What is story?

Through my blog I’ve been looking at narrative storytelling within films and video games. It’s a topic that has taken me from the historic background of game to film adaptation onto new technologies that are shaping the production of both industries and down into the exploration of new media concepts, before moving towards new ways of telling stories through innovative technology and remarkable narrative techniques.

It was just over four months ago that I started my exploration into this topic, but in that time there is one element of narrative storytelling I have yet to breach: what is story?

I set out to learn about, comment on and question the growing link between video gaming and film, but in doing so I ignored the ever-present gap between film and video game narratives – between linear storytelling and non-linear, spatial storytelling.

I recently spoke with Doctor Marian Ursu, professor in interactive media at the University of York whose interests and research lie in interactive narrative storytelling. Through our conversation we discussed the ways in which interactive narratives, i.e. those requiring user input and choice (effectively, every video game narrative), differ from more traditional, linear storytelling techniques. Whilst it’s true that mediums such as film and television are beginning to branch out into interactivity, the medium of video gaming is inherently designed around it.

I’ve talked about this type of storytelling before with my study of The Wolf Among Us and its focus on player choice, but in my talk with Marian we delved deeper into the basic difference between linear stories and interactive ones.

A linear story progresses in a straight line, along a single route. It’s the main type of narrative that we’re used to, seeing it in film, television, theatre and books. A story, then, is the progression of a narrative from point A to B along a set path.

A linear story path contains no user choice, it's a predefined journey

But, when a story involves choice and consequence – when it involves variables – it can’t remain the same thing. The entire basis on which the notion of story relies upon is changed.

Below is a representation of a simplified narrative space. What this translates to is the interactive sphere in which narrative interactions take place. In a game, for example, you may start at point A but then choose either point B or point C. From there you either reach point D, point E, point F or point G and so on. You are also, often, allowed to revisit a point, say point C, but your approach could now be from point E not point A.

In a spatial story 'sphere' there are multiple paths and journeys

Essentially, in an interactive narrative a story has to be crafted with multiple scenarios, choices and outcomes but these choices must also abide by continuity – point C must be reachable by point A, E and any other approachable angle yet still make sense to the player and their version of the story, however they choose to approach it.

A representation of how story points and end points can be visited from multiple approaches

As you can see by comparing the visual representations of a linear story to an interactive one, the difference is huge. Though the basic goals of each remain the same, in many ways they are completely different ideas.

Where then, does that leave us?

For me, it’s brought me to a place where to view a film and video game narrative as the same thing is entirely nonsensical. They are different in conception, structure and execution and require a different thought process. This may seem obvious, and I’m not stating here that until now a film or video game story was interchangeable to me, what I’m really driving towards is that any new technology (such as enhanced motion capture techniques), or any new media concept (such as transmedia storytelling) is perhaps missing this key difference.

We are, currently, living in the first wave of the new digital media age – second screens, internet streaming, on demand services, user control – these processes, technologies and systems are new and are being experimented with, written about and developed at an ever increasing rate.

I’ve been tracing these developments within this blog, trying to piece together how this changing landscape is affecting the convergence of films and video games, but I’m realising now that any connection, any link between the two is hindered by the innate differences of their narrative approaches and structures.

We may be, at present, content with our developing media ecosystem, but what I’m putting forward here is that until the possibilities of interactive narratives are explored and developed further, any system utilising one or any franchise merging traditional methods with new structures will never reach its full potential. At the moment, technologies, concepts and systems are developing at different rates, it will take a balancing of these elements to create a media network that can provide a fully realised experience to its users.

The Last Of Us film adaptation on its way

So, hugely successful and all round fantastic game The Last Of Us is being made into a film.

'The Last of Us', oozing cinematic potential

Usually, this would be seen as bad news – there is, after all, an historic trend of game to film adaptations being ruined in the transition from small screen to big; Tomb Raider; Max Payne; Mortal Kombat; Hitman; Prince of Persia; Final Fantasy… the list goes on and, frankly, gets a lot worse.

