Gaming in Film and Television

sirpipalot · 13-04-2008 03:03PM #1

Hey guys,

I'm in the middle of witting an article for the escapist on how video games and gamers are depicted in film and television. If anyone knows of a particular film or episode of a series which features a character playing games could they post it up, for example scrubs did a terrible one recently enough with turk and jd mashing xbox360 controllers, clearly not knowing what they're doing... I'm trying to get as much reference material as i can to make a proper assessment of it.

cheers!

tman · 13-04-2008 03:17PM

Die Hard 4.0 showed someone playing GoW

Stephen · 13-04-2008 03:19PM

The film "The Score" (Robert de Niro, Ed Norton) featured some l33t hax0r kid playing Quake 3.

Stompbox · 13-04-2008 03:20PM

Didn't 'Phone Booth' with Colin Farrell actually have a direct reference to a Gamecube, the central character stating that the Gamecube was where he learned how to become such a good marksman? Or was it 'Tigerland'?

Genghiz Cohen · 13-04-2008 03:32PM

South Park - Make Love Not Warcraft

thelordofcheese · 13-04-2008 03:33PM

Denny Crane from boston legal is usually seen playing games at several points during the various series, i remember him playing Vice City and Wii Sports but there probably was more.

Also, Dr. House is usually playing some form of game in most episodes, i remember him playing Metroid: Zero Mission early in season 1 and various other stuff throughout the series (you'd want to check yourself, tbh)

TestTransmission · 13-04-2008 03:36PM

South Park- Guitar Hero, great episode

Bubs101 · 13-04-2008 03:45PM

jackncoke wrote: »

South Park- Guitar Hero, great episode

That's a terrible episode if you haven't played the game.

TestTransmission · 13-04-2008 03:47PM

yah,but i have

tman · 13-04-2008 03:50PM

Sweet wrote: »

Didn't 'Phone Booth' with Colin Farrell actually have a direct reference to a Gamecube, the central character stating that the Gamecube was where he learned how to become such a good marksman? Or was it 'Tigerland'?

Same kind of thing in XXX...

Jim · 13-04-2008 03:56PM

You see Halo 2 and Halo 3 on two seperate occasions in "The Wire". Both times boys of around 14 are playing it, one time with a parent trying to get involved with what is going on.

Both times "HALO" was written across the screen in big letters heh.

Krieg · 13-04-2008 03:59PM

Hitman movie - Hitman; blood money
Although I don't think that counts

Creamy Goodness · 13-04-2008 04:00PM

Bubs101 wrote: »

That's a terrible episode if you haven't played the game.

i have and still think it's a ****e episode, the warcraft one was 1000's times better

sirpipalot · 13-04-2008 04:03PM

cool, thanks good few i hadn't heard about!

did someone actually play hitman (the game) in hitman (the film) or did i read that wrong?

rizzla · 13-04-2008 04:06PM

Disturbia, Shia Lebouf gets cut off from Xbox Live, also plays Ghost Recon I think and a PSP.

Spaced, one episode he's playing Resident Evil (Inspiration for Shaun of the Dead) and another they do a whole piss take of Tekken.

Krieg · 13-04-2008 04:09PM

sirpipalot wrote: »

cool, thanks good few i hadn't heard about!

did someone actually play hitman (the game) in hitman (the film) or did i read that wrong?

Yeah, its a bit where 47 comes through a hotel window and theres 2 kids in the room playing the game

BlitzKrieg · 13-04-2008 04:28PM

*cough*

the wizard

Malice · 13-04-2008 04:38PM

Don't forget Flight of The Navigator (I think he plays Defender or Galaxian in the beginning) and D.A.R.Y.L. (the kid rips through Outrun or Pole Position or something at superhuman speed).

L31mr0d · 13-04-2008 05:02PM

In BIG the young Tom Hanks is playing Colossal Cave Adventure.

In a recent episode of "The Big Bang Theory" (great show imo) called "The Dumpling Paradox" the guys are playing Halo 3.

Also this has to be the worst example of how the media sees video games. Its like they still believe games have midi sounds and feature levels.

What happened to you Cpt. Winters

Prince of Persia in the TV series "Life"

EDIT: I love the fact that by merely saying "i'm 30 years old, I live with my mom and I own a cpt kirk costume" is proof enough that he's going to be good at video games.

Rhyme · 13-04-2008 05:17PM

Steve Carrell plays a Tony Hawks game in 'The 40 Year Old Virgin'.

Gunmonkey · 13-04-2008 06:29PM

There was an episode of CSI Miami (3rd or 4th season) where some game players were reenacting a GTA style game and claiming they got "points" in real life when they killed someone, further proof why gaming + TV just doesnt mix.

Also, according to my recent PC Gamer, the film Inside Man had a scene where a kid plays another GTA style game with phrases like "Shoot that n***a" as he pours bullets into a corpse, haven't seen the film so cant give proof it exists.

Sad how they label us as all ADHD, psychopathic monsters and then complain when games feature characters + levels loosely based on real world characters or settings :rolleyes:

sirpipalot · 13-04-2008 06:36PM

L31mr0d wrote: »

Also this has to be the worst example of how the media sees video games. Its like they still believe games have midi sounds and feature levels.

this is exactly the kind of stuff i'm writing about

thanks for all the info everyone

mayordenis · 13-04-2008 06:48PM

seth in the OC.
also though you have to see this film if you are going to comment on this topic is "reign over me", its an adam sandler movie not comedy though shadow of the colossus features heavily throughout. great film.

thelordofcheese · 13-04-2008 06:48PM

Gunmonkey wrote: »

Sad how they label us as all ADHD, psychopathic monsters and then complain when games feature characters + levels loosely based on real world characters or settings :rolleyes:

Yeah, i really hate it when they do that, and giving us made up diseases is the last straw!

mayordenis · 13-04-2008 06:52PM

ADHighDefinition ITS REAL.

Shryke · 13-04-2008 06:58PM

There was something about a Halo night in the tv show The Big Bang Theory that was on recently. I was in the middle of something and didn't get to watch the whole thing though, but maybe someone else did?

Edit: Already mentioned I see... I'll get my coat.

conzy · 13-04-2008 07:31PM

Southpark - Guitar Queer-o

WarGames! only the greatest 80s film ever

Grandma's Boy is all kinds of great, Its about a Game Tester and it has some pretty good (or bad depending on how you look at it) examples of mainstream video game perception..

Makaveli · 13-04-2008 09:33PM

Spaced as already mentioned, but Simon Pegg plays Tomb Raider in it too.

Entourage, Turtle enters a Fight Night Round 2 tournament in season 2 I think. Vince plays Halo or Halo 2 (whichever) in season 1. They play Mortal Kombat at one stage too.

Hackers - Wipeout.

corcaigh07 · 13-04-2008 11:21PM

cant believe no1 hasnt mentioned swingers yet, vince vaughan and some other dude play NHL '95(or possibly simliar version but pretty sure its 95), they end up having a scrap of their own because vaughan is acting the bollix!

BlitzKrieg · 13-04-2008 11:29PM

Doesnt mall rats also have NHL 95, it actually has an accurate protrayal to a small extent (people leaving the game on all night on pause because there was no save feature)

also Shaun of the Dead had timesplitters in it.

Niska · 13-04-2008 11:32PM

IT Crowd had Roy and Jen playing Guitar Hero (or GHII). Think it was "Men Without Women" (S2E6).

Watching "Grosse point Blank", and there was a DOOM II arcade machine in the quickimart (or similar) that gets boomed.

Gaming in Film and Television

Comments