The curse of video game movies

Back in 1976, writer and director Steven Lisberger was fascinated about a game called Pong, one of the first, if not the first arcade and home release games to ever hit the market. He then made Tron, making it the first video game inspired movie, technically. Tron was and still is a good movie, even by today's standards, even if the special effect aged dramatically. But when it came out in 1982, people were impressed by the visual artistry, the groundbreaking special effects, although the story left many bewildered. Over time, it became a classic. But why do people think there's a curse surrounding movie adaptations of video games? Why do we instictively dismiss the notion that a movie based on a video game can be good?

Mobile games that play great with a controller (Part 1)

 

So you've bought a Bluetooth controller for your Android or Apple mobile device and you're probably wondering what you could play on your phone or tablet. Well, I'll give you some titles to get the fun started. I also bought a cheap $12 Mocute-050 controller, which is a very good deal for the price, nice looking, decently sturdy, but it's definitely no MOGA or MAD CATZ C.T.R.L.
Before I get to it, I have to state that the games in this list are games I've tested personally, some might not work similarly for every type of controller, and fun factor is subjective. Also, in no way these are all the games that work with a controller, this is but a small part, and I do intend to continue listing more games you can try out for yourself. If you have any suggestions, I'd love to know your opinions, so please take your time and comment! Let's start...

Video Games Featuring Black Protagonists (Part 1)

Image source: inquisitr

I've decided to make this list because I've recently felt reinvigorated by Lincoln Clay, the protagonist of the very acclaimed Mafia III, a game with a great pacing and tone, featuring a character with a realistic personality I've rarely seen in games. There's no political agenda or motive behind me undertaking this "task", neither do I want to make a point, otherwise I would be able to make a

Before I start listing all the games I can think of (Google cheating only for accurate spelling and fact checking, I promise), I need to set up the rules, and the first rule is...

 - the game must have a full-fledged story. So multiplayer-only games and half-baked stories, like the ones in Evolve or Titanfall, don't count. We need this rule to establish that the character isn't just window-dressing, that they have an importance.

What the 3rd season of Black Mirror is like

 

Black Mirror is a british sci-fi TV series in the form of an anthology of stories, much like in the same style as Twillight Zone and The Scary Door, which I bet is a real show, each episode commenting and satirizing our dependency on technology, entertainment and virtual interaction, concluding on a depressing note, generally. Bare in mind that even when it ends with a closure, it's bound to be questionable or bleak, but that's exactly what makes this show great.

If you're asking yourself, yes, there is an adventure video game called Black Mirror, but it's not related. There's also a 1981 movie with the same name, again not related. The title "Black Mirror" is a metaphor that's supposed to reflect (pun intended) the screen of your TV.

How to ruin games with hype

Gaming should be a fun pastime, a relaxing form of entertainment we can immerse ourselves in, alone or with friends, turning a bunch of codes and textures into a beautiful experience. It's a separate art from film, it has a limitless potential for development and creativity, for a much more immersive experience, with an active engagement from the player. The educational and even therapeutic value of games have already been proven, yet still this medium is far from being explored at its full potential, a potential anyone can be able to understand right now, for the worst thing is held back by is the technological limitation. However, that's not gaming's worst enemy, but greed is.