A small selection of failed attempts to re-create video games on the big screen

But, there is hope for The Last Of Us adaptation as, reportedly, the script will be penned by creative director of the game, Neil Druckmann. It’s unusual to see a member of the game design team take on such a prominent role in the film’s production, but it’s a welcome change.

The adaptation will be produced by Screen Gems (a subsidiary of Sony) in collaboration with Sam Raimi’s Ghost House Pictures. Screen Gems president, Clint Culpepper, stated that “[w]hen I saw the quality of the storytelling, I knew the audience for this project was far greater than just the gaming community and that Neil Druckmann must write the screenplay” – sure, it’s a cliché press release, but knowing that Druckmann is in charge of creating a screen story out of Naughty Dog’s bestseller is a good sign; The Last Of Us had a narrative repeatedly praised as a breakthrough in video game storytelling, after all.

It will be interesting to see how this pans out, as it could potentially change the way game to film adaptations are handled in the future; should Druckmann prove his worth with the script it’s possible other studios will start to see opportunity in using game writers for film adaptations, and to me that’s definitely a good thing.

Uncovering a different kind of mystery: Playing ‘Gone Home’

I've been talking quite a lot recently about new technologies and the rise of spectacle as a narrative tool within video games, but that doesn't mean more traditional video game styles are being left behind, as I found out after playing Gone Home.

Side note: I'll be taking openly about the game 'Gone Home' in this post with various reveals about the story and ending - I urge anyone interested to download and play it before reading, it's a brilliant experience and not one to be missed
 
Gone Home is a first-person interactive story adventure game developed by The Fullbright Company. Set in 1995 you play as Kaitlin Greenbriar, a 20-something who returns home from a year of travelling in Europe to find her new house empty with no sign of where her family is.

'Gone Home' by The Fullbright Company

Kaitlin has never seen the house before, and coming to the front door on a dark and stormy night you find a worrying note from your sister, Samantha, who has vanished. Gameplay centres on your exploration of the family home as you try to uncover the reasons behind your sister’s disappearance.

'Gone Home' sees Kaitlin investigate her new family home, a mansion in Oregon

But, in a change from convention this mystery doesn’t conclude with a murder, betrayal or a supernatural possession (cleverly hinted at in one of the games red-herring subplots) but rather, with your sister’s discovery of her sexuality and her decision to run away and be with the woman she loves, Lonnie.

It’s a relatively short journey, with my play through coming in at just over two hours (and I stopped to smell all the roses), but it’s an extremely powerful one. As you walk through the eerie corridors and rooms, leafing through draws, bookcases, cupboards and more you uncover the lives of Sam and Lonnie, but also of your parents and their fractured marriage – detailed by letters indicating your mother’s rise on the career ladder and a possible affair as your father’s career as a pulp fiction author fades into cheap technology reviews, alcohol and hidden porn magazines.

You can, if you choose, simply rush through the house, picking out the necessary elements to complete before heading for the end goal – but, then you really miss the point. There’s no combat, no enemies or even other people to interact with; it’s simply you and what you choose to discover. As I said, I opened every draw, looked under every pillow and made sure to read and remember everything.

Not only is it a treat to uncover the main story, but absorbing all of the 90s references and nostalgia is great fun and also sets the tone – as you progress with Sam’s move from insecure teen to confident ‘riot grrrl’ as she embraces the culture of the time you feel that Sam is a real person, who has a real life and story. It’s a hugely different experience and as I discovered more about the life of my sister I wanted to stop and absorb everything yet rush on to the next clue. Fullbright can certainly be commended on crafting a story that is well written, engrossing and mature.

A plethora of 90s references and home styling help cement 'Gone Home' in its era

What’s interesting to me though (on top of all of that mentioned above) is that Gone Home manages to create a story that not only feels right at home on my PC, but that also challenges what video games can show us whilst simultaneously being more relevant and genuine than most film releases.

