GAMES vs. MOVIES By NewDawnBrothers

   Some people say video games are drawn from movies and comics while others say movies are drawn from video games. Although, both are drawn from each other just like the case of Prince of Persia video game which later gave rise to the movie (Prince of Persia: Sands of Time in 2010). Meanwhile there are cases in likes of the 2004 movie “The Punisher” which gave birth to the video game in 2005. Well we should know both games and movies share same similarity (plot, soundtrack, settings, characters, dialogue etc), it’s just that the video games are longer, more complex, brain tasking while movies are quite brief.

   

    Are there any differences between games and movies?

   Yes, reason because video games are brain tasking, can be a means of fun and relaxation, and can help enhance and improve our decision making on certain subject matter and challenges we face in life while movie teaches certain moral lessons and could also be for fun and relaxation but it isn’t brain tasking. Although adults spend hours watching variety of movies  but scolds young ones for playing video games not knowing its more advantageous.

   Are there pros and cons of video games and movies?

   Big Yes, there are lot of pros and cons of which we all need to know so we don’t end up as addicts which would really scare people off from seeing the reasonable part of this activity.

Pros and Cons of Video games

Pros

*Video games can be intellectual where you use clever strategy to beat other people.

*It encourages socialisation as regards playing with your friends either multiplayer or online.

*It has limited nudity and sex scenes.

*It can be educational such as simulations of flight or real-life situations.

*It improves your subconscious mind and vocabulary development.

*It improves eye-hand co-ordination for playing those fast action games.

*It improves your arrangement of priority especially when playing open world games.

*Teaches you how to work as a team (co-op games).

*It stirs imagination. The weirdest, the most extreme and unbelievable things are shown in movies

Cons 

*Video games can take an awful lot of hours doing virtually same thing or repeating same moves in order to pass an objective which in the process deprive you from doing something more productive and sociable.

*Games usually rated “18” have high level of strong violence, blood, gore and sometimes nudity in the case of “GtaV”.

*Constant use of thumbs, wrist and eyes can lead to problems such as eye strain, RSI (Repetitive Stress Injury) and other physical problems “that is why it’s advisable to go on break and eat healthy”. 

*Games do not need much physical activity and so could be criticised for making you unfit-although the new motion sensing games are extremely active.

*Reduction of empathy for victims, leading to higher possibility of youth becoming more violent individuals.

However appropriate guidelines for video game play need to be set in place. Further guidelines will be discussed in the next article “Parental guidelines in playing Video games”.

Let’s not forget that movies also have pros and cons which are:

Pros

*Watching a movie in the theatre can be exciting because you sometimes share same emotion with others who react virtually same way you do. This collective effort experienced by the viewer’s makes the experience more entertaining and enjoyable.

*Movies are social activators: They make you click with other movie fans who may be strangers and later become friends.

*A movie is the pure success of a team work. No movie was made by one man, it’s a collaborative effort. It requires a Script writer, Director, Producer, Make-up artist, Actors/Actresses, Technicians e.t.c. some movie theme are on “Team work” like Mission Impossible, Avengers, GI Joe and others.

*Movies promote art and culture which act as a cultural preservative. It mirrors out the society through constructive story plot.

*It educates in virtually all area of life. From politics to science, journalism and so on.

Cons

*Establish false notion: Some movies portray certain subjects or themes in a way which is far from real.

*Movies profess violence: Violence may range from sex, strong languages, nudity, rape and murder which may influence an individual’s character (young or old) just like the one experienced in the world.

*Wastage of money and time: After purchasing production equipment, pay actors, hang postal and perform television adverts. *There are many movies out there which have no meaningful theme or objective for its viewers. For example (This is the End).

   Okay you have heard enough of the background of video games and movies now let’s talk about the money aspect.

   Grand Theft Auto V the fourteenth instalment of the sequel was released on 17th September 2013, budgeted $266million for the making of the game, got $800million in worldwide sales in its first 24th hours and more than $1Billion in 3days, it sold approximately 11.21million copies. Six weeks after the release, Rockstar shipped nearly 29million copies of the game to retailers. That was the biggest launch day ever for any piece of entertainment, any movie, any record (it broke seven Guinness World Records on 8 October 2013) which is more than any Hollywood blockbuster even the third instalment of Pirates of the Caribbean 2007 which budget was $300million and gross $963,420,425 worldwide.

In the light of game ruling in terms of revenue, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 didn’t just win the leading-first person shooter game but also made $1Billion in 15days. It took Avatar, the top-grossing movie of all time, two days longer to earn the same amount.

 The videogame industry is projected to grow from $67billion in 2013 to $82billion in 2017.

   David Cage founder of Quantic Dream made Heavy Rain in February 2010 and Beyond Two Souls in October 2013 (Current article picture). Judging from his achievement in Heavy Rain which was a critical and commercial success; winning multiple ‘Game of the year’ awards and selling over two million copies (and still selling) worldwide, he went further with his team of 45 engineers to develop a new 3-D engine while introducing motion capture technology to capture real-time voice and body language to the game at the same time in making the game Beyond Two Souls which is currently a bombshell with the amazing facial graphics you can ever imagine for a game. This same technology was used by James Cameroon in producing his movie Avatar.

   Is game taking over movie? Big yes, if care is not taken video games will soon be played for viewers in Cinema and believe me I would be there watching.

  

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