“What is similar are not the similitudes, but the differences […] An ideal multiple relation, a differential relation, should be actualized in several spatial-temporal relations, while its elements are actually incarnated in terms and varied forms. Idea is therefore designed as structure”
Différence et Répétition, Gilles Deleuze
Silent film has been an essential source of inspiration for game design, both consciously and unconsciously, nourishing the medium of video game with the visual freedom, the attractional quality and the kinetic wonders of early cinema. A close study of the aesthetics and forms of silent film can help video game designers in their creative choices, as in the case of creator Warren Spector or certain independent games like The Misadventures of P. B. Winterbottom (2010), revealing at the same time a history of hidden influences between both mediums: from Buster Keaton’s slapstick to the universe of Super Mario Bros, from the action-adventure sequences of The Thief of Bagdad (1924) to the gameplay of Prince of Persia (1989).
Texts on Film and Game Culture
If you are interested in the contents of this comparative media project, there are more images and examples in the book:
El gag visual. De Buster Keaton a Super Mario Editorial Cátedra, 2014
You can also find related information in the following articles and book chapters, which explore the relationship between cinema and new media:
On Nintendo’s Visual Humour: Slapstick Cinema and Comic Theatre in Super Smash Bros Book Chapter in Video Games and Comedy, eds. Krista B. R. Giappone, Tomasz Z. Majkowski & Jaroslav Svelch, Palgrave MacMillan, 2022 / in English
Wii Sports: Minimalist Lessons Book chapter in Fifty Key Videogames, eds. B. Perron, K. Boudreau, Mark J. P. Wolf & D. Arsenault, Routledge, 2022 / in English
Playing European Comic Books: The Videogame Adaptations of Astérix and Tintin, 1993-1997 Book chapter in Perspectives on the European Video Game, eds. Víctor Navarro-Remesal & Óliver Pérez, Amsterdam University Press, 2022 / in English
Silent Film (and Video Games) Book chapter in Encyclopedia of Video Games: The Culture, Technology and Art of Gaming, ed. Mark Wolf, Bloomsbury, 2021 (2nd edition) / in English
Super Mario, The New Silent Clown. Video Game Parodies as Transformative Comedy Tools Article in International Journal of Cultural Studies, 2015 / in English
Nintendo y el humor (visual) Article in Cultura/s de La Vanguardia, 2015 / in Spanish
Jogar o gag: de Buster Keaton a Super Mario Article in À Pala de Walsh, 2015 / in Portuguese
Spain (A History of Video Games) Book chapter in Video Games Around The World, ed. Mark Wolf & Toru Iwatani, The MIT Press, 2015 / in English
Rockstar y el cine (de género) Article in Cultura/s de La Vanguardia, 2014 / in Spanish
Reimagining Silent Film and New Media Book chapter in Post Cinema and Video Games, eds. Bernard Perron and Federico Giordano, Mimesis, 2014 / in English
Video Games as Educational Tools for Film History Article in Estudios sobre el Mensaje Periodístico, 2012 / in Spanish
Super Mario Reloaded. Machinima, Glitch and The Art of Video Game Appropriation Book chapter in Colabor_arte. Medios y artes en la era de la producción colaborativa, eds. Carlos Scolari and Mario Carlón, La Crujía, 2012 / in Spanish
Participatory Fascinations: Segundo de Chomón and Early Video Games Book chapter in “La construcció de l’actualitat en el cinema dels orígens” ed. Àngel Quintana and Jordi Pons, 2012 / in Catalan
Segundo de Chomón: Performance Article in Revista Contrapicado Issue 39, 2011 / in Spanish
Mythogames. The Heroe and the Myth in Nintendo’s Imagery Article in Revista Comunicación, 2010 / in Spanish
The Pickford Paradox: Between Silent Film and New Media Blog Entry in “Confessions of an Acan-Fan, The Official Weblog of Henry Jenkins”, 2009 / in English
Between Games and Stories. Science-fiction and Gameplay Experience Article in Revista Formats, 2009 / in Eng, Spa, Cat
GAMEPLAYGAG 