The topic of sexuality, specifically lesbianism, has come to the fore recently – most notably in the adaptation of the graphic novel Blue Is the Warmest Color into a feature length film. But, though a critical success, Blue also garnered its fair share of criticism for its depiction of lesbian sex. Author of the original graphic novel, Julie Maroh, found the film’s controversial sex scene ridiculous, stating that it was “a brutal and surgical display, exuberant and cold, of so-called lesbian sex, which turned into porn”.

'Blue is The Warmest Colour' found success as a feature film but was mired by controversy

Though just one example, it highlights the common tendency of films to turn sex into something more than it is; seemingly needing to be heightened, moulded and even, to a certain extent, constructed to appeal to an audience.

Gone Home avoids the visual aspect of this sexual exploration and, apart from a few narrated hints and written clues the subject of sex is largely avoided. The story isn’t about sex, it’s about sexuality and what’s important is the development of Sam as a person, her relationship with Lonnie as an all-encompassing, life changing event. In pushing these aspects to the fore (and in presenting them through the device of an eerie mystery) Gone Home manages to create one of the most honest and emotional representations of sexuality I’ve seen in recent times.

Powerful, unique and hugely captivating, Gone Home is a triumph both in its presentation and narrative. Not just a fantastic journey through one young women’s discovery of herself, but also a strong example of video gaming at its narrative best. Gone Home is proof of how far video games have come, and in some ways, is a stark reminder of how the more dominant medium of film can learn from this ever growing, ever improving and challenging art form.

Hands on with the Oculus Rift VR headset

In my last post I talked about the film Her and the way in which it portrayed gaming in the future. I talked briefly about the Oculus Rift and how emerging technologies are making those futuristic dreams a reality. Since then I’ve been lucky enough to get some hands-on time with a Rift headset in the hopes of gaining a better idea of how these new technologies operate, and whether or not they’re effective.

The Oculus Rift VR headset (Development Kit)

The Oculus Rift is a VR (Virtual Reality) headset that uses state of the art motion tracking and image mapping to create an immersive virtual space for the wearer. Moving your head creates movement in the virtual environment that matches real life. The headset consists of two lenses (one for each eye) and nearly fills the wearer’s entire field of view; completely blocking out the real world and allowing the virtual world (as much as possible) to fill the wearer’s vision.

The exterior hood, side fittings and internal lenses on the Rift headset

The aim is to create a completely new and enveloping way of experiencing modern media; mainly visual forms like video gaming, film and television. Through my time with the Rift I wanted to see how much these claims come to fruition, and was keen to experiment with the Rift’s possibilities to see if it does indeed add an immersive aspect to playing or watching and whether or not it creates any new opportunities for visual media.

During my time with the headset I tested various demos, both sound only experiments and visual-based tests.

The first experiment I tried was a virtual surround sound test. I was placed in the centre of a speaker array; used earlier to output the original sound, measure listener response and program the headset. Wearing the Rift and a pair of headphones I then listened to Bohemian Rhapsody. Through the Rift's motion tracking I was able to turn my head and have the sound reach me from different directions. By moving I experienced a surround sound effect mimicking one from the speaker array, but through a stereo headphone output.

The setup used to measure and create the virtual surround sound test

It was a very impressive, realistic and surprisingly intuitive way of listening. I had expected the test to feel unnatural, the weight and size of the device pulling me out of the experience. But rather, as I sat and listened and moved around I was able to accurately control the direction of the sound and felt as if I was listening to the speaker array, or even a live performance itself.

Though such a use of the Rift will never truly re-imagine the experience of gaming or watching, it already proved to me how the device can increase the immersion aspect, and create a more engaging experience whilst simply wearing a pair of headphones. Once the programming process is simplified and the initial speaker setup no longer required the days of needing a 7.1 surround sound system may soon be at an end!

I then moved on to try some visual demos. The first was Oculus Tuscany, a tech demo that allows the user to roam freely around a Tuscan villa and interact with objects in the environment.

