Best portrayal of video games in other media

[Erttheking]

I think it's a very well known fact that on average, the portrayal of video games in other mediums tends to be lacking at very best and facepalm worthy at very worst. However, every once in awhile, there are some that manage to slip through the cracks.

I give you Breaking Bad, where they have a scene where they talk about zombie games.

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Admittedly they're a little stupid when they talk about it, but I put that down to them being two stoners that are high off their ass. Hey, at least they're talking about games that actually exist. Also something I find very funny is that this season came out in 2011, but Resident Evil 5 came out in 2009. That means that the creators ignored 5 and went back to 4 and talked about that one. It seems that Yahtzee isn't the only one that prefers that one.

So, any other examples that you can think of?

 

[Rawne1980]

There is only one that has truly captured what it is to play games.

Only one that has come so close it was almost like I was there myself.

 

[Sixcess]

Only one that has come so close it was almost like I was there myself.

"High scores" in not just a MMORPG but "almost every" MMORPG?

That's awful. Unsurprising, given that I've seen WoW being played with a console controller in some movie. I really can't think of any that weren't cringingly inaccurate.

What baffles me about that kind of scene is that gaming simply isn't obscure enough to justify that dismal lack of understanding. Not anymore. It's the kind of detail that, once you're aware of it, makes you wonder what other topics the show will cover that the writers are in fact laughably uninformed about.

 

[Nouw]

Funny you mention Breaking Bad because there's an episode where Jesse plays Rage with a light-gun. So, with Breaking Bad disqualified I counter with Community and the time they played a videogame with Pierce to get his fortune. Funnily enough, Giancarlo Esposito makes an appearance as Pierce's brother.

 

[Doom972]

To be fair, TV shows tend to show every other form of entertainment in a negative and/or distorted view: Movie theatres are always messy with people talking and coming and going in the middle of the movie, books are only for social misfits, comics are for immature menchildren, etc.

I think (not sure) that it was Yahtzee who said that he tried to make a TV show about video games, but every TV channel wanted something that shows video games in a negative light, and therefore didn't approve of the concept.

Also, if you actually see people playing a game and actual gaming footage in a TV show, it means that the publisher payed for this. It doesn't mean that a TV show wants to attract gamers or that the show's creators care about gaming.

 

[Erttheking]

Funny you mention Breaking Bad because there's an episode where Jesse plays Rage with a light-gun. So, with Breaking Bad disqualified I counter with Community and the time they played a videogame with Pierce to get his fortune. Funnily enough, Giancarlo Esposito makes an appearance as Pierce's brother.

True, but the point of that scene was to show the trauma Jessie was going through after killing an unarmed man in cold blood (his name is even written backwards on the in game walls) so considering that they took product placement and managed to find a way to turn it into character development, I'll let it slide.

 

[Nouw]

Funny you mention Breaking Bad because there's an episode where Jesse plays Rage with a light-gun. So, with Breaking Bad disqualified I counter with Community and the time they played a videogame with Pierce to get his fortune. Funnily enough, Giancarlo Esposito makes an appearance as Pierce's brother.

True, but the point of that scene was to show the trauma Jessie was going through after killing an unarmed man in cold blood (his name is even written backwards on the in game walls) so considering that they took product placement and managed to find a way to turn it into character development, I'll let it slide.

I let it slide as well in the context of the show, but in this context of portraying videogames accurately, I can't.

 

[Andy Shandy]

I think House's portrayal of video games are reasonably good. House himself plays video games every now and then, sometimes with employees, sometimes the employees played them amongst themselves. Including the virtual reality video game that exists with in the House universe.

And they even made a Pokemon reference!


Then again, I'd consider anything above demonizing video games to be reasonably good.

 

[Orange12345]

well the WOW episode of south park is the first one that comes to mind, even though it was taking the piss out of gamers it was still really funny and a good example of showing an actual game.

As for bad behold....


this clip doesn't do the episode justice the whole thing is much much worse

 

[scorptatious]

Probably not the best example but, this scene from Adam Sandler's Reign Over Me.


Sure, the character Mr. Sandler plays is a shut in with emotional problems because he lost his family in 9/11. But hey, at least they're playing Shadow of the Colossus. I can think of worse games to play.

 

[VanQ]

If you like anime, go check out Sword Art Online. It's actually written by a guy that plays and loves MMOs. There's also Accel World to watch after SAO if you enjoyed that. Or even better than the anime, go read the novels. Whenever something happened and I wonder about the game mechanics behind it, the author was never far behind in explaining the situation. The anime is really more for the eye candy and is better to watch after reading the novels as it doesn't really explain much of what's going on.


I really think that there's no better representation of games than something written by a gamer out of love. Not something by some Hollywood writer that's been told to write about games next episode because that's what's popular.

