I'm just gonna come right out and say it.
Fantasy has always been a tricky genre for me.
Lower your magical swords, please. I know this is 100% a ME problem and nothing to do with the genre itself.
It's just... The minute I have to read, or even watch, a scene that goes into the lore of all these kingdoms, ancient prophecies, or creatures, my brain checks out.
No matter how spaced out the information is, the whole thing goes in one ear and out the other.
When I'm reading a fantasy script, I have to take notes and refer to them just to keep up.
Trust me, I don't want to be this way. And I've tried to stop it...
This week, as I tried forcing myself to watch Star Wars (hate me all you want but i don't think there's any way i will ever be into this series), I had the thought: "This would be way more fun if I were playing it as a video game."
This made me realize -- I don't hate the fantasy genre like I thought I did; I just don't like the way it's often presented: through books, screenplays, films, and tv shows.
But I LOVE fantasy when it's presented in a video game format.
My favorite games of all time are Skyrim and Baldur's Gate 3, but if these games were adapted into films or tv shows, I'll tell you right now, I would literally never watch them.
Why is that?
Because the whole appeal of those games is the control the player has to navigate through the story's world.
Each time I play Skyrim or Baldur's Gate, I approach it differently, intentionally making a totally new character build, seeking out side quests and areas of the map I didn't fully explore before, and of course choosing the most chaotic dialogue options. my friend Taylor, who i'm currently playing a campaign with, can attest to this 😅
This realization made me think about other video game / movie / tv show adaptations. Why some work, some don't, and why some stories should be left the hell alone.
Let's get into it!
From Video Game to Film / TV
Two recent successful TV shows were based off of popular video games: FALLOUT and THE LAST OF US.
What makes these stories work in their adapted format is that their narratives are clear and linear.
The appeal of these games definitely has a lot to do with the unique worlds they take place in, but it's more so how you as the player are meant to explore that world in a structured way.
The concept and plot are what makes these games fun to play, not open exploration of the world like we see in Skyrim or BG3.
When you’re playing these games, it’s like you’re following along in a movie that you get to interact with. The path to get to the end of the story is already set, and the characters’ journeys are what keep you invested, just like in a well-written film or TV show.
This is exactly why games like SKYRIM or BALDUR'S GATE 3 wouldn't work as well if they were adapted.
Yes, these games have a narrative structure, but you're not forced to stick to it. In fact, the whole point is that no two playthroughs are the same, and everyone’s adventure is uniquely their own.
One person might spend hours completing side quests and petting dogs (guilty), and another might strictly follow the main quest.
But even if you do the latter, you STILL are likely to complete the quests in a different order and make different choices that lead to different results between players and playthroughs.
This open-ended nature is what makes these games so engaging, but it’s also why they’d be almost impossible to adapt into a film or TV show.
How do you capture that sense of freedom and exploration in a medium that requires a fixed, linear story?
That’s why we haven’t seen a Skyrim movie. and never will, if I have anything to say about it. 😤
Although I do think a Baldur's Gate 3 movie or limited series could potentially work, it would need to be through the lens of one of the established characters.
Even then, the story relies so heavily on the player's choices, a film or show adaptation of BG3 would probably need to be framed as a prequel where one of the companion characters drives the story.
I would watch a Lae'zel or Astarion prequel.
From Book to Film and Beyond
What makes some stories, like HARRY POTTER, keep being adapted across various mediums? Why has this series spawned successful adaptations across almost every platform imaginable?
The answer boils down to this: it’s not just the story, it’s the world. The Harry Potter universe is vast, unique, and full of potential for exploration.
After the success of the film series based on the book series, the Harry Potter stories have expanded into a prequel film series, a stage production, 14 video games (8 of which are adapted from the films, which are adapted from the books 🤯), and of course the upcoming HBO TV show.
All these adaptations aren't being produced just to rake in cash -- although, there's certainly a lot of money to be made here. People are genuinely captivated by this world and its endless possibilities, so it continues to evolve and adapt with each new platform.
Now... I'm gonna say something wild, so bear with me.
When I was a kid, I LOVED the Harry Potter books. But when I saw the first movie, I completely lost interest in the series (and then, fantasy as a whole).
Watching the movie in my adult life, there's nothing wrong with it at all. The issue was that there was a disconnect between how I perceived the story in the books and how the film portrayed the story.
This is what makes book to film/TV adaptations so difficult -- whatever the reader imagines is always going to be 1000000x better than the film/show turns out.
I experience this a lot when reading screenplays, as I'm sure many other story analysts do. A script may read super well, but making into a film would be disappointing, or even impossible.
I've been a story analyst long enough to see scripts I've read be released as films, and they NEVER live up to the expectations I had for the story when I read the script.
Sometimes, a story is just meant to stay in one particular format in order for it to be effective.
From Film to Film to Film to Film...
Now, let’s take a look at a different kind of story -- one that’s been remade multiple times, but never into another format: A STAR IS BORN.
This movie has been remade FOUR TIMES since the original 1930s release.
Why is it so successful as a film, but has never been turned into a TV show? Or a video game (aside from the obvious answer that it'd be SO BORING)?
Because, while emotionally powerful, the story revolves around one singular relationship at one very specific point in the characters’ lives.
This structure makes it work incredibly well as a film, and is why it's so easy for filmmakers to take this air-tight storyline and put their unique spin on it.
So why not a TV show adaptation? Well, there’s no real room to expand beyond the events we see in the film(s), because the story starts and ends at the most impactful time in the characters' lives.
This is exactly what makes the film's story so engaging and powerful, and exactly what would make it less powerful if adapted into an episodic format.
Where do you even go from there, in an interesting way that people want to see?
As far as a video game adaptation, the entire plot of A STAR IS BORN is driven by the characters’ choices. As a player, you’d have no agency. You'd literally just be watching the events unfold, passively.
The magic of video games is in the choices you make and the freedom to explore. With this story, there’s no room for that.
The story unfolds because the characters MAKE it unfold. There’s no branching paths or alternate outcomes here.
Look at that, we made it to the end of the post!
To sum it all up:
While some stories can seamlessly jump from one medium to another, others are better off staying exactly where they are.
It all comes down to the story's structure and the uniqueness of its world.
Linear, plot-driven narratives like THE LAST OF US and FALLOUT are successful between mediums because of the well-written narrative that follows a clear path.
Open-world games like SKYRIM and BALDUR'S GATE 3 thrive because the player is in charge of their experience. This makes these stories highly appealing games, but it's also the reason they wouldn't work as well if adapted into a more structured medium.
But on the flip side, stories with vast, unique worlds like HARRY POTTER continue to be adapted across almost every medium that exists over and over again -- and people genuinely want to see every iteration.
With so much to explore in these worlds, it's easy to see why people keep coming back for more.
Then there are stories like A STAR IS BORN that are so compelling, they inspire filmmakers to remake them time and time again. It's the structure of stories like this that's appealing, but this is also why they can't be successfully adapted beyond their original format.
Some stories are meant to be explored; others are meant to be experienced.
What are some shows or movies you think would work well if adapted into a video game? What about video games that'd be killer on the big screen?
Here's one I'll be first in line for: a film adaptation of DETROIT: BECOME HUMAN.
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