TV and Film Are Becoming Video Games. Is That Good?

The final season of *Stranger Things* ended with a massive fight. Heroes faced a giant monster with guns and fire. For many viewers, it felt familiar—like a "final boss battle" from a video game. For years, games tried to copy cinema. Now, the reverse is often true. Film and TV now use common game structures. These include large-scale monster fights and long exploration scenes. The *Stranger Things* finale, for example, mirrored action games like *Monster Hunter*. Earlier episodes recalled survival games like *Resident Evil*, with slow building tension and sudden violence. This exchange of ideas can be positive. It brings excitement and visual spectacle to screens. But critics ask: must TV and film also copy the less popular parts of gaming? This includes unnecessary story detours and overlong plots, sometimes called "open-world bloat." The relationship between the industries is deeply influential. The key is learning the right lessons.