Mention the name “Fallout” to an avid gamer, and you might see their eyes light up with nostalgia. On the heels of HBO's hit video game adaptation “The Last of Us,” Amazon Prime's new TV show “Fallout” received high marks from critics and viewers alike. Just a week after the show's April premiere, Amazon renewed it for a second season.
“It may seem strange to think of a relatively new medium like video games in terms of nostalgia, but the Fallout series has been around for about 27 years, with the first game released in 1997 and… “A total of 11 games have been released to date,” said James Ivory, a media expert at Virginia Tech, discussing the appeal of “Fallout” and what its success means for the future of entertainment media. answered questions about.
Q: What makes this quirky show based on a quirky video game appeal to such a wide range of people?
“The series has been praised for capturing the game's distinctly recognizable post-apocalyptic future, with strong mid-'20s influences.th Art and pop culture of the century. While other successful video game adaptations for television and film, such as “The Last of Us,” rely on specific stories and characters already beloved by audiences, “Fallout” Leverage the unique aesthetics and expansive settings of our long-standing library to seamlessly create games. A new story in a familiar space. This adaptation proves that popular video games can represent not only endearing characters and stories, but also immersive story worlds. ”
Q: Can we expect multi-episode television adaptations of video games to become more common?
“Some people, especially in recent years, who haven't had much exposure to video games, may think of them as simple entertainment toys without much complexity to the experience, but video games have a story, mechanics, It can provide a combination of social backgrounds, giving users a complex experience comparable to any book, movie, or series. Video games can uniquely present emotional events, ethical scenarios, and sophisticated characterization, making video game stories a very important part of viewers' lives. Masu. ”
Q: Does Fallout's cross-media success indicate anything about the future of entertainment?
“In my field of research, I find it very interesting to see more and more big intellectual property leaking out of video games and into other media rather than the other way around. Toys have long been a part of popular media franchises. For example, George Lucas made more money from licensing and merchandising than from box office revenue. For a while, video games may have been considered an element of film and film merchandising, but with mixed success. However, cases like Fallout have shown that video game intellectual property can provide extremely rich and meaningful experiences for players, and we are now seeing more commercialization and movies derived from video games. There is a high possibility that you will be ”
About ivory
James Ivory is a professor of media studies in the Department of English at Virginia Tech. His main research interests deal with the social and psychological aspects of new media and communication technologies, focusing on the content and effects of the technical features of new entertainment and his media, such as video games. His expertise has been cited in the Washington Post and his USA Today.
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