Throughout the years, many films and TV shows have had videogame adaptations. Everything from Toy Story and Spiderman to Shrek and Batman.

Regardless of their quality, which has varied greatly (just ask an old school gamer about the 1982 E.T. Atari game), these extensions have always been prominent in videogames.

On the contrary however, there have been far fewer examples of videogames having films or TV shows created after them. That said, it seems like this trend is certainly changing.

With the likes of Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, Ratchet and Clank, Final Fantasy XV: Kingsglaive, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Warcraft: The Beginning, Need for Speed and many more all getting film adaptations within recent years, it would seem that the drought of videogame films has long passed.

But what about videogame TV shows? How much love are they getting these days?

Well, whilst it’s not truly a videogame adaptation due to it being based on the books, the upcoming Witcher Netflix TV show is a close match, especially when it’s been confirmed that the games will be utilised in the creative process.

Of course, we can’t not mention the Pokemon TV show which has been going on for as long as we can remember, which also has its fair share of films.

All of this begs the question – why? Why take a piece of media, whatever platform it may have originated on, and put in on another platform?

The answer, we believe, lies in the strengths that each platform possess.

Books allow for an unparalleled level of depth whilst also allowing for interpretation and imagination from the reader. However, reading isn’t for everyone.

Films condense what could be a long experience into something short and sweet, albeit often at the cost of things like character development, etc.

TV Shows, whilst accomplishing an outcome similar to films, allow for more depth and substance, but still not quite as much as a book.

Videogames allow people to be a part of the story, often to the extent of directly impacting the outcome. This is what separates it the most from the other platforms, that said, repetitive gameplay can sometimes dilute the story and experience.

With the most obvious advantages of each platform highlighted, it’s easier to understand why something like Star Wars exists on all mediums, each adding to the overall lore and universe in their own way.

Looking to the future, we believe that media will more often than not exist across at least 3 of the aforementioned platforms in some form or another. Everyone has their preferred methods of absorbing content, so it’s shaping up to be the norm.

Have a great example that we didn’t mention or your own thoughts to add? Start the conversation with a comment below!