The games industry continues to run around after Hollywood like a lovesick puppy. We make games of its movies and even when we're not doing that, we're just trying to emulate its movies or getting the stars of its movies to be in our games. Yes, it's one big love-in for the movie industry. Sometimes the movie industry reciprocates our love and makes movies of our games.
From another point of view, this could be seen as Hollywood putting us in our place by showing how crap and shallow our stories really are, that it wouldn't waste the talent of its movie great and good on our mere trifles. The result of Hollywood's love is a catalogue of shoddy reworkings of games, which show neither flare nor respect for the original.
It seems dear play chums that the games industry will be forever sucking and nibbling on the coat tails of Hollywood, hoping for a pat of approval. However, I think the movie industry has something to learn from us games inclined types.
It's awards season. The GiN nominations are in, we've had the BAFTAs and the Academy Awards are imminent. And with all of those, there is always controversy. This year, for some bizarre reason, GiN readers have completely overlooked Mario Galaxy for Wii game of the year. Barring anomalies like this, I think the games industry is a pretty fair judge of its talent and does a good judge of recognising those who deserve such.
On the other hand, the movie industry has a terrible record of seeing talent staring them in the face. Last weekend, I went to see Tim Burton's latest, Sweeney Todd and I have to say, I was totally blown away. So imagine my surprise when I had a look at the award nominations this year. Sweeney Todd nowhere to be seen for Best Picture and Burton conspicuous in his absence on the Best Director list for this year's Oscars.
Okay, so it's a musical, but historically that's been a winning formula for sweeping the Oscars. Just a few years ago, Chicago swept the board, albeit, the first since Oliver, nearly 40 years previously. However, Sweeney Todd is a better movie, with great artistic vision at its heart.
This year's nominations seem to focus on old world America, with No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood. When in times of trouble, find solace in the frontier days, rather than a gothic vision of 19th century London. Now I'm not saying these movies don't deserve nominations, but one can't help thinking that Burton has been snubbed one too many times considering the amazing and original work he produces. And I think ‘original' is the key word here, as Hollywood doesn't really like original, it prefers, ‘worthy,' ‘glossy,' or ‘brave,' which translates as a glamorous women being made to look haggard or worse, ugly.
One we do better than the movie industry is celebrate our creative heroes, regardless of genre or style. Remember how the Academy didn't dare give an Oscar to Lord of the Rings until the third, not-as-good-as-the-other-two movies came out? And remember the hoo-ha about a genre-flick getting recognition for the first time ever. Then Jonny Depp got a nomination for Best Actor for playing a pirate and we thought the barriers were down, but alas and alack.
In contrast, could you imagine a games industry where we didn't celebrate Silent Hill and Resident Evil because they're a bit dark and disturbing? Where would a top ten be without recognising the impact of EverQuest or Final Fantasy? Could we have let the 2000 awards lists have slipped by without honouring Halo? If we were more like Hollywood, Rez and Ico would almost certainly have vanished without trace because of poor sales and a lack of funds to push them round the ‘awards circuit.'
We're a fairly open-minded bunch and won't bat an eyelid if game of the year comes from the horror genre, or doesn't focus on narrative. In fact, some of our best and most innovative games eschew the traditions of film-making in favour of the things that make this media its own special and peculiar beast.
I'll just have to make do with the knowledge that if Tim Burton were a game creator we'd be celebrating him, rather than shrinking from his unique vision.
Most played: Rez
Most wanted: Devil May Cry 4