'Oculus Tuscany' - Showcasing high level graphics and highlighting the possibilities of the Rift

This demo immediately felt much more intuitive and engaging than I thought possible. I was still using a mouse and keyboard to control my movement, and yet being able to move my head and direct my actions and explore my surroundings was quite amazing.

I could stand and look around freely as if in real life, walking up a staircase I could tilt my head and compensate for the angle, picking up a ball I could tilt down and reach for it. Interacting with the basketball I was able to aim my shot and observe the throw by simply moving, as if playing with a real ball. It was much more involving than I had imagined it would be, and felt more natural than I thought possible. I instantly felt at home moving my head to explore and the experience never became disorientating or jarring, it felt like the way interaction with a virtual world should be.

A 2D computer representation of my experience in 'Oculus Tuscany'

One drawback to the experience however is the display of the Oculus Rift’s developer kit. At 720p resolution (1280x600 to be precise), the view is slightly blurred and this takes you out of the virtual environment. Even with this drawback though, the demo was very impressive and the consumer release of the Rift is planned to feature a 1080p resolution (1920x1080) which should fix the issue.

Next up I tried the Cobra Roller Coaster simulator. I was intrigued by this demo as the graphical quality was lower than that of the Tuscany demo, and I wanted to see if that adversely affected my experience.

Surprisingly, I still felt as if I was soaring along a coaster at high speed. As I looped the loop and took hair-raising corners I found myself leaning my head, looking down to the ground far below and feeling a real sense of height. If the Tuscany demo confirmed to me that the Rift can create an immersive game world, the simulator showed me how such a world can feel like real life to a surprising degree.

A 2D computer representation of 'Cobra Roller Coaster' in action

Already I was beginning to see how the Rift can shape the future of video gaming. By combining the use of virtual surround sound with an environment explored using a user’s own field of view, video gaming can become a much more personal and involving experience. It isn’t hard to imagine how gaming will drastically improve simply by wearing the device.

Pleasantly surprised at the Rift so far and convinced of its place in the future of video gaming I turned to its use for film, using the VR Cinema demo.

Placed in a virtual cinema I was able to load in a movie of my choice and watch it (in full) as I sat in this virtual theatre; walking around, choosing my seat, turning off the lights and so on. Whilst not nearly as interactive or engrossing as the previous demos it did still create a strikingly different experience. Films are already being developed specifically for the Rift (an interactive trailer for one can be seen here), and whilst I didn’t get to view one, it’s easy to imagine how watching a movie in a virtual world would be an interesting experience.

The interactive 'VR Cinema' viewing experience

VR Cinema concluded my time with the Oculus Rift headset and I left thoroughly impressed. I admit to being dubious as I first sat down and placed the device on my head, but it truly is an engrossing, engaging and frankly fantastic way to experience audio/visual entertainment.

Does it change, outright, the way we’ll play games and watch films? At the moment, no. It adds a whole new layer to the experience, but it doesn’t create any unique possibilities on its own. It’s early days for the Rift though, and as developers continue to experiment with its possibilities, and as consumers get accustomed to using the device, who knows what will happen and what part the Rift will play in the future of entertainment? I, for one, am excited to find out.

The rising spectacle of playing video games

I recently saw Her at the cinema and it got me thinking.

It’s a fantastic film and, among many other things, manages to create a gorgeous, striking and yet unsettling vision of the future. I won’t go into details of the plot (I’m sure everyone is somewhat aware that it’s about a man and a computer and love, to put it way too simply), but, something Her touches upon in its vision of our future is video games.

'Her' by Spike Jonze

Perhaps oddly for a film about the future there are no gizmo-filled futuristic movie going sequences, but there is a good bit of gaming action. One of Theodore’s (our protagonist's) friends is a game designer, he himself plays video games and the director has a voice cameo as a foul-mouthed sprite within a game.

Amy Adams as 'Amy', a games designer in 'Her' and Spike Jonze (voice) as an in-game 'sprite'

No, it isn’t the main plot and for many probably not important at all, but like I said, it got me thinking.

