The Top Video Game Scenes in Movie History

[robwright]

There have been a number of movies over the last 30 years that feature key video game scenes, from cheap product placements to major storylines. TwitchGuru looks back at the history of video games on the big screen to find the most memorable moments.

 

[VBDude]

Here's a few I thought of that didn't make your list (I haven't seen them in a while, so I'm not sure if they qualify):

* Sandra Bullock "tested" Wolf3D in The Net. If I recall, the sound didn't match what was on the screen, and both seemed way over done.
* Fred Savage played Hardball in the opening of Princess Bride. If the film was made today, I'm sure Peter Falk would have said, "When I was your age, video games were called books."
* Was it Big (a Tom Hanks flick) with that pseudo-text-adventure where the kid's delayed response gets his character frozen? I think it was because he later discusses choose-your-own-adventure-type comic books.
* I think it was Rumble in the Bronx (another Jackie Chan film) where some stupid kid is gleefully gaming away on a Game Gear. You could hear sound effects (possibly from Sonic the Hedgehog), but you never saw the screen and the cartridge slot was empty. My Game Gear wasn't that fun when it was empty.

 

[guruofchem]

Nice list - and snaps for reminding me of the underrated Catherine Mary Stewart... :lol:

It is pretty amazing how well that Tron footage holds up today, and The Last Starfighter is very nice as well. Some current day special effects folks could learn a thing or two from those movies.

 

[robwright]

Nice list - and snaps for reminding me of the underrated Catherine Mary Stewart...

The pleasure was all mine, believe me. I wasn't joking about my fondness for Ms. Stewart. "Night of the Comet" rocks!

I was reading about how the Last Starfighter CGI was made, and it was ridiculous how much computing power went into making those special effects. Same with Tron. It's amazing to think that 25 years ago, Hollywood was making ground-breaking special effects with ultra-rare supercomputers that were unrivaled across the globe, yet today we're making CGI with computers that are on the same level as some of the gaming rigs I see on the Forumz (no offense to the rigs, of course). Makes you wonder...

* Fred Savage played Hardball in the opening of Princess Bride. If the film was made today, I'm sure Peter Falk would have said, "When I was your age, video games were called books."

That's one I thought about including but didn't. Maybe it should have gotten an honorable mention nod over Doom Generation, I dunno. Good scene.

 

[VBDude]

It's all about the Video Toaster...and Dana Carvey. I grew up with an Amiga 500 and my dad and I dreamed of getting an Amiga 2000 with a VT. Those Amigas were amazing PCs.

Also, The Last Starfighter (the game) was altered and eventually released as Star Raiders II. More info here.

 

[infornography42]

I personally loved the Street Fighter II Scene in City Hunter. Hell it was the main redeeming feature of that whole movie.

Me and my friends were literally falling over laughing during that scene.

 

[lilblam]

Rob Wright wrote:

On a related note, it's a bit depressing to think that we're just eight years away from the year 2015 and we probably won't have hover boards and mind-powered virtual video games. After more than 20 years, we've upgraded from the light gun to the Wii Remote, and that's about it. It's kind of a bummer when you think about it.

Actually, look up "Project Epoc" in google. You may be pleasantly surprised that by 2015 (actually their goal is to hit market by 2008, yes folks, a gaming device that reads your brainwaves), this may very well be a mainstream reality. It is already functional and demonstrable and in development. As for hover boards, they're a bit impractical cuz if you lose your balance on a skateboard and fall that's one thing, but fall from a hoverboard and you might never get up..

Now, whether this device will also be used to put thoughts into your mind is a separate question entirely...

 

[Satanicat]

Armagetron Advanced is a game that is the bike racing game in Tron down to a science.

It's a free open source online game too!

I've been playing it for a week now and loving every minute of it =)


Also, great article, loved all the video clips!

 

[infornography42]

That project epoc thing looks pretty cool. Depending on the applications that come out for it, I might have to get one.

 

[Ananan]

Cool list.

As I was reading it I got nervous because the Sega scene from Swingers wasn't showing up. To my happy surprise it was #3. That's my favorite video game scene of all time.

What about the first person scene in DOOM? I now it was dorky, but still.

 

[anudedeus]

How about After Burner and I think it was also Missile Command in Terminator 2?
The movie and both games are great, surely deserved a place in the list.

 

[labortius]

Wasn't there a quick scene involving a PSP in Poseidon?

