I'm excited about this. (Gaming)

by Kermit , Raleigh, NC, Tuesday, March 10, 2020, 16:07 (1500 days ago) @ Cody Miller

Why are you so determined to be a shitlord gatekeeper for the crap you like?

I am merely predicting the reality of the situation. I’m totally going to watch this.

Then I really don’t even understand what this conversation is about.

I don’t think your reality matches actual reality in this case. Your numbers argument just doesn’t make any sense to me.

Let’s make it clear: I’m saying it’s likely going to end up like the near entirety of game to movie / TV adaptations if they just straight up tell the story of the game.

Yet you're unclear. Define your terms. What do you mean "like the near entirety of game to movie / TV adaptations"?

Whatever you mean, how would telling the story of the game contribute to that result?

Another question: would you call the LOTR movies a straight up telling of the novels?

Go back and search my posts. I’ve explained numerous times how novel to film is vastly different than game to film. Novels do not use audio or video at all, and can gain a tremendous amount in a straight adaptation. You’ll find the answers to all three questions.

I regret not having the time to comb through your past posts in order to piece together your argument. I get that you think it would be redundant because they use so many of the same elements, but I disagree because games are much less accessible to a great number of people (in this case I can give actual names of people from real life). What's unwarranted or unsupported are these assertions (which you won't clarify, but which I'll nevertheless attempt to express):

• Telling the same story is a waste of time.
  
• Telling the same story likely won't be successful.
  
• Telling a different story likely would be successful.

My thesis is this: I think this is worthy endeavor. The Last of Us is one of the first games to provide a narrative and performances on par with what I consider the premier storytelling form of our time (the long-form TV series)--a form that didn't fully mature until the last 25 years. The Last of Us was surely influenced by the high-water marks in this form--The Sopranos, The Wire, etc. That HBO, the birthplace of the prestige series, should buy into the material is a natural development and a good fit. There are parts of the script that are so perfect, I can't imagine changing anything, but there's plenty of room for creativity without changing a word. I'm thrilled to see a world so anchored in reality made flesh. And The Last of Us' few concessions to fantasy--the last vestiges of ludonarrative dissonance (e.g., recovering from gunshots with the quick wrap of a bandage) can be jettisoned once and for all. It can be better than the game.