The Blurring Line Between Gaming and Cinema

by Michael Moreno

Something I have noticed more and more in next-gen titles is the tendency for game developers to create games with a cinematic feel to them.  It used to be that the most cinematic portion of any given game came during whatever cut-scenes it might have had.   Now it seems that it is just as important in modern video games to make the player feel as if they are watching a movie as much as they are playing a game.

Gears of War 2 starts you off with a Lord of the Rings style intro as well as an entire level before showing the title screen.  Call of Duty 4:  Modern Warfare sets up your character and puts him in his first mission, complete with theatrical escape scene, before reminding you of the title.   The title screen is no longer the first screen you see when starting a game.  It is now a tool used to convey a sense of epicness, a feeling that you are not just playing a game, but embarking on an experience.

Quick Time Events have also played a part in this transition.  Providing dramatic camera angles and actions that could by no means be completed by the player increase the cinematic experience.  Suddenly, you are no longer controlling your character, but rather watching as he accomplishes incredible feats that you would never be able to achieve with your limited control of the world.   The God of War series does it so well, with quick time events available for nearly every enemy and necessary for completing boss battles.

Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed favors a cinematic presentation for highlighting deaths.  Succesfully executing assassinations, combos, and counter kills will switch the camera immediately to a more dramatic view, giving you a brief taste of cinematic flare before thrusting you right back into control of your character.

So what does this say about the state of video games today?  Well, I think it says more about the nature of video games as an entertainment media.  Video games do more than just provide the brain with useless stimulation and notions of fun.  They take the  best of all forms of entertainment, bringing it upon itself, growing from title to title.  Games have taken the story-telling and creativity of literature; the sounds and emotional emotiveness of music; the intense visual stimuli of cinema; and now, with the advent of systems like the Wii that employ motion control, the kinisthetic pleasures of actual movement.

The reason why video games have grown beyond a generational fad into an entertainment powerhouse and household staple is because developers have never allowed themselves to be locked into any form or image of what a video game is.  A video game is whatever delivers the most entertainment to the player, and as a result have amalgamated useful qualities and characteristics from every form of entertainment available.  It is on the cusp of every technological advance, consuming and growing.  It is a beast.

That is why video games are here to stay.  Yes, the line between gaming and cinema is blurring.   Just as the lines between gaming and literature, gaming and music, gaming and action, are blurring.  These lines will continue to drop out of focus as gaming continues to press forward as an entertainment media juggernaut.