From Pixels to Screens: Video Games That Turned Into Hollywood Films and Television Shows

Technological advancement has tremendously influenced the play thing that is video games making them one of the leading entertainment industries. Probably the most successful and captivating concepts that were developed in the course of creating games are captivating plots, sophisticated characters, and intricate virtual worlds. Since many of them have strong narratives, it is also not shocking to know that some of the best selling video and online casinos games have been adapted into movies and television series, to provide different perspectives and gain a new set of fans. This article explores some of the most notable video games that have been adapted into movies and TV series, such as Lara Croft: But to discuss some of the more well known and successful titles which are Tomb Raider, The Last of Us, Assassin’s Creed and The Witcher.

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The First Game’s Female Protagonist

One of the earliest and most iconic examples of a video game character crossing over into mainstream media is Lara Croft: Tomb Raider is an immensely popular game which is well known for its superb graphic and enthralling adventurous story line. The Tomb Raider video game series began in 1996 and was a worldwide success because of the action-packed, adventurous and puzzle solving capabilities by the leading character, Lara Croft.

The game’s popularity led to the 2001 film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider movie which is an action-adventure film that features Angelina Jolie as the lead character Lara Croft. The movie itself was quite successful mainly because of Jolie who portrayed Croft and the character’s adventurous nature to the best. A sequel, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life meanwhile arrived in 2003. The reboot of the franchise occurred in 2018 where Alicia Vikander took over the role, they wanted to depict the character in a more realistic way that corresponds to the series’ shift to dark tone in the later games. The two versions of the movies received mixed reactions but it was enough to make Lara Croft a Pop Icon.

From Video Game Success Story to winning a prestigious Television Award: A Study of the Last of Us.

Among other popular adaptations in the recent couple of years, there is an HBO series based on the video game The Last of Us. Initially launched in the year 2013 by Naughty Dog, the game is acclaimed for it has the ability to seal your emotions, showcasing the characters’ shadows, and the dramatic setting of the story in a post-apocalyptic world. It is a post-apocalyptic game about a man Joel and a young girl named Ellie together with their struggle in a post-apocalyptic United States that is full of hostile characters.

Therefore, the opportunity to transfer the game and its successful continuation released in 2020 cannot be called accidental. The HBO series is adapted from the video game and is set in 2023 with Pedro Pascal as Joel, and Bella Ramsey as Ellie. The series is set in the world of the game and like most adaptations it mostly complements the experiences of the game while developing the characters’ background and exploring the deeper and darker aspects of the characters’ personalities and the consequences of their actions. The Last of Us perfectly demonstrates that games with strong narratives can be easily transferred to television, which means that one more brilliant game story reaches people who do not play video games.

Film as History: The Assassination of Historical Characters in Assassin’s Creed

Ubisoft utility the Assassin’s Creed series can be described as one of the most complex narrations, involving historical and fictional events, in which the players travel through time, starting with Italy in the Renaissance period and ending with the Egypt of the very ancient times. Thanks to exciting narratives, vivid backgrounds and the general concept of the fight between Assassins and Templars the show was promising to become a movie.

The video game emerged in 2016 as a feature film with Michael Fassbender on the lead role in the game. The film created a new figure, Callum Lynch, who learned that he has the blood of Assassins in his veins and went through his ancestor’s memories – Aguilar, a member of the Assassins residing in 15th-century Spain. Although the movie remained loyal to the plot settings of genetic memories and historical periods, it received mixed reviews: the visualization of many actions, and stunts were highly appreciated, and on the other hand, the rather intricate plot and the lack of character’s actual growth was criticized. Although, the film still showed that video game franchises can be transferred to other media, even if it still failed to give justice to the games.

The Witcher – A High Fantasy for the Streaming Generation

The Witcher is a special case because in fact it originated from a series of books written by Andrzej Sapkowski, but also because it can be considered as a video game phenomenon thanks to the adaptation work carried by CD Projekt Red. The games, especially the later one being The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, took the audience to the world of Geralt of Rivia and some of the most critically acclaimed RPG launched ever.

Due to the success of the books and games, when Netflix decided to present The Witcher as a series in 2019, people’s expectations were high. Featuring a cast headed up by Cavill as Geralt, the monster hunter from the books, the series will take elements from both and present a tangled storyline which presents the past and the future of the main characters. The show drew a consistent positive response to the absorbing world-building, the well-choreographed fight scenes, and Cavill’s acting skills; thereby becoming one of Netflix’s most successful original series. It has since then proceeded to have more seasons and spin offs to expand the universe of Witcher.

Adapting Video Games: The Challenges and the Reward

Video game adaptations are not easy when it comes to movies and television shows. A significant challenge of adapting games is that games are dynamic experiences within which the player has agency, and is involved in the shaping of the games’ narratives as it unfolds, something that is not really applicable in linear movies or a television series. Therefore, when conducted properly, these adaptations can offer the fans a possibility to enjoy their beloved publications in the viewer’s manner.

It is important to bow before the original work and try to seek ways, manners and methods to adapt this news for a new medium. Great stories and powerful characters and unique settings are some of the key fundamentals that may help a game to transfer to screen easily.

From Lara Croft: From Tomb Raider to The Last of Us, Assassin’s Creed, The Witcher and more and more video games are being adapted into movies and TV series. Such adaptations may create new versions of popular stories, give them a second life, and provide people with the opportunities to get more acquainted with them. Looking at how technology develops and how narrations in games are becoming progressively rich, viewers will witness more transpositions between both industries and develop more complex and engaging works that will capture the hearts of people all across the world.