Today, video games’ impact on popular culture is more noticeable than ever. Major motion pictures are based on video games, stars write songs about games, and plenty of games get spin-off TV shows or comic books. Indeed, the crossover between games and popular culture media is vast. But it was not always like that.
Video Games and Music
Music in video games has come a long way since the simple electronic bleeps of early arcade games. From the late 1990s onwards, new technologies in video game music meant full multi-instrumental songs and soundtracks could be used, and many well-known musicians created scores for popular games. Names like Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, and Trent Reznor all made soundtracks for popular games, proving that video game scores could be just as artistic and fabulous as movie soundtracks. And various video games and slot games feature well-known bands and artists, such as Revolution X featuring Aerosmith, Crue Ball featuring Motley Crue, and the Guns N’ Roses slot, which is available at a Canadian online casino and other global platforms.
Video Games and Television
During the rise of arcade games in the 1970s and 1980s, many games were influenced by the TV shows and movies of the day. With major films like Star Wars and ET dominating the entertainment world, many video games took their cue from such sci-fi gems. Space Raiders-type games were all the rage in the early 1980s. But things started to be flipped on their head during the 1980s, as cartoons based on video games began to emerge. If you’re old enough, you may remember early kids’ animations like Pole Position, Q*bert, and Pac-Man, all of which were based on video games of the day. Other cartoon series soon started to air on the box, such as The Legend of Zelda and The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! And in the 1990s, games like Pokémon took things further. Over the years, the game has been turned into a TV show, a card game, various films, and even a stage musical production. In more recent years, several shows have sprung up that revolve entirely around video games, such as the web-based series The Guild, inspired by MMORPG players.
Video Games and Movies
Over the years, there have been many movies based on video games. However, early ones failed to hit the spot. Indeed, one of the first and biggest films based on a game, 1993’s Super Mario Bros., is generally regarded as one of the worst movies ever made. That didn’t stop Hollywood from making plenty of other game-inspired motion pictures, though. And many have been very successful. Arguably, the first live-action movie based on a video game to really take off was 1995’s Mortal Kombat, which grossed over $70 million at the box office. In 2001, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider proved that films based on games could be incredibly successful. The number-one box-office film was the 15th biggest release of the year. With other popular movies in more recent years, such as Silent Hill and Sonic the Hedgehog, you can expect the video-game-movie-crossover to continue for some time.
Machinima
This is one form of media you may not have heard of, but machinima is becoming a big thing. Machinima are animated films created by recording characters inside video games. The first one actually dates from 1996. The short film Diary of Camper was based on the popular game Quake. Such fan-made amateur films have steadily grown in popularity over the years. Now, even professional filmmakers are creating machinima, and the medium is gaining a wider audience.