Red Dead Redemption, Scott Pilgrim and the future of narrative cinema

There’s been a lot of media chatter in recent years about the challenge that computer games offer to traditional forms of narrative, in particular movies. The consensus view is that kids raised on open-ended games in which they are active participants will not be so interested in the more passive form, in which they are simply viewers.

I’ve recently had a couple of experiences that got me thinking about this.

The first is my current obsession with Red Dead Redemption on the PS3. It’s my first real console game experience and I love it: immersive, addictive and huge fun. I’ve been surprised, though, at the linear storyline.

It’s a gritty Western in the Sergio Leone tradition. By all means you can steal horses, shoot lawmen and generally cause mayhem, but when it comes to the material that actually moves the plot along you are obligedto act in a reasonably ethical and occasionally self-sacrificing way. In game terms this is fine, it’s the most enjoyable thing to do, but I couldn’t help but feel that the outcome had been pretty well pre-determined.

So much for open-endedness.

The second experience was watching Scott Pilgrim vs The World, a highly entertaining movie based on a comic book but aesthetically inspired by classic arcade games. There was a lot enjoy, in fact I laughed a lot, but the film’s failings stemmed entirely from its adherence to gaming concepts; repetitive fights on a gradually increasing scale that soon become a bit boring, and the relegation of the female lead to something approaching a trophy awarded for completing the quest.

In short:

Games following movie conventions; good.
Movies following gaming conventions; problematic.