Because celebrities play games, too!
We’ve seen them on the big screen, we’ve heard them on the radio. It’s easy to assume that the world’s biggest stars are too busy making movies or composing the next number one hit song to kick back, relax, and play some quality video games.
But what we often forget is that celebrities are human, too, and some of them just so happen to love playing video games like the total nerds that they are. And so, for the purpose of shedding some light on these stars’ gaming habits, we present our list of 10 Celebrities Who are Gamers.
10. Kim Kardashian
Breaking the internet… with her Call of Duty tweet
Famous for a posterior that’s the size of the moon, and a reality show that’s played a key role in lowering our collective IQ by 40%, Kim Kardashian is the last person you’d expect on a list of celebrity gamers.
But Kim Kardashian plays Call of Duty, and at one point even tweeted being unable to contain her excitement for the release of Call of Duty Black Ops II. Those who doubted her sincerity were flabbergasted when she admitted that she hadn’t been paid to advertise the game.
She even released her own game for iOS and Android devices called Kim Kardashian: Hollywood. It was an instant hit, amassing $1.6 million within the first five days of its publication.
Kim Kardashian, there’s hope for you yet!
9. Seth Rogen
For Seth Rogen, nothing’s better than old school (image from Themes.com)
Looks-wise, Seth Rogen already fits the bill as an uber geek. What makes Rogen unique is that when it comes to gaming, it’s all about the old school.
Rogen loves the PlayChoice-10, which is basically an arcade machine that lets you play 10 different classic video games from the Nintendo Entertainment System’s golden age.
According to Rogen, his machine has “10 classic games like Contra, ExciteBike, Rush’n Attack, Double Dribble and the original Mario Bros.”
He added: “When I have a party, no one is playing Wii or PlayStation or Xbox. There’s always a line of people waiting to play the PlayChoice-10. So it just goes to show you can’t beat the classics.”
8. Daniel Craig
Shooting aliens in the face? All in a day’s work for this debonair English spy
The current face of the James Bond franchise, Daniel Craig is as much at home in a dashing suit as he is in his pajamas, sitting before the TV playing video games.
When Bond… er, Craig calls himself a Halo and Guitar Hero fan, he’s not just saying that to sound cute. His hobby was actually a source of tension between him and his now ex-girlfriend. It got so bad that he found himself having to wait for her to leave the house before he could play. The couple eventually split – and we’d like to think it was because he preferred shooting aliens in the face over that nonsense called “cuddling in bed.”
7. Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg sure knows how to keep himself entertained
When not churning out cold rhymes, hip hop bad boy Snoop Dogg chills at home with some quality gaming.
The rapper’s fond of Halo and Call of Duty. He’s described the latter as the “coolest game in the hood,” while he’s created hilarious Funny or Die videos in which he’s seen playing Halo with fellow rap artist LL Cool J.
In addition, he did some voice work for Call of Duty: Ghosts, and in 2006 founded an A-lister gaming group dubbed the Hip-Hop Gaming League. Definitely a surprising entry on our list of biggest celebrity gamers!
6. Simon Pegg
Spokesperson for all things geeky
Fans of the funnyman, Simon Pegg, would have seen this coming from a mile away.
The Star Trek and Shaun of the Dead star has proudly stated his love for geekdom. When it comes to games, his favorites include FIFA, Left for Dead, The Force Unleashed II, as well as the classics Half-Life 2 and Tetris.
For his devotion to all things geeky, Pegg earns himself a place on our list of biggest celebrity gamers.
5. Zac Efron
Zac Efron, playing with women’s hearts since High School Musical…
Attention female gamers: Zac Efron is more than just a pretty face – he also adores video games!
Efron isn’t shy to proclaim himself a Halo enthusiast. He’s so devoted to the franchise that at one point, he was spending more time with his online friends than with his then-girlfriend Vanessa Hudgens, which almost ended their relationship.
For that reason alone, we salute you, Zac Efron. Because only a true gaming geek would choose playing games over hanging out with a beautiful lady!
4. Megan Fox
… and Megan Fox, playing with men’s hearts since The Transformers
Though partly responsible for ruining every ‘80s kid’s childhood for her participation in those heretical Transformers films, Megan Fox gets away with it thanks to the virtue of being incredibly hot. And she’s a gamer, too!
Fox has described herself as an antisocial, growing up – someone who selected staying at home instead of going to clubs and parties like her peers did. Now, she’s a Mortal Kombat fan and even plays the Nintendo Wii.
She has also been candid with her addiction to Halo on X-Box Live. Apparently, guy gamers make fun of her online due to her gamer tag, and they don’t even know it’s her. So you better think twice before you bash someone online – or you could end up getting your sorry behind handed to you by the girl of your dreams!
3. Vin Diesel
Who says gamers can’t be badass?
Vin Diesel and his giant biceps may peg him as the ultimate movie badass, but did you know he’s also a huge nerd?
Not convinced? How about the fact that Diesel grew up playing Dungeons and Dragons? He even plays World of Warcraft, which gives him +20 geek cred.
He loves video games so much he founded Tigon Studios for the sole purpose of making them. The first game the studio developed was the critically acclaimed The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, which starred none other than Diesel in his signature role. Definitely deserves a spot on our biggest celebrity gamers list.
2. Mila Kunis
Mila Kunis: Wicked Witch of the West, and gamer
Star of Black Swan and That ‘70s Show, Mila Kunis has openly confessed to being an avid World of Warcraft player – so much so that she had to force herself to give the game up just to resurrect her social life, and appear in cinematic bombs such as Max Payne and Oz the Great and Powerful. And no, she wasn’t being a “fake gamer girl” with this admission; in her appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, she demonstrated such an uncanny familiarity with esoteric World of Warcraft jargon that it would make Leeroy Jenkins blush with pride.
Kunis has also expressed her enjoyment of the Call of Duty series. She even mentioned their Nazi zombie modes, which players can access after beating the main campaign.
But Kunis’ love affair with video games goes beyond playing them. She contributed her voice to several Family Guy video games, and In 2006’s Saints Row, she played the role of Tanya. For all these reasons, she’s one of our favorite celebrity gamers.
1. Robin Williams
Gone but not forgotten (Image from Wallpapers111.com)
It’s already 2015, but the world is still reeling from the tragic news of beloved comedian Robin Williams’ death. The legendary actor touched many lives with his brilliant cinematic performances. But while many of us grew up laughing at his antics, most remain ignorant of some of the more endearing details about his personal life.
One of which is that Robin Williams was an enthusiastic gamer for more than 30 years. He was such a huge Nintendo aficionado that he named his daughter Zelda after the eponymous princess of the Legend of Zelda games. Both he and his daughter have appeared in several Nintendo commercials.
He eventually picked up the Xbox as his console of choice, playing titles such as Need for Speed: Rivals and Viva Pinata.
Williams was also a PC gamer who took World of Warcraft seriously. For his dedication to the virtual world of Azeroth, Blizzard Entertainment paid the actor tribute via an in-game genie named Robin – based on the character he played in Disney’s Aladdin.
He once described video games as being “like cyber-cocaine; especially if you’re online playing against other people. It’s totally addictive, you get lost in the world.”
For being such a wonderful human being, and for sharing our love of video games, Robin Williams is number one on our list of biggest celebrity gamers.
So what do you think of these celebrities? Do you feel they’ve earned the honor of being called gamers? Which celebrity gamers do you think deserve to be on this list, too?
