why don’t they make video games for historic horror movie icons?
Question by Gaga: why don’t they make video games for historic horror movie icons?
with all the violent games out these days, there are no games based on freddy krueger, jason, michael meyers, texas chainsaw, or even frankenstein. why is this?
Best answer:
Answer by Fluffy McNoo
Quite a few reasons, as it turns out…
First of all, there WAS actually a game based on Friday the 13th many years ago on 8-bit machines, but by all accounts it wasn’t exactly a classic…
The problem, though, I suspect, is one of licensing and profit. Film licences turned into games, (Example, Ice Age II) tend to be ones where the company making the game “cashes in” on the large number of people seeing the film, and then wanting to play the game equivalent.
Usually film licensed games are aimed at the young, who are less discerning about the overall quality of the game. Because, by and large, “games of the film” are invariably… dire. They’re basically rushed out to milk the film cash cow. Most of the money spent goes on the licensing, (ie buying the rights to make the game in the first place) rather less on the game itself.
Once the interest in the film has died down, the process begins again, with another all-new film. Which is why you rarely see games companies making sequels to their original “license” not actually based on a film. Parents wouldn’t have a clue it existed, so, no money in it for them, and any kid with half a brain wouldn’t want to play a sequel to a badly programmed game either!
So games of films, tend to be based on whatevers making large amounts at the cinema, particularly kid-friendly films.
Now horror, isn’t kid friendly. And games are still very much perceived, even now, at being aimed at kids. Means you’re looking at a niche market. Spend the money on the licensing, and make a poor game, to sell to a small and discerning adult market, when you could make more money, selling to easy-to-please kids?
Then you’ve the problem of what kind of game to make it into, (ie, how would you turn the films in question into a playable high-quality game?) the moral outrage of certain quarters at yet another violent video game featuring serial killers (see the difficulties Rockstar have had in getting Manhunt II put on shelves!) and well… more trouble than it’s worth for gaming companies.
Also, unlike bygone days, when people programmed games in their bedrooms for their mates at school, and made millions, gaming companies SPEND millions on making games. It’s a very big and expensive business, and companies that make mistakes, go bankrupt, very quickly.
So also they tend to be very conservative, and stick to what sells, and what they know.
The only way I can see that situation changing, is if someone with a true love of horror films created their own company, and brought out carefully crafted horror games, about the films they love. But don’t hold your breath.
In the meantime, be grateful that the horror films you love, haven’t been mutilated beyond recognition, by a gaming company only interested in making money from the film!
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