At E3 2012, game developer Ubisoft, creator of mega hit games such as Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and just about anything with Tom Clancy in the title, unveiled a new project that many claim to be the runaway star of the expo, “Watchdogs“. This amazing looking game, set to be released sometime in 2013, puts the player in a not too distant future where computer systems have truly become ubiquitous, and our reliance on these systems to live out our day to day lives becomes dangerously evident.
After viewing the teaser for the game or some of the gameplay that was shown at E3, many people began to think just how great this game would be if it were adapted to film. It seems that Ubisoft had already been thinking the same thing, as word got out recently that the company was buying up several domain names varying around Watchdogsmovie.com.
We already know that game to film adaptations can become hugely successful at the box office by looking at blockbusters like Mortal Kombat, Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Tomb Raider, and Prince of Persia. We also know that adapting a game to film will not always lead to success, as we all try to forget about films such as DOA: Dead or Alive or Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li. Ubisoft knows this especially well, as their only contribution of adapting a game to film so far has been the flop film Far Cry, which if you have a Netflix account you can go check out on instant stream.
The importance of all this is not the numbers made at the box office. The fact is that with the advancement of graphics engines and the money that the video game industry is bringing in, we are seeing a huge influx of talent that is capable of creating compelling characters, well written stories, and deep expansive worlds. The creation of games like Assassin’s Creed, Heavy Rain, Uncharted, God of War, and Infamous are, in essence, interactive films themselves.
The film and industry is thought of as a mature business where artists go to tell stories and impact the masses. It is sometimes hard to convince those masses that video games can also be a compelling art form capable of invoking the same heart pounding or thought provoking emotions as a film can. Nevertheless, as more games are developed to the caliber of what Ubisoft’s Watchdogs looks to be, the lines between games and films continue to blur into one another, and people can finally get together and acknowledge game creation as a true art form, right alongside music, books, and film.
