Video game adaptations, historically, don’t go very well. Part of this issue stems from the fact that the average video game is nearly five times longer than the average movie, and therefore, has a lot more time to tell a story than a movie can easily condense into a couple of hours.That doesn’t mean a video game based show can’t be good however. With adaptations of Splinter Cell and Fallout on the way, it’s time to consider other franchises that would absolutely deserve the budget and time to break into the TV landscape. Here are few series that truly deserve the HBO treatment.
Set in an objectivist dystopia located deep under the sea, the original Bioshock is a masterclass in atmosphere and world building. As the player picks through the wreckage of the city of Rapture, small stories and hints are pieced together to form the history of this place and how it came to be a living nightmare. Not only does the game have compelling narrative in the city’s downfall, with a war between enigmatic leaders Andrew Ryan and Frank Fontaine, it has a wealth of potential in its retro-steampunk aesthetic that, with enough budget, could make for some beautiful locations and character designs. All of Rapture’s big names also have great casting potential, from charismatic philosophers, to mad scientists, to twisted performance artists. The series also has plenty of convenient blanks for some great writers to take advantage often. Besides, if content ever gets thin, the series still has the whole “parallel universe” gimmick from Bioshock Infinite to fall back on.
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Hitman is a series based on one, very simple, engaging concept: an assassin known as Agent 47 travels to exotic locales, and has to figure out how to kill someone without getting caught. The possibilities, both pulling from existing games and creating new scenarios, are practically endless. Despite its simple hook, the Hitman universe has its own fair share of sinister organizations and convoluted backstories that could easily be spun into a compelling arc for several seasons of television. Imagine watching Agent 47 sneak into a high budget fashion show to kill one of the hosts, or assassinating an opera singer by replacing his fake gun with the genuine article. Each episode could be its own self contained hit, with the connections between them gradually revealed as Agent 47 himself comes to realize the larger game being played. The need for a new target every episode will also naturally provide lots of cameo opportunities for high-profile actors to become the victim of the week. (Sean Bean gets dibs, of course.) In the right hands, Agent 47’s adventures could be a great diversion from shows that require continuous investment, and would make a great vehicle for some truly creative minds.
A classic franchise lauded for its storytelling and boundary-pushing gameplay, Half-Life stars silent protagonist Gordon Freeman as humanity’s last hope against an oppressive alien force that threatens civilization as we know it. While Gordon himself isn’t much of a talker, he has plenty of charismatic friends around who would make great stars of a show, perhaps one that takes place before his arrival at the resistance in Half Life 2. An oppressive alien regime is a classic sci-fi setup, and with all the strange technology and memorable locations in-universe, there’s a lot of potential ground for a story to visit. If they were really determined to re-tell the original story, however, it wouldn’t be too hard to bite the bullet and give a voice to Freeman himself, using him as the vessel through which the audience experiences the perils of his world. This of course, isn’t even mentioning the fantastic casting potential for characters like G-Man, which, with the right actor, could be a performance to remember.
One of the biggest surprise hits of 2012, Spec Ops: The Line was that rare type of underdog art piece that manages to find a mainstream audience. It had the spine to challenge its audience; to confront them with the realities of war, and ask why life-ruining conflict is ever presented as lighthearted entertainment. Though the gaming-specific commentary may be lost, the critique of military worship is sadly still relevant even to this day. The themes of interventionism, soldiers suppressing emotional turmoil, and suffering from PTSD are all ripe for exploration in a long-form series. The show could feature new locations and characters, or simply return to the city of Dubai to tell a new story within the sandstorm that started it all. Even if there’s no need to re-create the same story from the game, the overarching tone and message of the game can be adapted in a wide variety of ways that still maintain the dark heart of the original, while going deeper into specific points of interest. These days, a piece of media could likely hit even closer to home, discussing more recent conflicts, and using the jumping off point of the original story to explore new ground.
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