In Her, video games are more of a spectacle than they are nowadays. Video games themselves take up the whole wall of a living room, players talk to other in-game characters who are themselves another person, playing the game itself involves hand gestures and body movement (no, not like the Wii), there is no pause function, and taking a break angers the other characters: generally, within the world of Her, to play a game is to do something – something physical, involving. It’s an event.

A video game's world takes over the living room in 'Her', and hand gestures control movement

In the real world, whilst video games are prevalent and enjoyed by many, and whilst multiplayer games are a common thing, they are most definitely not an event… not like, for example, seeing a movie is.

When you see a film at the cinema it's an authentic experience. It involves a journey there, booking seats, buying food, a darkened room, ear-splitting audio and, of course, a huge screen. Going to the cinema is an involving, engrossing and magical event. It was designed to be an event, it evolved to become an event and it remains an event.

The spectacle of the cinema isn't quite matched by video gaming at home...

For games this isn’t the case, at least not yet, but things are changing. It may not be quite the same as in Her, but, the Oculus Rift is promising players a new way to play video games. Using a headset and other gadgets players can experience the first virtual reality gaming experience – a fully immersive gaming experience.

The Oculus Rift headset and a representation of each eye on a computer screen

It’s all in early stages, and far from being the norm, but it is the start of something. How we play games is changing and what seems to be happening is the way games are presented to us is shifting. The same titles out now will be available on the Oculus Rift, but how you view them will be what changes.

Similar to the Rift is Microsoft’s ‘IllumiRoom’ research project, a system that uses a projector to map elements of a game’s world onto the wall it’s played against, creating an absorbing and involving experience for the player. Whilst only a proposal at the moment, it shows a similar emphasis on spectacle and bears a striking resemblance to the future tech exhibited in Her, as you can see in the promo video below:

Is the world of video gaming heading towards a future where to game is to participate in an event? Will gaming become the new cinema experience? Will the spectacle of playing a game be more important than the game itself?

At the moment, who knows? But, it’s gotten me thinking…

Affecting the narrative: A case study of ´The Wolf Among Us´

Brooklyn, the 1980s. I’m standing in the dingy living room of a rundown apartment complex, slapping a 4ft, dressing-gown wearing toad around the face as Snow White enters with the toad’s young son, who trembles in fear at me, Bigby ‘the big bad’ Wolf.

Just an average day within the universe of The Wolf Among Us, the latest release from Telltale Games and based upon the popular comic book series, Fables.

'The Wolf Among Us'

Set in New York, The Wolf Among Us (TWAU) is a point-and-click adventure game centred on characters from fairy tales and folklore. In a gritty take on their stories, these fairy tale characters have been driven from their homelands and have taken refuge in New York City. Here they try to live normal lives and hide themselves from regular humans, with Bigby Wolf taking on the role of Sheriff in this dark and twisted community.

Bigby Wolf, Snow White & Toad - Some of the weird and dangerous inhabitants of TWAU

TWAU is, like Telltale’s last big release The Walking Dead, an episodic and player led experience. As you play through the game you are given numerous choices and, as stated at the start of the game by Telltale themselves: “[the] game series adapts to the choices you make. The story is tailored by how you play”.

How effective is this design though? Does choice and consequence create a deeper, more meaningful experience for the player? Does it create a stronger story? Perhaps more importantly, is there a price to this choice? Are the limitations that exist within video games counter to the proposal of free player choice within a game?

First and foremost, I think it’s important to describe the experience of playing TWAU. As I said, it’s a point-and-click adventure game which involves the player investigating scenes by interacting with items and people; using your wits to choose what to see, who to talk to and when to act. TWAU also features quick time events (QTEs) wherein you’re required to act fast, following directions on screen in a limited time-frame – usually used in chase or fight sequences.

Point-and-click games are strikingly different in play style to the more ‘traditional’ gameplay method of putting the player in direct control of their character. You are very limited in terms of character movement (sometimes not having any choice in where your character goes) but you are given more freedom with your environment and the pace of the game is determined by your interactions. The play style is more an interactive story than a traditional game.

