By Jeremy Hannaford (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: October 30, 2013
In terms of storytelling, people constantly look for shortcuts. Instead of reading a book, read the comic. Instead of reading the comic, watch the movie. Instead of the movie, read the spoiler synopsis.
And now people who don’t want to play the video game will now just watch the cinematics.
At first, I thought this fad was peculiar. Who would watch videos over three hours long willingly? It was only when I sat down and watched all the cinematics from The Last of Us that I understood the craze and saw a different form of late-night movie entertainment in the works.
Until the last few years, logged game cinematics were only heard of on Halo.bungie.org. The Halo fan website has provided every single Halo cinematic in downloadable format since the first game. Either for viewing purposes or to make fan-made trailers and montages, this was the only form of video game cinema out there.
Then along came YouTube. What started out as random uploads has become a sensation. It’s gotten to the point where you can expect new releases like Assassin’s Creed, Injustice, or Starcraft 2 to have theirs uploaded immediately.
Besides taking near days to upload, these compilations of video game cut scenes can go from just under two hours to over six. What is more insane is that people have watched these from beginning to end in one go! But what is emerging from these contemplations is a display of how video games are becoming a strong cinematic form. After watching the opening of The Last of Us, I felt more impacted and entertained than I was by most films in the last year.
Games have two advantages over movies. One is that length is not an issue. For most games, the running time can be around 10 to 20 hours of play time with a ratio of 70:30 for gameplay to cinematics. (Unless you are talking about Metal Gear Solid games where that ratio could very well be the opposite) Unlike films, games can run on as long as they feel necessary. More character development and interaction can be added and certain aspects of the world or story can be further elaborated. While some may say this is too extensive, take a look at the extended versions of the Lord of the Rings. Most LOTR fans will tell you the extended versions are the way to go every time.
Second is a mix of production value and visual representation. Games can be pretty limitless with their on-screen glamour as they don’t cost nearly as much as regular film productions. They also never have to worry about bad digital effects because of the medium they are already in. The world the game is placing the viewer in has already asked them to accept the cartoonish look or the surrealist style. What matters now is the story and the execution. After watching the complete running of The Last of Us several times, this game is now a film in my entertainment library. By keeping in certain intense game-play sessions, the uploader of this contemplation gave me nearly the entire story while still keeping the interface nearly game-info free.
Of course there are certain aspects of games that cannot be explained or displayed in cinematic contemplations. The contents of Joel or Ellie’s bags from The Last of Us are not revealed in the video I have. Certain areas or items like newspapers detailing the origin of the fungal infection are not shown as they would diverge from primarily progressing the game. But this is to be accepted if one wants a cinematic experience rather than a walk-through tutorial.
This is the breaking point of game over film. While good editing and swift gameplay can help tie in scenes, there will always be breaks in the story that will prevent viewers from getting the full film experience. The Halo series, for instance, has almost never had any pivotal battle scene or fight sequence occur in their cinematics because the player should experience those moments for themselves. For some things, it’s just better to experience the actual thing rather than view someone rushing through it.
While saying that cut-scene compilations will replace home movies is absurd, it can’t be ignored that they are gathering attention. With some videos garnering over a million views each, this is a fad that has only just begun.
