Adaptions of video games into other forms of media, primarily film and TV, have historically been classified as failures by fans and critics alike. While some of these have achieved financial success, that hasn't always equated to the success of the video game from which the project was adapted. Film and television are the biggest culprits of sub-par adaptations. Some books, comics, audio dramas, and more have been based on video games with relative success, but just like film and TV, they never quite hit the mark. When video games are adapted to other mediums, the creators often miss the mark on what made the video game a success.
Video games are unique in that they are the only artistic medium that gives people agency. People who are watching a movie have no options regarding how scenes should play out on screen. Video games allow players to regularly make choices about what will happen on screen. Gamers decide how to overcome obstacles, deal with enemies, and often, what the main character looks like. Some video games even let players change the story. It is this agency that players have which makes video games the most unique artistic medium.
When video games are adapted into another medium, that agency is taken away from the player. "Players" are relegated to being "viewers." Some games have narratives that rival the best of film and TV, so it makes perfect sense to transition that into one of those mediums, but even the best stories in a game have the gameplay to back it up. For example, The Last of Us has one of the greatest stories in gaming, but it also has some incredibly creative gameplay to accompany that story. While it is the narrative that pushed the game to become culturally impactful, it is the addictive survival gameplay that cemented it as a gaming classic.
Similarly, Resident Evil is a series that has been known primarily for its survival horror gameplay and atmosphere. Several of the games in the series also have unique and interesting stories. However, the Resident Evil films were never able to capture the horror aspect of the series, opting instead to loosely adapt the series into action films. It is almost impossible for a film or show to recreate the kind of tension a survival horror video game offers because of the lack of viewer involvement in the proceedings. Players feel the terror waiting around every corner in a game because they are the ones controlling the character.
However, there have been some video game adaptations that have broken the mold. Movies like Detective Pikachu and Sonic the Hedgehog are some of the most enjoyable films to watch. While those films do not provide the player agency felt in games, they succeed by taking characters that are iconic mascots and creating a new story based on them. The Sonic the Hedgehog movie alters the Blue Bur's story from what has previously been seen in games and comics, but Sonic has always been an iconic character that allows him to be utilized in new narratives. Similarly, Pokémon is one of the most iconic franchises in the world, and it has had years of manga and anime spin-offs as well as video games, which help serve as a basis for new stories.
Obviously, there is a way to adapt video games to other media well. However, without a gameplay hook, it can make the adaptation process extremely difficult. No matter how good a video game's story is, players won't feel as immersed when watching it on the big screen. The lack of agency players have when watching a video game movie removes a major aspect of the game that players love. With the amount of agency and immersion video games offer, it may be better for movies and TV shows to be adapted into video games instead.