If You Starred in a Hardcore, Bloody Game...

When I think of video games, the first example that comes to mind -- surprisingly -- is actually a movie. Hardcore Henry, which premiered in theaters recently, is an action movie that looks like a first-person shooter game. The movie is shot entirely from the protagonist's point of view; the audience sees through Henry's eyes.

One of the ways that Hardcore Henry mimics video games is in the way that it creates its world. In the readings, game theorist Jesper Juul mentions five main types of games: Abstract, Iconic, Incoherent World, Coherent World, and Staged. Hardcore Henry can be classified as an coherent world game.

Most adventure games, including Call of Duty and Half-Life, fall into the category of a coherent world game. Unlike incoherent world ones, "nothing prevents us from imagining [the world] in any detail." The game does not contradict itself and the game events can be explained as part of the fictional world. It is not up to the user to "fill in the blanks." Hardcore Henry falls into this category because it is like an adventure game; there is a clear mission to save his wife. Although there are exaggerated points in the movie, such as highly advanced technology and an indestructible protagonist, it is clearly based on reality.

Hardcore Henry was created using some of the same principles of video games, although there are a few differences. The movie includes cut-scenes, which are "non-interactive sequence[s] of a game that provides backstory or informs the player of the task to be undertaken." Hardcore Henry uses cut-scenes to accomplish both. There are also "tutorial-like" scenes where Henry learns about his abilities, much like game tutorials.

The sound effects and camera viewpoint are also similar to games. When things explode or gunshots are fired, it sounds much like it does in a video game. The way the story is presented in a first-person with someone holding weapons is similar to games like Call of Duty. There are even guns hiding in random places in the movie.

But because Hardcore Henry is a movie and not actually a video game, there are some differences. The most notable one is probably movement. In games, the user interacts with the created, fictional world typically via a game controller, mouse, or keyboard. But in Hardcore Henry, the audience does not interact with the world, even though they may feel like they are the main character.

Graphics are another interesting difference. Video games graphics are computer generated. Hardcore Henry, on the other hand, combines CGI with real-life action from stunt doubles. The first-person effect of the film was achieved using mainly GoPros, which are action cameras that specialize in movement and extreme conditions. Because of this, the "graphics" in the movie are sometimes shaky and unstable, such as when Henry is running or jumping off buildings.

Although the movie feels like a video game, there are certainly limitations. One of the biggest ones is that the fictional world in Hardcore Henry is not infinite, and there is no gameplay variation because the story is set in stone. Perhaps the best analogy for this movie is video game streaming, where players will live-record themselves playing a game for other people to watch. Overall, Hardcore Henry combines both characteristics of video games and movies, and this gives it a unique style.