Gamification in cinema
Posted: November 18th, 2010 | Author: Sermad | Filed under: Film, Gaming, Random Musings | 2 Comments »Whilst doing a little research for a project, I was pondering over some influences and I started to realise that many of the films I was referencing had ‘game’ themes as major parts of their plot. Thought it might be fun to list them – Would love to know what other people like. P.S. I am being a little tongue in cheek with this post.
I love so much about this film – Arnie at the height of his rubbish quips, trapped in a dystopian future where entertainment shows are now live executions (if only XFactor would do this…).
A really interesting satire on the media but Robocop and Rollerball are more successful.
That rubbish GAMER film and some other ‘Big Brother murder everyone game show’ mercilessly ripped this off. When they remake this, I hope they nail it.
Another dystopian future and another satire on media and corporation culture. I watched it again the other day and yes it has dated a bit but it’s really quite funny how it all came true (not the blood sport bit obviously but the rise of disgusting corporations). Some great funky moments in the soundtrack also and I now realise I need that poster.
They did remake this didn’t them? I’m too scared to watch it.
A little tenuous on the ‘game’ element but it does have levels (West World – Medieval World – Roman World – it does have a ‘boss’ (a rampaging and brilliant Yul Brynner’) and er yeah OK. It is a fab film. P.S The belgian poster is the one to get.
It make phone phreaking well cool AND it made tic-tac-toe really really cool. One of the most influential films for me in shaping my misspent youth. I so wanted to hack into the C.I.A after seeing this.
An alternate reality game in a film? Who would have thunk it. I’m dying to rewatch this now to see if it has held up (I have a sense it hasn’t and I’ll be shouting at all the plot holes).
I mean it is Street Fighter II remixed. Like the game – fun for about 30 minutes but ultimately at bit shallow.
So that’s all I can think of for the moment. Again I would love to know what other people think.
Update – A couple more.
I’m a huge Cronenberg fan and I remember this film being really interesting. One of those ‘is it real / is it in my head’ films that ‘The Matrix‘ and more recently ‘Inception‘ have trodden down. But ExistenZ has a character who is a game designer – A game designer! How many films can put that one down. Again Inception borrowed from this by having an architect / level designer.
I digress. A very good film. Worth a rewatch.
I mentioned it before – A mashup of Call of Duty, The Running Man and Second Life. Avoid.
I remember this being a hyper violent ‘Lord of the flies‘. Incredibly dark, quite sick but a great film. A game where children are forced to kill each other. Not a date movie.
Jean-Claude Van Damme + John Woo. This is going to be an action masterpiece right? Sadly, I’m wrong. Way wrong. An incredible plot where very rich people round up homeless people and then kill them as part of an urban safari game. Not even the talents of Lance Henriksen can save this.
