Video Games in Pop Culture
As seen in Many Corners Issue 2: Video Games. Get your copy or sign up for a subscription.
Video Games are often a representation of the world around us, if sometimes exaggerated. Here are moments of pop culture where reality and video games have collided in film, TV and more.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010): We follow Scott as he meets a new girl, falls in love, and has to defeat her seven evil exes in a quest to be with her. Game mechanics sneak into the real world as characters level up, collect floating coins upon defeating enemies, and Scott even earns a literal "Extra Life" to retry a failed battle.
Wreck-It Ralph (2012): In this secret life of arcade characters turned workplace comedy, Ralph is the quintessential bad guy who wants to be good. The standout moment belongs to "Bad-Anon," a support group where classic pixelated villains like Bowser and Zangief gather in a circle to support each other.
Free Guy (2021): Set in an open-world video game, non-player character Guy escapes the repetition of being stuck in the background. The movie leans hard on the absurdity of video game mechanics as Guy levels up, hoards weapons, and summons powers.
Tron (1982): This film pioneered the "sucked into the machine" concept as software engineer Kevin Flynn is digitally transported into a mainframe computer, turning basic arcade mechanics into a deadly gladiatorial arena.
Seinfeld ("The Frogger"): In this classic episode, George Costanza buys a Frogger arcade cabinet to preserve his high score from high school. Life imitates art as he is forced to maneuver the heavy machine across a chaotic New York street, dodging cabs and trucks in a live-action replica of Frogger itself.
The Simpsons "Marge Be Not Proud" (1995): Bart’s obsession with the ultra-violent Bonestorm leads to him getting caught shoplifting, resulting in a strained relationship with Marge until she ultimately gifts him the mundane Lee Carvallo’s Putting Challenge.
WarGames (1983): Long before the internet, this film introduced audiences to war room simulation and hacking culture. A high schooler accidentally dials into a military supercomputer, mistaking a real-time nuclear launch simulation and nearly triggering World War III in the process.
Ready Player One (2011): This book is set in a dystopian future where humanity escapes into a massive virtual reality universe, the hunt for a hidden fortune begins with a deep dive into retro gaming history.
