This book hits the mark like a red shell

In the space of 50 years or so, the video game industry has clawed its way, pixel by pixel, to a point where it is now one of the fastest-growing and most profitable entertainment industries on the planet.

These days, the word blockbuster is (arguably) used more often to describe a AAA video game than it is a big-budget movie, and although the gaming industry has surpassed film in terms of revenue, the industries have enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship over the years.

Cork-based writer and gaming enthusiast Christopher Carton has recently published a beautiful book, ‘A Guide to Video Game Movies’, which painstakingly chronicles the journeys of over forty big-screen adaptations of popular video games.

With nearly two hundred full colour stills, posters and screenshots, the book is the ultimate go-to guide to discovering facts about some of the biggest box office hits and the most disappointing critical bombs in history.

Speaking to the Cork Independent, Christopher says he was planning to watch some of his favourite video game movies one week when he thought, “hey, maybe someone out there would like to actually read about these”.

“I've always been fascinated with video game movies and their bizarre changes from the source material. I knew that gaming books had really been taking off in the last few years, and when I saw that the publisher Pen & Sword were looking to expand their gaming output on their White Owl imprint, I thought this book would be a good bridge between hardcore gaming and accessible film and celebrity culture,” says Christopher.

What might have been an insurmountable undertaking for your average man, was a little more doable for Christopher who has been keeping up to date with the majority of video game movies that have come out in the last few decades.

“A lot of the random facts and my own opinions were formed before I even put finger to keyboard. The writing tended to flow well, especially after watching and rewatching the movies, but the process from start to finish really requires a lot of reading, editing, design choices and making sure it reads well and isn't just a wall of facts with no structure or flow.

“But it was a lot of work to ensure the production details were correct, the photos were accurate and all of the release years and consoles for any of the gaming chat was factual,” he says.

While researching and writing his book, Christopher came across some interesting discoveries that surprised even a tenured gamer and film fanatic such as himself.

“The main surprises for me were the number of animated movies that have been released from the ‘80s up to today. I was aware of some, like ‘Dead Space’ and a few of the Street Fighter anime films, but I had no idea there were so many niche movies based on things like ‘Art of Fighting’ and ‘Fatal Fury’, as well as the original Super Mario Bros cartoon film that came out in the mid-‘80s. As the book mainly focuses on the more high-profile films, these little hidden gems were nice to discover. There was also a decent amount of straight-to-video sequels that even I had missed!”

Of course, not all video games can be made into a movie, but Christopher says that, if he was in charge, he knows exactly which game he’d bring to the big screen.

“I'm protective of games that I really love, but I would probably go with something like the MediEvil games that came to the PlayStation 1. They have a unique visual style that I think would be suited to someone like Tim Burton or Henry Selick, and I think they could put some stop-motion wizardry to it and make it something really enjoyable. When it comes to the lead role, why not Chris Pratt, seeing as he's voicing everyone these days?”

On the other side of things, Christopher says the two art forms don’t always line up and that there are many games that are too precious and specific to gaming to ever be made into a movie.

“My favourite game of all time, Shadow of the Colossus, should never be made into a movie. It's a pure gaming experience in my opinion, with a brilliant atmosphere and a sense of isolation. It has a natural, flowing narrative with very little dialogue and I think it should remain in the interactive medium. Don't touch it!!”

As far as his favourites go, Christopher says he genuinely enjoys many video game movies, and loads of others in a ‘so-bad-it’s-good' kind of way.

“My all-time favourites would be ‘Super Mario Bros’, 'Mortal Kombat’ (1995), ‘Street Fighter', ‘Assassin's Creed’, ‘Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time’, and Sonic 1 and 2. I feel like they best embody the games they came from and stand as enjoyable movies in their own right. I think they're all worth watching for their quirks and also as a little time capsule, particularly the colourful and over-the-top ‘90s ones.”

Although loved by many, especially in retrospect, video game movies have encountered their fair share of box office glitches along the way, something Christopher says is partially down to those in charge not being able to decide what audience they're trying to capture.

He said: “If you want to bring in gamers, you need to be true to the source, be familiar with aspects of the game, put in easter eggs or moments that show players you appreciate the material. Too often filmmakers are trying to please general cinema-goers, and there's nothing wrong with that, but when it brings unnecessary changes in tone and content to the project, why bother adapting it at all?”

Looking ahead, Christopher says he’s not quite sure how the relationship between movies and video games will play out, given the quality and financial independence of modern games.

“In my opinion, the big budget games of the modern era, like The Last of Us and Red Dead Redemption, absolutely rival film and TV in their narrative power, and in some ways even surpass them. In that way I do think that directors and writers might struggle to find things to adapt that haven't already reached their potential.

“For example, I'm looking forward to HBO's 'The Last of Us’ TV series, but the games are so cinematic already that it seems like an odd decision. I think something like Sonic the Hedgehog has fared well, in that they've taken a very ‘gamey’ video game and ran with it, making it something unique while not being held back by the narrative source.”

Christopher’s new book, ‘A Guide to Video Game Movies', can be ordered from the publisher's website pen-and-sword.co.uk, Amazon, Book Depository and any good online book retailers.