Through their development trajectory, video games have seen many trends come and go, but one particularly intriguing, now just considered retro, phase involved using live-action footage.
In the quest for realism and cinematic storytelling, developers once enhanced their games with real actors, props, and sets.
Here, we’ll explore the inception, rise, and fall of live-action footage in video games, examining all its phases and eventual replacement by more advanced technologies.
A Cinematic Leap
The late 1980s and early 1990s saw a dramatic change, especially in gaming, with the introduction of CD-ROM technology.
These discs provided a significant upgrade in storage space over standard cartridges, allowing developers to include full-motion video (FMV) in their games. Rather than being limited to pixelated sprites and simple animations, developers could now include actual video sequences with real individuals and settings. These FMV sequences were usually presented as cutscenes, delivering narrative context and linking gameplay sections.
One of the first instances of FMV games was in arcades. Games like Astron Belt and Dragon’s Lair, both from 1983, used Laserdiscs to record video information, enabling visuals much higher in quality than other arcade games at that time. Whereas some titles reused footage from already existing films, most developers decided to film original content for their games. This showed dedication to bringing about immersive and cinematic experiences beyond the limitations of early gaming hardware.
Live-Action in the Spotlight
The 1990s saw a heightened popularity of live-action cutscenes. Developers saw this as a way to increase the perceived production value of their games and bring the cinematic experience closer, even though realistic graphics were still a decade away.
It was also during the mid-90s when the ideas of live dealer and live casino games first appeared, but due to limited technology and internet speed they could not fully succeed. Luckily, with the advancements in technology and the devices we have today, this type of entertainment is easily accessible. For those interested, this list of operators shows what casino bonuses they have on offer for new users, live games included.
Still, it is critical to differentiate between games that merely included live-action cutscenes and those that built live-action footage into the interactive gameplay itself. The footage needed to be filmed with actual cameras at film-like frame rates to be considered a live-action game.
Games that simply digitized and animated actors through conventional means did not qualify. In addition, the footage had to be original, so games based on movies could not just lift scenes from the original material unless those scenes were initially designed for the game.
Technology Catches Up – CGI and Motion Capturing
In spite of the early popularity, the utilization of live-action footage in video games started to decline in the mid-2000s.
A number of issues led to the decline. The novelty of FMV had passed, and gamers started demanding more than passive video clips. The constraints of live-action footage in the areas of interactivity and flexibility also became evident.
Motion capture technology was a key enabler of this shift. By capturing real actors’ movements and facial expressions, developers could imbue digital characters with realistic and subtle performances. This enabled more emotional depth, believability in-game characters, and an overall richer narrative experience.
Motion capture technology has come a long way over the years. Current systems are capable of capturing subtle facial movements and complex body language with great accuracy. Titles such as Detroit: Become Human and, now older title, LA Noire, are now the benchmark for facial animation and performance capture, and they showcase the vast potential for this technology to allow for genuinely lifelike characters.
Modern Echoes
Live-action footage is no longer the force it once was in video games, but it hasn’t gone away entirely.
Some games have persisted with live-action, usually as an aesthetic decision or as a form of respect for the genre’s tradition, an homage.
For instance, the Command & Conquer series has kept live-action cutscenes in a few of its titles, including Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars. Other good examples are Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War, Tesla Effect: A Tex Murphy Adventure, Her Story, the 2015 reboot of Need for Speed, and Obduction.
In modern video games, FMV sequences are usually rendered in high-quality, pre-rendered CGI. Such sequences are produced with the same techniques used for computer-generated effects in film, making them visually impressive and immersive cinematics.
Live-action footage in video games can easily be dubbed the most fascinating period in the medium’s history.
Although it was ultimately a transitional technology, it helped bridge the gap between movies and games. The impact of live-action footage can still be felt in modern video games’ sophisticated graphics and realistic animations, traces of what once was a strive for a more cinematic experience. It was a stepping stone to the unbelievably realistic and immersive experiences that players have today.
