Let me make sure that no possible confusion can arise.
I am talking about movies about gaming in general, not movies based on games (which are widely known to be about as good as games based on movies).
I'm talking about movies that treat gaming as a serious, adult matter and tell stories based around the subject, in the same way that there are movies about sports teams, mountaineers, shark hunters etc.
To my knowledge, there aren't very many of these, but their existence at all, I feel, is very telling and should be regarded as one of the landmarks in the maturity of the gaming medium. Namely, that it can be regarded as something other than a mere gimmick, an unseen console that makes 'bleeps' and 'bloops' off-camera, but a genuine part of our lives, culture and society, a source of stories and drama of its own. Below are the films that I've seen and liked - but I'm particularly interested in hearing if others have come across movies like this as well, ones I've not heard of.
eXistenZ (1999) - by David Cronenberg
-Trailer [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uquwtXZyTZc&feature=related]
This movie deserves to be far better-known than it is. Anyone that has watched Cronenberg's earlier 'The Naked Lunch' will be quick to recognise familiar tricks and themes, yet using virtual reality gaming to develop a deep and splendidly rich plot. I should also mention it featuress the sexiest game designer since Jade Raymond, as well as Jude Law. Like most Cronenberg films, it will make your brain hurt.
Recommended for: Adventure gamers (?)
Avalon (2001) - by Mamoru Oshii
-Trailer [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvEB--Xyq6M&feature=related]
Mamoru Oshii famously directed both of the Ghost in the Shell films. Expect a slow, ponderous pacing, beautiful aesthetic and brief interludes of action. Like Ghost in the Shell, Avalon is deeply existentialist and might be hard to get into. Although Oshii is a Japanese director, the film was shot in Poland and uses exclusively Polish actors. Subs can be found for it, but its relative obscurity unfortunately means the film can be quite hard to get hold of.
Recommended for: Battlefield fans.
BenX (2007) - by Nick Balthazar
-Trailer [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0s3GR7QNo6g&feature=related]
BenX is the newest in this list, a Belgian film about a slightly autistic boy who copes with reality through playing a MMORPG (ArchLord, to be precise). The movie is beautiful and deeply soulful with fantastic actors all around. Showing reality from Ben's perspective, it often juxtaposes real-world situations with in-game shots of ArchLord for effect. Likely the easiest to find out of the three, as it is quite recent and attracted a good bit of attention, winning numerous awards and nominations when it came out.
Recommended for: MMORPG players.
I look forward to seeing what others have to add to this list!
Note: I've left out what might seem like some of the more obvious entries, such as Tron or the Matrix. While two of the three films above do base themselves around virtual realities, I don't really feel that involving some kind of virtual reality alone justifies a film to be considered a 'gaming movie'. However, feel free to take me up on this if you feel differently.
I am talking about movies about gaming in general, not movies based on games (which are widely known to be about as good as games based on movies).
I'm talking about movies that treat gaming as a serious, adult matter and tell stories based around the subject, in the same way that there are movies about sports teams, mountaineers, shark hunters etc.
To my knowledge, there aren't very many of these, but their existence at all, I feel, is very telling and should be regarded as one of the landmarks in the maturity of the gaming medium. Namely, that it can be regarded as something other than a mere gimmick, an unseen console that makes 'bleeps' and 'bloops' off-camera, but a genuine part of our lives, culture and society, a source of stories and drama of its own. Below are the films that I've seen and liked - but I'm particularly interested in hearing if others have come across movies like this as well, ones I've not heard of.
eXistenZ (1999) - by David Cronenberg
-Trailer [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uquwtXZyTZc&feature=related]
This movie deserves to be far better-known than it is. Anyone that has watched Cronenberg's earlier 'The Naked Lunch' will be quick to recognise familiar tricks and themes, yet using virtual reality gaming to develop a deep and splendidly rich plot. I should also mention it featuress the sexiest game designer since Jade Raymond, as well as Jude Law. Like most Cronenberg films, it will make your brain hurt.
Recommended for: Adventure gamers (?)
Avalon (2001) - by Mamoru Oshii
-Trailer [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvEB--Xyq6M&feature=related]
Mamoru Oshii famously directed both of the Ghost in the Shell films. Expect a slow, ponderous pacing, beautiful aesthetic and brief interludes of action. Like Ghost in the Shell, Avalon is deeply existentialist and might be hard to get into. Although Oshii is a Japanese director, the film was shot in Poland and uses exclusively Polish actors. Subs can be found for it, but its relative obscurity unfortunately means the film can be quite hard to get hold of.
Recommended for: Battlefield fans.
BenX (2007) - by Nick Balthazar
-Trailer [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0s3GR7QNo6g&feature=related]
BenX is the newest in this list, a Belgian film about a slightly autistic boy who copes with reality through playing a MMORPG (ArchLord, to be precise). The movie is beautiful and deeply soulful with fantastic actors all around. Showing reality from Ben's perspective, it often juxtaposes real-world situations with in-game shots of ArchLord for effect. Likely the easiest to find out of the three, as it is quite recent and attracted a good bit of attention, winning numerous awards and nominations when it came out.
Recommended for: MMORPG players.
I look forward to seeing what others have to add to this list!
Note: I've left out what might seem like some of the more obvious entries, such as Tron or the Matrix. While two of the three films above do base themselves around virtual realities, I don't really feel that involving some kind of virtual reality alone justifies a film to be considered a 'gaming movie'. However, feel free to take me up on this if you feel differently.
