Which game would you do a Queen's Gambit kind of series?

[Sblargh]

Queen's Gambit description: "In a 1950s orphanage, a young girl reveals an astonishing talent for chess and begins an unlikely journey to stardom while grappling with addiction"

I really liked the series and it is not really about chess, but chess is very important in the movie and people who actually play chess seemed to have enjoyed it, as many matches in the movie are based on real world classic matches, so people are not just making random movies on the board for the camera, they are actually doing stuff that makes sense if you understand the game and, if you don't (like me), you can grasp the basic feeling that chess is a very deep complex game and you need to study a lot in order to play it, but talent may take you over the edge.

So, which game (and from what era) would you pick for a character drama piece not really about the game, but that treats the game with respect as something interesting and worthwhile?

I have a few ideas:
Street Fighter 2 era on California arcades, the character maybe based on Seth Killian going from arcade to arcade betting money on games.
Street Fighter Alpha 3 era on Tokio arcades, particularly based on Daigo, with scenes of the character staying on the arcade for hundreds of games in a row.
Starcraft: Brood War when this E-sports thing got traction in S. Korea, a character based on Flash becoming a celebrity.

So? What's your idea?
What game/era would merit a series about a quirky character overcoming personal difficulties through obsession with a competitive game and a passionate community?
(I don't think any game has the cultural significance of chess, tho)

 

[Deleted member 431]

Queen's Gambit isn't really about chess but your suggestions seem to be all about the games themselves. Beth Harmon's inner demons and self conflict is what makes the story interesting, IMO. What inner demons or conflict could Seth Killian or Daigo provide that would be interesting to someone who doesn't enjoy Street Fighter? I genuinely don't know. If you were doing one based off a Street Fighter player, I would be a lot more interested in one based off Ricki Ortiz.

 

[Sblargh]

Queen's Gambit isn't really about chess but your suggestions seem to be all about the games themselves. Beth Harmon's inner demons and self conflict is what makes the story interesting, IMO. What inner demons or conflict could Seth Killian or Daigo provide that would be interesting to someone who doesn't enjoy Street Fighter? I genuinely don't know. If you were doing one based off a Street Fighter player, I would be a lot more interested in one based off Ricki Ortiz.

Click to shrink...

Queen's Gambit is also based on Bobby Fischer, but a heavily fictionalized version of the roughly the same events:
" Even though Beth Harmon is technically a fictional character, chess expert Dylan Loeb McClain pointed out in The New York Times that she bears many striking similarities to another well-known chess prodigy, Bobby Fischer. To name a few: They both won the U.S. championship title in 1967, began supporting themselves in their late teens, learned Russian to keep up with their Soviet competitors, spent beyond their means on fancy clothes, and stood out from their fellow chess pros by being able to make a living playing chess. Finally, and most importantly, according to McClain, "Beth and Fischer have similar, aggressive playing styles. And when playing white and facing the Sicilian Defense, they both play the same system: the Fischer-Sozin Attack."

 

[Stowaway Silfer]

Wait so like Yu-Gi-Oh?

jk...but High Score Girl is close to what you're asking for if you don't have an aversion to anime.

 

[LuigiMario]

Live action YuGiOh netflix series please.

 

[solidr]

I have a few ideas:
Street Fighter 2 era on California arcades, the character maybe based on Seth Killian going from arcade to arcade betting money on games.
Street Fighter Alpha 3 era on Tokio arcades, particularly based on Daigo, with scenes of the character staying on the arcade for hundreds of games in a row.

Click to shrink...

So, high Score girl anime but with a celebrity?

 

[chainlinkspiral]

Rocktar Table Tennis. Or Competitive Catherine.

 

[Sillen2000]

Queen's gambit is basically a live action anime, so the only correct answer here is sadly an arena fighter.

 

[Oozer]

A Street Fighter game. The protagonist is a homeless young woman who's gotten really good at the game by staying in a 24-hour arcade scrounging quarters. She's constantly harassed for being a girl and often lashes out by fighting the aggressor. These fights are shown in a stylized, "Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World" way, both sides pulling off moves from the game with colorful, graphical flourishes. She has to battle her own demons and rampant misogyny to win a prestigious tournament.

 

[GurrenSwagann]

I want an in-depth drama about a person learning to do sick epic combos in DMC.

 

[Rover]

 

[Distantmantra]

Konami made a few Hikaru no Go games for the GBA and GameCube in Japan. Seems like the closest.

 

[Typographenia]

It's Tetris.

It wouldn't be a head to head game the way chess is, but I feel the simple concept and pieces with an incredible recognition to the general public, an intense base of players, and could similarly translate the strategy element of the show with relative ease. As in chess, you might not follow the beat by beat of the match in a show, but everyone can follow when a line is completed or a piece falls into position.

 

[Sblargh]

It's Tetris.

It wouldn't be a head to head game the way chess is, but I feel the simple concept and pieces with an incredible recognition to the general public, an intense base of players, and could similarly translate the strategy element of the show with relative ease. As in chess, you might not follow the beat by beat of the match in a show, but everyone can follow when a line is completed or a piece falls into position.

Click to shrink...

This could work:

 

[Serpens007]

Competitive Pokemon VGC

Focus the drama over the competitors from countries than need to do a lot of stuff to be able to compete in the world finals

 

[tobascodagama]

It's Tetris.

Click to shrink...

I think you're right. It's abstract and simple enough that the show doesn't need to spend any time on the mechanics. Even if you've never heard of Tetris before, you learn everything you need to know the first time you see a line flash and disappear or a player groan in agony when their stack reaches the top of the screen.

 

[THErest]

How about something like CS:GO? Throw some teamwork into the mix.

But I've been obsessed with Pac-Man lately, so that.

 

[donkey]

Beyblades.

 

[Soj]

Smash