Comic books have had a massive influence on modern culture ever since their inception in the mid-1930s. More so in recent years since comic books and their characters have been and are continuing to be developed onto both movies such as the X-men, Avengers and now Justice League franchises and in TV shows. It doesn’t stop there though. Comics have long been adapted to video games and gaming putting the gamer into the heart of the action with their favorite superheroes or even supervillains.
Since the late 80s, there have been games developed from the comic book universes, from board games like monopoly to arcade beat-em-up games to RPGs on home consoles and through to MMORPGs online comic books have translated to gaming almost seamlessly – to the point where it could be said that gaming is an evolution of comic books, offering similar character and graphic design while offering more immersion as the gamer takes on the role of the main character or characters within the story. Combining that with an already established (and growing) fanbase of comic fans leads to a greater potential for a video game to succeed as long as the game itself delivers on the expectations of the fans. Games are also a great way of expanding upon the universe created by the comic book via adaptation or continuation of a plot as was done with the 2009 Wolverine game that was published by Activision.
Arcade and console gaming are not the only formats that comic books are successfully breaking through though. They are doing very well on igaming platforms as well and there is a huge variety of games available to play online. Not only can you find games that are based on comic books but you can also find games that tie directly into the popular Marvel and DC franchises. For example, there is a whole series of iGames based upon Batman. Players who want to give it a try will find superhero-themed slots and more on VegasCasino.io.
Comic books have a long history and a long future ahead of them. What once began as a little-known subculture has developed to become a staple of American pop culture and video games have developed in the same way. With the constant advances in technology leading to more immersive gaming such as with Virtual Reality expect to see more and more games being developed around comic books and the superheroes they contain. It is not only American culture though.
There is a massive market in Asia and especially Japan, with the manga series of comics and anime films and series becoming more and more popular worldwide with some titles such as Crying Freeman and Guyver being developed into live-action movies and a huge selection of games based on manga directly as well as using the same visual style. Most notable would be the Final Fantasy video game series which over the years has clearly been influenced by Japanese comic books and anime. Comic books and video games have enough similarities to make sure that they will continue to grow hand in hand together for many years to come whether on consoles, online or in Virtual Reality.
