The basis of so many childhoods are board games and card games. Bright and colorful characters create a fantastic world for kids in Candyland; an eerie supernatural world is created for friend groups in One Night Ultimate Werewolf – there’s no shortage of intriguing characters and stories to follow in these types of tabletop games. Tabletop games provide the perfect outline for adaptations, as seen through different cinematic productions.

The Netflix series Stranger Things is centered around a lot of various elements that come from the tabletop game Dungeons & Dragons. The main villains of the show are directly inspired by monsters from the famous game that the main characters themselves play in the show. Even other famous pieces like the Jumanji movies or the Clue movie make successful stories based off of these games. Taking elements from recognizable games makes for surprisingly good cinema, and here are just a few ways it works.

Recognizable Characters

Demogorgon in the upside down
Netflix

By using aspects and story points from tabletop games, it provides something recognizable and exciting for audiences to see. Fans of the show as well as the role playing game have loved to see the villains and monsters in Stranger Things. The familiar monsters create a sense of suspense and anticipation for those that know the game, as the viewers are provided with moments where they are able to guess and try to piece together which monsters and antagonists will be introduced to the story. This makes the audience feel more involved with the story and attached to the characters, which in turn raises the stakes for everything going on within the plot.

On the other hand, it can also bring characters to life in a way that hasn’t been seen before. Those that know the game of Clue know that there are a handful of characters that have their own unique backstories and archetypes– everything from an ex-military man to a rich femme fatale. Getting to know these characters as board pieces is one thing, but getting to know them as real people on the big screen is an entirely different, yet equally fun, experience altogether. Having these recognizable characters brought to life uniquely on screen not only connects the audience to them, but draws them in to see the piece in the first place.

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Cohesive Plot

Clue Christopher Llyod
Paramount Pictures 

Basing cinematic projects off of tabletop games also provides a strong blueprint for writers to work with. The main premise of the game offers a cohesive plot and structure for the written story to follow. For games like Clue or Zathura – which is often regarded as a sequel to Jumanji – there is a basic story that players have to follow in order to win, but the beauty of it is that it’s never the same each time. When converted into cinema, viewers and fans of the games will have a certain amount of knowledge and expectation when it comes to an adaptation because of the games’ structure. However, the adaptations can still have twists and unexpected aspects just like a new round of the games would. But even still, the cinematic piece will feel cohesive and structured, which makes it accessible to various audiences as well as more appealing as a cohesive story.

Nostalgia Factor

A scene from Jumanji
Sony Pictures Releasing

There has been a lot of modern media as of late focusing on or being inspired by retro and vintage eras. A lot of them hope to inspire the younger generations with their new takes on the times as the older media did for them. Some of the cinema just likes to have fun with it. Either way, these pieces tend to take advantage of the nostalgia factor, which makes classic tabletop games the perfect basis. It’s not just about being able to see one’s favorite characters and games brought to life on the big screen, but about seeing things we remember from younger and better times. When you’re sitting in a theater or streaming something at home and getting to remember beloved moments playing games with your family or your friends from school, it really makes the piece you’re watching all the more special. A sense of nostalgia works to the benefit of a story (depending on the subject) to make it more enthralling and special for audience members of various generations.

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Conclusive Ending

A scene from Clue
Paramount Pictures

And with every tabletop game, there is the grand finale. Whether it’s a one-off story like Clue or a story that can last weeks like Dungeons & Dragons, there has to be some kind of ending and above all it must be conclusive. While not every movie or TV show is expected to wrap everything cleanly with a nice little bow, many viewers will argue it’s nice when an ending isn’t ambiguous or left up to interpretation; it makes the piece feel much more whole, and leaves less to be argued about or desired. Basing cinema off of a tabletop game ensures that there is going to be a conclusive ending that, for the most part, will be pretty clear to audiences. This ensures a piece that feels accessible as well as well-structured. In the end, it makes every aspect of the story feel cohesive and accurately done.