A few years ago, Roger Ebert set off an outcry in the gaming community when he questioned in print whether video games could, indeed, be art. While I’m a non-gamer myself, I remain optimistic of the artistic potential of the medium. However, whether Hollywood will manage to figure out how to make the proverbial good video game adaptation is somewhat more in doubt. I couldn’t say for sure, but I’m guessing that there are plenty of games out there that create interesting worlds and compelling narratives. So why does almost every big-screen video game adaptation look like a third-rate ripoff of The Matrix? Perhaps all it’ll take is for a genuine gifted filmmaker to take on a video game. Then again, maybe what makes video games really interesting- the actual, you know, playing of them- will always make the big-screen adaptations of them feel a lot like watching your buddies play Super Mario Bros. all afternoon without allowing you to take the controls for a while. Not that I’m bitter or anything…
