Essay Titles: How important are film and game opening title sequences?

In the seminar with Gary Barker today we were told to group up into groups with people that are chosing the same essay title to write about, i discusses with Tom, Holly and Jess the importance of title sequiences in films like Starwars, Saving private ryan and Pulp fiction, we decided that even though title sequences in films are not entirely essential they are useful and can contribute to the film as an overall composition.

We also chose the title sequences for some games like that of Battlefield 3, Skrim (obviously), World of Warcraft and Gears of war. Gears 3 we agreed that the opening sequence was mainly to explain what the audience might have missed but it is also to set the mood of the third installment of the game, in the sequence it is trying to make the viewer feel like there is no hope and no chance, a theme that has been carried throughout the series, which is one of the reasons why the game is so successful.

Here is the sequence to get a feel of what i am writing.

Also a film which is a really good example of why title sequences are important in films is 'Shooter' the film is about a military soldier who is part of a sniper team sent in as part of a mission escorting troops across a border, the film is an in depth conspiracy style theme with a lot more to think about than the fact that the main character is a sniper but, the reason the opening sequence i think goes so well with the overall theme of the film is that, when the film starts the camera is a landscape shot travelling across valleys and forests, rivers and open land, the credits go on for about 2 minutes and this style of an opening is not so uncommon so there is no reason for the viewer to suspect anything, the camera eventually lowers to a cliff top and keeps on zooming in until the viewer realises they are looking at two snipers camouflaged in the grass watching the entire landscape the camera has just panned across. This opening in my opinion work really well because it emphasises the fact that they are completely hidden and unnoticeable to anyone they may be looking at just like they were to the viewer when the camera started off. This makes the sniper feel work really well and adds to the film as a whole.

(No videos uploaded with the actual landscape panning shot, this starts just as the viewer realises there are 2 snipers on the cliffside) 

This is why i think if done correctly an introduction to a film can be very interesting and thought provoking to watch where as if not used at all (may have its advantages in certain cases) or done wrong then can take away from or damage a film.