Similarities between Movies and Videogames (Essay Sample)

Similarities between Movies and Videogames
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August 30, 2013
Movies and Videogames have Growing Similarities
Movies and videogames are very much part of today’s entertainment world, which is amassed with many forms. Videogames, having arrived later than movies, are closely related to the latter. According to the Macmillan dictionary, a movie is simply “a film shown in a cinema or on television.” The same dictionary defines a videogame as “a game in which players use electronic controls to move images on a screen.” This is as far as the dictionary definition goes. It appears that both entertainment mediums are fundamentally different yet there are growing notions that with time, similarities between the two are growing. Technology forms part of these increasing similarities and as time goes, videogames slowly resemble movies. In the blog “The Movie Blog” Ian Fay poses the question “Are Videogames Becoming more like Movies?” People have started recognizing the rich role technology plays in the transformation of things, in this instance, videogames. Different from the conventional videogames that were so long and tiresome, today’s versions are significantly shorter. This is just one of the changes that videogames have experienced since their inception.
For the longer time, movies have had the upper hand over videogames when it comes to aspects such as graphical features and audio capability. There were times of only one local arcade for a videogame, which gave much excitement to videogame lovers. Olden videogames did not have the save feature and cartridges were the norm. Looking at the timelines for movies and videogames technology, the recent resemblances are very baffling. Information from Infoplease.com indicates that the Physicist Willy Higinbotham invented the first videogame (Infoplease.com). In almost every year since then to date, there have been monumental changes in the gaming technology. In contrast, movies have been in existence for more than a century. The IEEE Global History Network says that by 1926, the first sound movie had already been produced.
Nowadays, a lot has changed for both entertainment mediums, and the gap between movies and videogames. As this essay will highlight, videogames are now more like movies than they were in the previous decades, especially in terms of graphics and experience. The following chapters highlight the similarities between movies and videogames, both in the general and specifics.
Movie and videogames compare to each other in respect to their categorizations. As the following section portrays, some of the categories of movies and videogames have similar content, and give similar experiences to the viewers and gamers respectively.
Since the inception of the first movie in the 1920’s, the world has witnessed an evolution that has led to the emergence of different types of movies. Today, most people have their favourite movies and this is mostly based on genres. The different types of movie genres are described in the website filmsite.org. The action movies genre is very popular among movie lovers. This genre is characterised by adventures, spectacular events, stunts, wars, destruction, rescues, and so on, all these aimed at creating escapism in the viewer. A good example of an action movie is the espionage series popularised by James Bond (filmsite.org).
Movies may also be categorised as horror movies genre, where the aim is to invoke fear and thrill in the audience. This genre is not all about hair-raising experiences as there those who find them captivating and entertaining. Within this genre, there are different styles, especially due to the influence of technology. In the earlier years, there was the Nosferatu, but today there are the CGI Monsters (filmsite.org).
The comedy genre, which is less serious than the other two versions, is also another popular type of movie. It is less serious in the sense that the plots are light-hearted for the sole purpose of amusing and causing laughter in the audience. There are different types of comedies but all of them manipulate the actions, characters, language, and situations to entertain the viewers. Sometimes, moviemakers use such versions to criticize or educate people while still maintaining the basic characteristics.
Categorization of movies is very broad and apart from the above genres, there are many others. Examples of other popular movie genres include Gangster, Musical, Science Fiction (Sci-Fi), and Adventure Movies. In the next section of this essay, it becomes clear that similar to movies, games are classifiable according to their characteristics and how they influence gamers.
As indicated in the website unf.edu, it is possible to think that two videogames are similar, yet their characteristics place them in different genres. One of the most popular videogame genres is the action type, whereby the gamers’ timing, accuracy, and reflexes are put to test (unf.edu). As the gamer manoeuvres across obstacles, all these skills are needed. Under this genre, there are subgroups for example first-person shooters and fighting games. Many effects have been associated with playing these types of videogames, but interestingly, there are many benefits from this experience. unf.edu cites improved motor skills, spatial skills, and general coordination as some of the positives drawn from such games (unf.edu).
Role playing games still ring in older game lovers’ minds to date. Dungeons & Dragons were some of the role-playing games from the past. Today, there are role-playing videogames, which draw their inspiration from the olden versions. As the gamer, one is given the role of an adventurer who relies on a skill set to develop a storyline (unf.edu). Unlike the action-type videogames, this genre demands strategizing and clever play from the gamer. As the game progresses with the gamer following a certain strategy, a certain character is developed (unf.edu).
Strategy is used in role-playing videogames, although there is a specific strategy videogames genre. In this genre, it is more of the player taking control of everything, rather than following a certain storyline. unf.edu refers to this kind of approach as a “god-like view” whereby the game units are practically under the player’s direction. This is likened to the board games, for example chess. In these types of games, strategy is the main skill that sets a winner apart. Therefore, when playing a strategy type of videogame, the player is under intense pressure in almost the entire episode. Considering the atmosphere created when watching an action or horror movie, both movies and videogames find a common ground on how they affect the viewer or gamer.
Within the strategy videogames category, there are simulation videogames, which are popular these days. People use these types of games to have virtual control of a place, machine, or people. As scientists agree, simulation games are a perfect tool for training people to handle different situations (unf.edu).
These are some of the genres of videogames available in the market. Some of these categories may not have equals in movies, but there are general correlations between the two entertainment mediums. Movies are categorised according to their plots and contents, and this is also seen in videogames. For example, there are action type of videogames, which are popular for testing the timing, accuracy, and reflexes of the gamer. In essence, such games demand full attention and adrenaline from the game player. An equal to that in the movie category would be action movies, which elicit the same kind of reactions.
In today’s digital world, technology is a relevant yardstick for measuring the kind of progress made by movies and videogames and possible derives some parallels from these mediums. The consideration of the role played by celluloid 35mm projector in the last century and its imminent extinction brings into focus the big technological advances made in the film industry. The conventional cinema projector reaches its inevitable end as the over 120 years of valuable usage in the movie industry (Hancock D., 2011) is imminently ending. Hancock projects that by 2015, the projection technology, as we know it will have ended and replaced by a more superior technology (2011). This shows the level of influence technology has on the film industry. The conversion from analogue to digital movies started a while back, and the pace seems to be growing by the day. In “Theoretical Market Statistics,” it is estimated that in 2011, the global increase of cinema screens was at 3% (2011). During the same period, digital movies grew by a whooping 79%, and contributed the global screens estimate, which is 50% digital (“Theoretical Market”, 2011.) This shows that the general trend in the film industry is towards a digital environment, where the issue of projectors is history.
Technologically, videogames have also evolved since they first emerged. The technological journey of videogames is more of a smooth transformation rather than complete change as seen in the movie spectrum of screen entertainment. A little over forty years ago, videogames were about several dots on the screen and gamers on a keyboard (“The Transformation”, 2013 ). Fast-forward today, technology has improved gaming hardware and software to levels unthought-of of during those olden eras. Game programming alone is so much different in terms of interaction possible during gaming. Take for example the replacement of simple linear programming with interactive games that allow the player to apply the game in areas such as healthcare and education (“The Transformation”, 2013 ). Therefore, similar to movies, videogames are ...