And there was a movie about some British teenage spy that had DS's rewired as tracking devices and bombs etc.

 

[sluggo]

I am trying to think of the first appearance of a Video/Computer Game in a Movie. I Believe the Computer Space Video Game machine that appeared in Soylent Green was the first. (Computer Space was the first Coin Op Video Game, ( I own one )).

Tron is still one of my favorite movies. It does not appeal as much to newer generations. (at least in my experience). I think you had to be the right age and be a Video Gamer to appreciate it.

I've been hooked on Video Games since 1972 when my buddy and I played "Table Tennis" on the original Odyssey Home Game System at the local Radio Shack, (until the clerks put the run on us . When the coin ops came out, I spent all my money pumping quarters into them. (Pong, Tank, Biplanes Gunfight).

By the time Tron came out, a huge Video Gamer base had been established. (Mostly people under 25). It was the right movie at the right time.

The Original Tron machine that was released with the movie was very well done. It was also one of the sharpest looking Coin Op Machines ever built. (Fluorescent Pin Stripes, Black Light lumination and Cool Scenes from the Movie on its sides).

Great Article by the way!

Sluggo

 

[nubie]

Here's a few I thought of that didn't make your list (I haven't seen them in a while, so I'm not sure if they qualify):

* Sandra Bullock "tested" Wolf3D in The Net. If I recall, the sound didn't match what was on the screen, and both seemed way over done.
* Fred Savage played Hardball in the opening of Princess Bride. If the film was made today, I'm sure Peter Falk would have said, "When I was your age, video games were called books."

Video games wazsh called booksh (gotta add the Falk touch ).

+1, it is the opening scene and the audio is awesome on the DVD.

 

[benjamin]

I am trying to think of the first appearance of a Video/Computer Game in a Movie.

Wasn't there a tabletop Pong machine in one of the Airport movies? Or am I thinking of one of the endless spoofs...

But yeah, the Tron light cycle game was an amazing concept, and Armagetron has been a staple of my LAN parties for about 6 years... simple, addictive, hard, and anyone's piece of crap can run it.

 

[nubie]

I am trying to think of the first appearance of a Video/Computer Game in a Movie.

Wasn't there a tabletop Pong machine in one of the Airport movies? Or am I thinking of one of the endless spoofs...

But yeah, the Tron light cycle game was an amazing concept, and Armagetron has been a staple of my LAN parties for about 6 years... simple, addictive, hard, and anyone's piece of crap can run it.I tried it, but GLtron http://gltron.org/ is so much more polished and is just fine on most PC's too.

If you support the extra features it can look Really nice, AA and AF to the max and some high res.

I guess that the LAN isn't done yet for it, but I can play multi-player multi-monitor with it.

 

[RomeFanatic]

I think the history lesson should have finished with movies BASED on video games, as this is the ultimate expression of the influence of video games on film. Titles such as DOOM, Mario Brothers, Final Fantasy, etc. Are there any other notables I'm missing?

 

[hergieburbur]

Resident Evil? And who can forget Wing Commander?

 

[Ananan]

Street Fighter.

Didn't they make a Silent Hill movie?

I know an Alice movie was suppose to be in the works but I haven't heard anything in ages. I think the Halo movie is still on.

My dream movie: A big budget production that is based on the plot of Baldur's Gate.

 

[hergieburbur]

A BG movie could be really good if done right. I haven't seen the SH movie, but I know they had a lot to work with there and could have made it great...

 

[richnewlove]

Although there was never a thermo nuclearwar game in the Wargames film, Introversion have recently released DEFCON, hugely influenced by the movie. I can't get onto the site at the mo' (www.everybody-dies.com) but I believe it's meant to be a decent enough game.

 

[Luscious]

There was one other 80's movie you forgot to mention that I think you should have put on your list - D.A.R.Y.L. It's been ages since I saw this film, so I don't remember the details; but there's a scene in it where he plays a racing game on some console/pc, and then later in the movie does the same thing in an actual car, giving the infamous line "It's ok - I've done this before."

 

[NateKingCole]

Domination may not be a real video game with lasers and electric shock feedback, but there is a freeware computer game named Dominate Game. Which is essentially risk online. Could be that the developer used the bond movie as inspiration for the title.

Maybe I'm reaching a bit here, but hey, what the hell, the game came to mind when reading the article.

 

[VBDude]

I just remembered the scene in The Island when Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson play a virtual reality fighting game with Xbox logos all over the place.