X-Strike Class

[bokista]

I'm in charge of a research project here at Georgia Tech about videogame space. We meet every other week to discuss some aspect of game space, and this week we'll be having a session about the films of one X-Strike Studios, LLC. I shall let you know how it goes.

[shadowdancer21b]

Sweetness!

[gobbleskat]

Hey, just saw this. Definitely want to know how this goes!

[quarky]

This already happened a while ago. Bobby needs to tell us how it went.

BOBBY! How'd it go??

[bokista]

To be honest... not great. I'll elaborate.

I think the topic of the translation of space from games to film got lost in the low budget nature of the movies and why there wasn't more literal translation between the media forms. Even after explaining the mode of production and exhibition, it was hard to show five minute clips for movies that are best consumed as a whole. The folk I showed it to got caught up in literal translation, wondering why more of RCR wasn't shot side-scrolling or why Resident Horror was more zombie movie than Resident Evil.

I spent much of the meeting defending choices made by each director. Project Snake (the first 8 minutes) was well received, as was the ninja drive-by in RCR. We watched part of RCR in fast-forward, since most of it is fighting. We watched about eight minutes of Resident Horror, from when they enter the house to when Ada shows up. The professor who was there is a big fan of the RE series, so it was interesting to hear his take on it. He wanted more fixed camera angles to establish suspense. The games use fixed cameras so that the visuals don't necessarily give clues as to what is coming, whereas in film we have very specific shots that clue the viewer that the door behind the main character will open and someone will pop through.

It is interesting to examine both how game spaces could be adapted for film as well as how they have been adapted. I think the meeting was too caught up in the first of these. But what can you expect from academics?

[Butterscotch]

even if it didn't turn out as well as you hoped kudos for doing it!

[Juese]

Yeah, agreed dude. Too bad it got stuck in stylistic semantics, but hell yeah for doing it in the first place.