So there's this extremely popular game which has been lauded by critics and users, and this success usually tempts a movie studio or the game publishers themselves to cash in on the game's popularity by making a movie based on the game (or a game franchise). But then, why do such movies (which are based on a game or game franchise) almost always get panned by critics and fail miserably at the box office too? Here's my opinion and analysis on the reason this happens, although it may not be totally accurate.
The main focus of a game is to make the player interact with the game world and completely immerse him/her in it. Of course, most games do have an interesting premise and story, but those are just bonuses. For example, if a game doesn't really have a strong plot or story but has solid gameplay (such as the Left 4 Dead games), then the game is almost sure to be a success. On the other hand, a game with a really compelling plot but weak gameplay is not likely to find favor with critics or users. Of course, a game having both near-flawless gameplay as well as an excellent plot would obviously earn high acclaim, but a good story/plot is not always necessary for a game to succeed. The game just needs to provide a high level of immersion for the players by giving them a reasonably high degree of control over what actually happens in the game, and of course proper gameplay mechanics (for example, a shotgun should sound like a shotgun when fired, and not like a pistol).
When people make movies based on games, they fail to realize that the most important factor which was responsible for the game's success was its gameplay and player immersion. It is simply not possible to create that kind of experience with a movie, because watching a movie is always a passive activity which doesn't require (or rather, does not allow) any direct interaction with the movie's world or characters. Obviously, when its impossible for a movie to provide the aspect which made the game successful (that is, player interaction and immersion), it is often illogical to even consider that a movie based on a successful game or game franchise would also be successful. Of course, there have been a few successful movies based on games (such as 2010's Prince of Persia), but those are just exceptions which succeeded because the movie makers took a lot of liberty and the movies had little in common with the games they were based on.
Its high time these people stopped trying to make a quick buck by making movies based on games/game franchises, with the hope that the game's success will be replicated by the movie as well. It just doesn't work that way. If such movies are to succeed, they need to find a perfect balance in such a way that very little is common between the game and the movie, while still making it familiar to fans of the game. A big ask which is very much possible, but certainly not worth the risk.
