ADRIAN HON
Alternate Reality
Notes from videogaming’s borders
Illustration konsume.me
Over the past few months, millions of videogame followers have been delighted by their hobby directly inspiring one of the most critically acclaimed TV shows in recent years. No longer are the words “based on a videogame” accompanied by a whiff of desperation and mediocrity. Instead, we’ve been able to stand up proudly to proclaim: yes, I watch Poker Face.
You thought I was talking about that other show? HBO’s The Last Of Us is entertaining TV, but it hews too closely to the galloping plot of the game to say all that much interesting about how people and societies survive or crumble under pressure. Poker Face, a detective show by Rian Johnson, the director of Glass Onion, is rather different – and it’s at least partly thanks to games.