The cinema industry quickly embraced video games as a source of inspiration, from the 1993 Super Mario Bros. to Super Mario Galaxy, which is set to storm the box office, scheduled for release on April 1st. There have been direct adaptations of video game licenses like Street Fighter, Doom, Mortal Kombat, and Silent Hill, as well as broader inspirations like Chris Colombus’s Pixels (2015) and the iconic scene in Old Boy (Park Chan Wook, 2004).
Comic books have also made their mark, with Dragon Quest becoming a manga in 1989, Street Fighter having regular comic releases, and Injustice becoming a major series at DC. The contemporary art world understood the symbolic significance of the medium early on, with artists like Invader creating pixelated creatures inspired by Taito’s cult license since the early 90s.
The intersection between pop music and video games has been longstanding, with collaborations often being promotional. However, recent months have seen video games becoming a true source of inspiration for pop music, with artists like Nicki Minaj referencing video game characters in their songs. Music industry icons like Digitalism and Kaytranada have released singles inspired by video games, while others like Health draw direct inspiration from video game titles in their work.
Overall, there is a noticeable cultural influence of video games spreading across various art forms, including music. Video games are now showcased in museums, taught in universities, and embraced by mainstream musicians. This phenomenon is expanding cultural boundaries, hoping to avoid the risk of mainstream artists producing music reminiscent of video game soundtracks.
