaptions starring Michael Fassbender. The film heavily lined up with the game’s original storyline, making a lot of gamers pretty happy. It’s fast-paced, energetic, thrilling, and a rush.
Director Justin Kurzel introduces Fassbender’s character, “Cal,” as a man on death row who seemingly died by lethal injection. But things aren’t what they seem, because of course they aren’t.
Follow the terrifying, unsettling world of the Abstergo Foundation. It’s chilling, no doubt.
Conclusion
This films and TV series are merely the tip of the iceberg. There’s many, many more. Maybe we’ll keep updating this list. Check back in the future.