From books to movies, from movies to video games, Jurassic Park is a cult classic story packed with giant ancient beasts, greedy scientists, and a moral story that humans shouldn’t resurrect creatures that existed before them. Mainly because they’ll most likely eat you.
The captivating visuals, revolutionising special effects, and gripping storyline have made Jurassic Park a story loved by all generations. So, how has Jurassic Park massively impacted the gaming world? Let’s go way back and begin at the origin.
Jurassic Park – The Origins
To fully understand the influential status Jurassic Park has, we have to go all the way back to where the story began. The Jurassic era began (not the era of the dinosaurs, we don’t need to go that far back) when Michael Crichton published the Jurassic Park novel in 1990.
The story is about a group of scientists who have devised a method to clone dinosaurs’ DNA to birth a new era of Jurassic dinosaurs. The scientist who led the project loves the magnificent dinosaurs so much that he plans to share this discovery with the rest of the world.
They open up a Jurassic dinosaur park for visitors to enjoy an island filled with various dinosaurs. Dinosaurs such as velociraptors, a T-rex, and pterodactyls roam the park. Everything seems to be going well until something goes wrong, and the park becomes a hunting ground for the resurrected dinosaurs.
Jurassic Park Influences Cinema
The novel was such a hit that director Steven Spielberg decided to use the story to turn it into a cinematic masterpiece. Released in 1993, with visual effects that still offer a ‘wow-factor’ to this day this film continues to entertain.
The spectacular visual effects of giant moving dinosaurs were accomplished with minimal CGI and the legendary Stan Winston’s dinosaur models that he created for the film. Jurassic Park’s visuals still look good today because the movements look natural, making the film even more realistic and enthralling for viewers. The first Jurassic Park is often the most loved out of all movies with consistently high ratings.
After the first movie, Jurassic Park 2 and Jurassic Park 3 were brought out in 1997 and 2001, respectively. The story didn’t continue until Jurassic World and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom came out in 2015 and 2018, revealing the same mistakes were made once again: they couldn’t resist birthing dinosaurs.
After the new Jurassic World, lovers of the franchise were excited about the sequel. Like the original films, people are enthralled by the graphics and the action that the Jurassic World films brought to screens.
The Jurassic Era of Gaming
The excitement and love for the resurrected dinosaur parks didn’t end there. Video games were brought out to enjoy exploring the park as one of the characters in a Lego-style game and a Pokémon style game.
After the release of Jurassic World in 2015, Frontier Developments developed a simulation game where players could build and manage their dinosaur park. These games were rivals to the films with their enchanting gameplay, dazzling graphics and storyline.
The franchise has also left an impact on the iGaming industry, with Jurassic-themed games such as the Jurassic Park slot from Microgaming which is considered a creator of some of the best online slots in the industry. These games use visuals and sound to recreate the immersive experience of everyone’s favourite dinosaur park.
Overall, the Jurassic era of gaming has proven to franchise lovers that the dinosaur park is here to stay, offering various gameplay.
The Future of Jurassic Park
The Jurassic Park franchise has influenced cinema and games through its legendary storyline and visual effects. The astounding visual effects, jam-packed action, and the exploration factor of the Jurassic story has made a massive impact on gaming; people needed more dinosaur action after the movies.
It’s undoubtedly evident that the Jurassic story is famous and will most likely expand in the years to come.