id Software's CEO Talks Up Doom the Movie
December 3, 2005 05:00
Where Hollenshead Feels Things Are Headed
THG: Do you feel that movies based on video games will get better in the future?
Todd Hollenshead: I think a lot of it comes down to the studio commitment to making a good movie, the budget they put behind it, and the talent they put on the project. If you get talented people with enough resources, they're going to create something better than if you're putting in people who aren't as qualified and you constrain the budget.
I haven't seen every movie that's based on a video game, but there are some I like a lot. I own the DVD for Mortal Combat, the first Tomb Raider movie was very good, and we really liked the Doom movie and thought it was a lot of fun. The more good video game movies there are, and the more talented people are affiliated with video games, then the better for everybody in the industry.
There's a lot of talent and interesting subject matter that the video game business has created over the years. For a while, video games that were based off movies weren't very good, but now you've got excellent video games based on films. Maybe for a while it was true that most video games that made the leap to the big screen weren't very good, but I'd certainly like to believe that it's turning around now.
THG: Do you feel that Hollywood is now treating video games more seriously?
Todd Hollenshead: Oh absolutely that's true. You have to remember, just the ability to express a story in a video game and have meaningful interactions with the environment and other PC characters, those things are all important in building a believable universe. In a movie, it's not an interactive medium, so you have to have more sophisticated interactions. Certainly, movies have a different set of limitations and advantages than when we work on video games. But when you've got guys like Spielberg, with his relationship with EA, and Peter Jackson involved with the Halo film, these guys are luminaries in the non-interactive medium. And their interest in video games demonstrates the potential of the medium and what you can do with it. It's definitely been raised significantly in the eyes of some of the most talented people in the movie business.
When I was a kid, it was perceived that video games were for kids and adults didn't play them. Now that I'm an adult, that notion is completely antiquated. At id, we really make entertainment for adults, not for kids anymore. If you ask someone of my parents' generation - people in their sixties or what have you - I do think there's a fundamental misunderstanding about what video games are. But if you ask someone who's in their mid-forties, down to teenagers in high school, they really understand more of what video games are like. It's not just simplistic, uninteresting content; there really are compelling games out, there and there are many varieties of experiences based on whatever your tastes are.
Looking Back
THG: What are your thoughts on the whole experience of Doom becoming a movie?
Todd Hollenshead: I would say that the start of the process was frustrating, but once we got with CAA, our relationship with them was really important. They focused on making sure the time that was spent on the project was with people that were seriously interested. That really made a fundamental change in how we dealt with the project. A lot of time was invested in the project by id, and by me personally; to finally see the results of that work was really gratifying for me. Walking down the red carpet at a movie premiere in Hollywood may be old hat for actors, but for video game developers it's still a special day!
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