Aqueles na indústria cinematográfica que trabalharam com adaptações de videogames, bem como acadêmicos e críticos, identificaram várias razões para que tais filmes não sejam bem recebidos.
Embora isso não signifique necessariamente que nunca haverá boas adaptações de videogame, as adaptações de videogame existentes parecem ter falhado por um ou mais desses motivos.
As adaptações são escolhidas com base em franquias que vendem bem, não aquelas que se adaptam bem ao filme
"It often comes down to money, as movie studios frequently choose to make films based on the franchises that sell the best, not those with the most cinematic potential."
–Corey May, co-founder of Sekretagent Productions, which provides writing services for both films and video games (Source)
"Doing a video game movie has not really been done well, and I think part of the reason for that is it's been done for the wrong reasons," Tull told IGN. "If you simply say 'How many people have played the game? How much money can we make?' You're doomed. You're doomed right off the start."
–Thomas Tull, producer for the Warcraft video game adaptation (Source)
Os jogos geralmente são bem-sucedidos por motivos que não são aplicáveis ao filme
The Hollywood machine, in its endless chase for big bucks, can't help but exploit the latest hit interactive outing, often failing to realize it's often a specific gameplay mechanic, psychological meme or technical feature that makes the title so compelling.
–Scott Steinberg, head of TechSavvy Global and founder of GameExec magazine and Game Industry TV (Source)
Traduzir jogos não lineares em uma história linear de três atos é muito difícil
The problem? Most film narratives follow a traditional, time-tested three-act structure, whereas videogames don't fit nicely in that mould. "Translating a non-linear narrative into a linear three-act structure is like making a song out of a painting or a sculpture," says Kjeldsen.
– Kirk Kjeldsen, assistant professor in the Cinema Department at the Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Vancouver (Source)
As adaptações dos videogames não são interativas, ao contrário de seu material de origem
"There's a very simple reason that nearly all video game movies fail; they're not interactive," Dixon says.
"With video games, the player is really the star of the movie, directing the actors, deciding what plotline to follow--and most importantly for most games, whom to shoot down to get to the next level. When this aspect of the game is missing, viewers no longer feel like part of the action."
–Wheeler Winston Dixon, professor of film studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (Source)
Diretores de cinema e escritores geralmente atraem o público de maneiras diferentes das dos videogames
The issue here is that, when developing video game movies, many directors and writers try to appeal to the audience in whatever way they feel best suits them. In the case of something like Tomb Raider, that appeal came in Lara Croft’s look and gymnastic abilities, rather than the globe-trotting, puzzle-solving, and blending of history with fantasy that made the game so appealing.
This is true of other video game movies as well—Max Payne suffered heavily from a similar weighing of game aesthetics over actual plot, and it’s been a recurring problem in several of the Resident Evil films.
–Melissa Loomis, journalist for GameRant (Source)