“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 is further data available inside 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 that explore the relationship between silent film and new media:

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” ed. Bernard Perron and Federico Giordano, 2014 / in English

Video Games as Educational Tools for Film History Article in Estudios sobre el Mensaje Periodístico, 2012 / in Spanish

Silent Film (and Video Games) Book chapter in “Encyclopedia of Video Games: The Culture, Technology and Art of Gaming” ed. Mark Wolf, 2012 / in English

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” ed. Carlos Scolari and Mario Carlón, 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

Nintendo World Cup: Being a Pixel Review in Revista Mamajuana, 2011 / in Spanish

Segundo de Chomón: Performance Article in Revista Contrapicado, 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