There is only one that has truly captured what it is to play games.

Only one that has come so close it was almost like I was there myself.

What are you on about? Have you even played an MMO before? That video has no damn idea what an MMO even is as far as I can tell. Scores in MMOs? Single-handedly wiping out an apparrently relevant "horde?" I don't think so Jim.

That video is terrible and it made me feel terrible that people still think people just play games to stick a hundred pennies in to chase a high score.

 

[AdamxD]

Chuck, the TV show, does video games pretty well. Constantly referencing old consoles and games, with some views I've occasionally agreed with.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

The scene in the Forty Year Old Virgin where Seth Rogan and Paul Rudd are playing games and talking about how they know the other one is gay.

 

[felbot]

If oyu like anime, go check out Sword Art Online. It's actually written by a guy that plays and loves MMOs. There's also Accel World to watch after SAO if you enjoyed that. Or even better than the anime, go read the novels. Whenever something happened and I wonder about the game mechanics behind it, the author was never far behind in explaining the situation. The anime is really more for the eye candy and is better to watch after reading the novels as it doesn't really explain much of what's going on.


I really think that there's no better representation of games than something written by a gamer out of love. Not something by some Hollywood writer that's been told to write about games next episode because that's what's popular.

There is only one that has truly captured what it is to play games.

Only one that has come so close it was almost like I was there myself.

What are you on about? Have you even played an MMO before? That video has no damn idea what an MMO even is as far as I can tell. Scores in MMOs? Single-handedly wiping out an apparrently relevant "horde?" I don't think so Jim.

That video is terrible and it made me feel terrible that people still think people just play games to stick a hundred pennies in to chase a high score.

I am fairly sure he is being sarcastic, hell the clip he is showing is somewhat infamous for being bad.

then again you may also be sarcastic now which make me seem like an idiot right now.

 

[VanQ]

I am fairly sure he is being sarcastic, hell the clip he is showing is somewhat infamous for being bad.

then again you may also be sarcastic now which make me seem like an idiot right now.

The problem with sarcasm on the internet is that it's hard to get across. Generally people will note that they're being sarcastic because of this. His post doesn't hint towards sarcasm at all, using italics on the words "truly captured" to get the sarcasm across would have worked too.

I'm sure you're right and that's what he meant but really there was little indication of it. And nah, I took it as straight faced and responded seriously so no need to feel dumb about it. Seriously check out SAO if you like games, it's a good one.

I think House's portrayal of video games are reasonably good. House himself plays video games every now and then, sometimes with employees, sometimes the employees played them amongst themselves. Including the virtual reality video game that exists with in the House universe.

And they even made a Pokemon reference!


Then again, I'd consider anything above demonizing video games to be reasonably good.

I didn't watch much House after season 2 but this is one of the reasons I loved it. Clever little references to things that they didn't dwell on and normal folk wouldn't even notice. This actually made me smile.

 

[Iwata]

Probably not the best example but, this scene from Adam Sandler's Reign on Me.


Sure, the character Mr. Sandler plays is a shut in with emotional problems because he lost his family in 9/11. But hey, at least they're playing Shadow of the Colossus. I can think of worse games to play.

Ninja'd!

I came here specificaly to post this movie, also known as "The Only Good Adam Sandler Movie Ever". They portray him using video games, specificaly "Shadow of the Colossus", as a means to cope with a dark place he finds himself in, something I can relate to quite well, since I lost my father and best friend around the time the movie came out. Some people might take issue with the charater being portrayed as a bit... mental and playing video games, but in all honestly, as a coping mechanism, they got it spot on.

 

[Thoric485]

Community's video game episode was goddamn great. Here's some bits:

 

[Xanadu84]

I'm gonna go with, "Community". Funnily enough, they also are one of maybe 3 shows to portray D+D decently. Whats impressive about Community is that the entire episode is in video game format, and with allowances for the over the top world that is community, actually feels like a video game. Plus, all the little touches like killing the shop owner, pierce's ineptitude, leveling and the like really make it feel like a good natured rib by a fellow gamer, not a wildly inaccurate guess at a foreign pop culture phenomena.

 

[xPixelatedx]

The Wizard: 1989
After seeing this as a kid I just wanted to travel across country and play in every arcade. That amazing arena at the end was also how my mind glorified playing things like Super Mario 3 when I was a child. I have never seen a more genuine portrayal of what video games are in anything ever, except for that one episode of Community:

Community's video game episode was goddamn great. Here's some bits:

Damn, I as sniped!

 

[gyroscopeboy]

There is only one that has truly captured what it is to play games.

Only one that has come so close it was almost like I was there myself.

That reminds me too much of this:

I mean, how can you hold the high score of every MMO? Unless you have a time machine, there aren't enough hours in the day to grind your way through even the top 4.

NCIS writers are terrible.