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Video games remain misunderstood by the masses. If something violent happens in the world, people blame video games. If a kid fails his quantum-physics class, video games caused the bad grade. That’s why we should be excited to see a film like Disney’s Wreck-It Ralph, which comes out in November. The movie showcases the past and present of gaming culture in a way that’s never been done before.
Don’t get me wrong. We’ve seen tons of movies based on video games but never one that definitively highlights gaming culture. Heck, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World involved a variety of subculture concepts like comic books and music, but it only covered a mere slice of video games. Yes, the movie made references to gaming within its plot and presentation, but it doesn’t represent the medium like Wreck-It Ralph aspires to. Disney's newest computer-animated feature not only peeks into the lives of multiple video game characters, it also examines different genres and environments.
As for past Hollywood adaptations of video games, we have yet to see a solid tribute. In most cases, these releases are more likely to demean video games rather than glorify them. Remember the Super Mario Bros. live-action movie from the early '90s? Yeah, I do too, and I’m sorry for mentioning it.
But seriously, when people new to gaming get their exposure from terrible film-based representations, they’re likely to assume many things. For instance, these individuals might think that video games contain dry and terrible plots. For every title that could potentially become an interesting movie adaptation, like Mass Effect or Fallout, we wind up with another Resident Evil sequel or Doom. Aside from being obvious cash ins, a large portion of these films could give the impression that gaming culture is centered on tasteless violence, vulgarity, and misrepresentations of women.
Wreck-It Ralph offers a direct, slightly satirical, and family-friendly glimpse into gaming through storytelling that anyone can relate to. And with a variety of past and present characters, younger moviegoers might become more curious about retro video games. Even if certain movie critics might potentially knock a star or two off its rating (Roger Ebert), Wreck-It Ralph is still an amazing opportunity for both seasoned game fans and curious newbies.
You'll remember where you were when your kid legitimately asked about Qbert for the first time.
So what do you think? Are we finally getting the mainstream gaming movie we've been waiting for? Or will Disney find ways to misrepresent our culture like many other flicks have done in the past?