Classic point-and-click gameplay as well as some QTE fight elements

Is this type of game inherently more engaging than a traditional game, and is this where player choice belongs? Is player interaction dependant on this play style? Personally, I would say no. I believe both gameplay styles can be equally engaging and story driven. Just take a look at The Last Of Us (dissected by myself in a previous post) – it’s engaging, dramatic, character driven and an extremely well-crafted game. Its style of gameplay has little to no effect on the story, and I believe it’s the story itself that really affects player engagement. Some narratives are suited more to traditional gameplay styles, some more to the point-and-click style, and some to even more unique ways of playing, but in all of these, the story is key in this engagement and player choice and consequence can fit in all gameplay styles.

So, if it isn’t the type of game that makes choice important, perhaps it is the idea of shaping the experience in general. Seeing what effect player interaction has on a story is perhaps interesting because of the ‘live feedback’, the ability to see your actions shape a world. This is something no film or book can do, it’s an exclusive trait belonging to video games, and when a great narrative is twinned with player interaction, there is the possibility for truly engaging storytelling.

Choice plays a big role in TWAU and can determine vital plot points

There is however, a problem with this system. The limitation of both technology and creativity hinders the extent to which player choice can affect a game’s narrative. You cannot, for example, have player choice drastically alter the outcome of a game beyond two or three possibilities – the sheer amount of programming needed would require a huge amount of storage – not something readily available on a disc.

Even as technology improves however, and storage and computing power become less of a concern, creative limitations will always exist. Stories are written by people, and much like crafting a great screenplay or novel is a difficult task, writing a great video game narrative is a challenge. Having multiple endings, strands of investigation, different dialogue responses and avenues of conversation requires a person, or team, to factor in and write all of this content. Compare a simple, linear narrative to one which has multiple choices, branches and outcomes, and the creative work multiplies exponentially.

Due to these limitations, player choice will always be restricted. The real art comes in hiding these restrictions. A well-crafted choice system will distract a player from the limits of their choice by giving them drama, action and immediate consequence in return – it’s safer, and more satisfying, if a player’s interaction is rewarded instantly and dramatically, than to leave them disappointed with a slow-burning narrative development.

So player choice is important, encourages engagement in a story, gives a player control and yet is limited to the point where that control is, effectively, an illusion. Why then, do games continue to use choice mechanisms? Why do players continue to enjoy them?

One possible answer is the community aspect that often comes with a choice led experience. Many games utilise a multiplayer element to extend play time, and websites like YouTube are full of play-along videos; in which viewers can watch walkthroughs, learn techniques, and discover hints and secrets from players filming their performance.

Games like TWAU however, often take this further with dedicated forums for discussion and in-game statistics and comparisons. During my play through of the first episode of TWAU I was met with statistics that matched my performance against other players:

Stats in TWAU track player's progress and match it against others globally

Elements like this help to bring players together, chart their experiences and compare the outcomes of their actions. This doesn’t remove the limitations that hinder player interactivity, nor does it affect my play through directly, but having a community to discuss and deliberate with extends the experience and increases the engagement a player will have with the story.

Channels from YouTube take this further by using audience opinions and voting to direct the choices they make – the digital age has brought with it an increase in online communities, and games utilising choice systems are able to whet the appetite of fans and encourage a group experience.

When it comes down to it, choice and consequence in gaming may not alter the story of a game drastically, and may not be the key reason behind a player’s engagement with the narrative, but, that player interaction, that sense of control and choice (however much of an illusion it is) creates a deeper link with the story and sets it apart from those we read or see on the screen.

The Wolf Among Us is a fantastic game; dark, brooding and full of twists and turns that keep players guessing and wanting to continue their hunt. Player choice may only augment this experience, not create it, but what’s really important when playing a story driven game is the story itself. Tailoring that story with independent choice, and yet retaining the structure and plot as it was originally designed will ultimately create the strongest experience, and a strong experience is, above all else, what matters.

