Jordan Mechner, Creator of Prince Of Persia, Speaks

I posted this a few months ago on the Yahoo! movie board for Prince of Persia. This was taken from Game Informer Magazine, Issue 188, Dec. 2008)

By SGA - Dec 10, 2008 12:12 AM EST
Filed Under: Other

He wrote an article about the legacy of Prince of Persia in this month's Game Informer magazine (issue 188, Dec. 2008, pg. 54) and on the challenges of translating it into different mediums (because he helped write the movie script too).

I will type EXACTLY what he wrote so you can get his take on the whole concept of having P.O.P. translated into different mediums (and hope that I am not plagerizing).


"VIDEO GAMES
The biggest difference between writing a game and writing a movie: Movies are about the story and characters. Games are about playing.

The real story of a game isn't the one that's told in the dialogue and cinematic cutscenes - "In a galaxy torn by civil war, one lone starfighter..." - but the story the player tells afterwards "I was down to my last ship, 50 points short of getting an extra life...I'd cleared the screen all except for this one small rock going super fast-and then the flying saucer came..."

A trap for game creators is to think that by increasing the complexity and cinematic scope of the first narrative-or, if it's a film adaptation, by borrowing elements that worked great in the movie- they're making a better and richer game. The second narrative is the one that needs to be complex and gripping, if the game is any good.

It's when those two narratives work in sync that video games are capable of emotional effects that are unique to this art form. Like when you're down to your last few hit points, and your companion who's fighting alongside you accidentally shoots you in the butt with an arrow...then apologizes when you yell at her. Creating such moments requires teamwork, planning, and a solid understanding of game and movie craft.

MOVIES

A similar pitfall awaits screenwriters adapting a game to film. Many video games have the surface elements of a great movie: action, spectacle, a cool-looking hero, stuff blowing up. But a game is exciting because as the player you're doing it. experiencing the triumphs and setbacks yourself. Take away the gameplay and you're left with a story- often the weakest element of the original game.

To write Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time as a screenplay, I took my own game script as an inspiration, not a blueprint. One of the greatest pleasures of a movie- especially on the scale that Disney, Mike Newell, and Jerry Bruckheimer can deliver- is seeing a fantastic ancient empire brought to life with an epic scope and a rich, diverse, and human cast of characters. The Sands of Time video game script was tailored for the PlayStation 2, to be played with a controller in hand- different constraints, different objectives. Some game fans may wish we'd made a movie that literally followed the game plot. I think if we had, they'd be disappointed."


So there you have it, the view of the creator/co-screenwriter of the Prince of Persia.

About The Author:
SGA
Member Since 8/28/2008
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