Why not? (Gaming)

by Kermit , Raleigh, NC, Monday, March 19, 2018, 07:52 (2239 days ago) @ Cody Miller
edited by Kermit, Monday, March 19, 2018, 08:14

First, I understand the impulse to leave a masterpiece well enough alone. That idealistic dream died the day they announced The Last of Us, Part II. The latter will certainly change how people experience the first game. It already has: anyone who has seen the trailer for part two cannot play through part one and experience it the way I did (I'm thinking especially of how unsettled I felt at the beginning of the Winter section).

The Last of Us has a great story that could be made into a great script without much trouble. Get the right talent attached, and that script (like any other great script) could be made into a great film. Sure, the experience will be different without the interactivity or length, but so what? Books engage us imaginatively in ways that movies do not, but just because the experience of reading a novel is often richer and deeper than watching its movie adaptation hasn't stopped scores of movies from being made from novels, many of them excellent.

Sure, we can hope to get people involved who know how to take advantage of the unique qualities of film and use those in the service of the story, but really, what is wrong with bringing great stories to a wider audience? Visual fidelity, schmelity. Not everyone who would appreciate the narrative has the time or the tools to experience it in video game form.