The collision between video games and cinema has become one of the most exciting—and at times divisive—phenomena in entertainment history. For decades, developers and filmmakers have tried to bridge the gap between interactivity and storytelling, pixels and performance, with wildly varying degrees of success. What started as a cash-in trend in the 1990s has since evolved into a legitimate artistic crossover, with games like The Last of Us getting Emmy-nominated adaptations and films like The Matrix inspiring groundbreaking games.
And yet, the path to adaptation is never simple. Translating a video game into a movie or series involves distilling dozens of hours of playtime, branching narratives, and player agency into a two-hour story arc—or stretching a compact movie plot into an interactive adventure. It's a delicate balancing act, and not every project pulls it off.