Watching movies and playing games: How the two are closer than you think

To say that there are similarities between films and video games would be, to most, an obvious statement. Just how similar though, and how important the link is, may surprise you.

I recently stumbled across an online video essay titled ‘Transmedia Synergies: Remediating Films and Video Games’ (catchy, I know). Written and created my Matthias Stork (an MA student at UCLA) the essay delves into how the video game and film industries are not just linked, but rather co-dependant.

Stork begins by saying that films and video games continuously borrow from each other. This creates what he terms an ‘aesthetic interdependency’ – basically, the look of one depends on the other, and vice versa. This is called ‘remediation’, a term defined by David Bolter and Richard Grusin as the process of one media translating, refashioning and reforming another. Films remediate elements of video games, and video games incorporate and twist film conventions. The result is a ‘network of transmedia synergies’, which essentially means a network of shared ideas coming together and creating new ideas. The look, structure and feel of both mediums is informed by the other in a continuous exchange of information.

This happens in multiple ways; video game technology being adopted by the film industry; technical and creative crews working on a film tie-in video game; actors lending their voices across mediums, the list goes on. Stork mentions that one of the main ways in which films have influenced video games is by dictating how they’re presented. The standard gameplay and cutscene technique used by almost every single game, is a cinematic device adapted from film.

Stork goes further however, and defines ‘cinematic’ as ‘the cultural interface, a toolbox for all cultural communication’. Big words. What Stork is saying here is that films are such a large part of our culture, of our everyday lives, that the visual style they employ actually effects the ways in which visual communication works. It may sound like a lofty proposal, but everything from TV shows and advertisements right down to books and poster design can be shown to be influenced by cinematic language.

Bringing the topic back to video games, Stork talks about how the video game camera is taken from films. What appears obvious (allowing the player to see through a ‘virtual camera’) is in fact a more complex, and film-influenced technique.

Check out the use of bullet time in both The Matrix and Max Payne and see how filmic language effects the style of the game:

Similarities between 'The Matrix' and 'Max Payne'

How about the infamous boulder scene in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark compared to an escape sequence in Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception?

'Raiders of the Lost Ark's' famous boulder scene still influences action scenes to this day

Still not convinced? Take a look at the visual style of the Resident Evil game series compared to your average horror film, any similarities?

The 'Resident Evil' series is known for employing horror film tropes in its visual style

As Stork mentions, the visual language of games is, right down to its core, a cinematic technique adapted from the film industry. However, it isn’t just games that borrow from films, this ‘aesthetic interdependency’ is a two way street.

Stork notes how shots from the finale of Star Wars echo early arcade shooters, and also looks at Tron as a video game on the big screen, one that influenced visual effects for years to come.

'Star Wars' shares a common visual style that dates back to the first arcade shooters

It isn’t just the visual effects side either. Take a look at this sequence from Fantastic Mr. Fox compared to the classic platformer, Super Mario Bros.:

Classic platforming games provide a visual influence for Wes Anderson's playful animation

It may seem surprising, but even a visually distinctive director like Wes Anderson takes inspiration from video game heritage.

Moving on from visual language, Stork also analyses Run Lola Run, noting how the films structure (showing the same sequence three times with a varying outcome in each) is based upon video game level design.

The repetitive structure in 'Run Lola Run' is reminiscent of video game level structure

The visuals and structure of both video games and films show an historical, mutual remediation that shows no signs of slowing down. Claiming one medium is more important than the other over-simplifies the matter. As Stork puts it, the mediums are a ‘creative alliance’. The younger of the two mediums, video games, takes techniques from the older film industry. Whilst films in turn rediscover these conventions and produce new creations. What this creates is an ever-evolving media landscape in which one cannot fully live without the other.

It’s funny to think that these mediums are entwined to the point that the failure of one would dramatically change the other, but then, it’s also a natural process in an ever-increasing visually-centric culture. The next time you casually watch a film or sit down to play your favourite game, think about how it came to be and how, if the other medium didn’t exist, it might be unrecognisable.