Are video games now more sophisticated than cinema?

Video games such as LA Noire have led to claims that games are overtaking films in terms of sophistication. But can they ever really go as deep as cinema?

The appearance of pioneering new adventure game LA Noire has reignited a debate among gamers and film lovers which has been bubbling under for years. Not least for Guardian columnist Charlie Brooker, who asserted last week that video games display an intelligence and imagination well beyond the majority of contemporary cinema. Gaming's huge commercial success, he argued, is "the equivalent of films of the intelligence and quality of 2001: A Space Odyssey and The Maltese Falcon not just being released to great fanfare in 2011, but actually going on to smash box office records."

It's likely the gaming community stood up and cheered this assessment when it appeared – that was certainly the sentiment expressed by a huge number of those who commented online. At the same time, film fans were moved to defend their passion for cinema. Many agree that the studios are spewing out too many knucklehead superhero movies, cliche-ridden genre pics and feeble-minded multi-sequels, but still firmly believe that cinema refreshes the parts that even the best games in the world can't reach.

Hollywood has long regarded itself as the billion-dollar big daddy of the image entertainment world. It has the glamour, the iconography, the big brands, the A-listers and lots of cold, hard cash. In 2010, the US box office was worth $10.6bn. But for a supposed subculture, the gaming industry is just as impressive a market player, if not more so – outshining the movie moguls with an estimated annual revenue of around $18.6bn in the US last year. The biggest hit of 2010, Call of Duty: Black Ops has already grossed more than $1bn for its publisher Activision – less than 10 films released in the last decade can claim the same. The gaming industry is no longer the snot-nosed little punk of the entertainment world – little wonder fans and creators alike are calling for serious critical recognition of the medium....

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