10 Moments Video Games Were Featured in Movies and TV Shows
An Homage to Video Game Moments in Movies and TV! Making the Gamer-Life look good. (PC)
For a gamer, there is nothing like sitting down watching your favorite show or watching the latest flick and seeing a video game reference. It justifies your decision to spend countless hours sitting in front of your PC gaming. Even when movies and tv show the stereotypical gamer; the one who hasn’t showered in weeks, eats way too much chips and drinks energy drinks like water it makes us happy.
With the recent rise of eSports it has never been as cool to be a gamer. Seriously, you can play video games professionally now. Gaming has cemented itself into our lives sneaking their way into movies and television. It might be a split second, a whole scene, or an entire film or episode devoted to the video game genre. These are the moments from the big and small screen featuring video games.
10) CSI NY granted a "Second Life"
This is probably the most illogical video game references in a show I have ever seen. That’s why it earns itself a spot on this list. The investigators find an avatar logged into second life- clearly it’s not the real Venus. Noticing this they decide to, in the game ask questions and chase the suspect down. And what does the suspect do run away in Second Life- Seriously, he could have just logged off.
9) A “Second Life” for the SVU
A second, Second Life reference on a crime show, this time it’s Law and Order SVU.
Sometimes the life of a Detective in the Special Victims Unit can be rough. Sometimes our own lives aren’t as interesting as the ones we create in the virtual world. That’s why we have Second life. When the SVU unit looks for a missing girl the only leads they have come from her online avatar in Second Life in Season 9 Episode 2 - Avatar. It gets the whole, “people would rather live in a Virtual World” thing pretty accurately.
8) Doom 2 vs The ER
Keeping an ER running is hard work protecting Earth from monsters from Hell is even harder. In one of the most memorable episode of ER- Hell and High Water the medical staff at County General didn’t just slay sickness they also killed monsters in Doom 2. Many people remember this as the one where George Clooney, NO Batman- I mean Dr. Doug Ross rescues a kid stuck in a storm drain from drowning in a tuxedo. While his co-workers at County General ER try and defeat their rival hospital Mt. Sinai at Doom 2.
7) Call Of Duty in ‘The Office’
There is nothing like playing FPS multiplayer with your friends. It’s a great way to level up your teamwork and create your own little “Band of Brothers.” In an effort to bond as a team to make the office more efficient the Stamford branch of Dunder Mifflin Paper Company they play some Call of Duty. Jim turns out to be a noob in the season 3 episode The Coup.
Let’s pause here a minute, because the next two on this list are about none other than Leeroy Jenkins. If you don’t know who Leeroy Jenkins is well, he is a WoW player character who foolishly runs headfirst into a battle. Essentially getting his entire Guild killed who had developed a pretty elaborate plan while he was AFK making chicken. Unaware of the plan he returns to his keyboard says, “alright chums let’s do this, LEEROY JENKINS” and runs into battle. Pretty much angering his entire guild, getting them all killed and isn’t even sorry about it. He just says, “At least I have chicken”.
6) Maybe, Buford Is Leeroy Jenkins instead
5) World Of Warcraft hits Zombieland
What if the last normal thing you did before the apocalypse was playing World of Warcraft? In Zombieland, that is exactly what happened to Columbus. When we are introduced to the hero of Zombieland we find out he has been playing WoW on the weekends for 3 weeks, he’s got a stack of pizza boxes and code red mt. dew to complete the stereotype. True to life or not it’s funny and a great homage to gamers.
The Big Bang Theory is probably one of the best homage to nerds out there. The guys on the show make comic books, online gaming, and science look cool. Everything I love. The writers of the show surely are fans of PC gaming and it shows.
5) Penny is hooked on Age of Conan
4) Star Wars The Old Republic Whips Howard Wolowitz
In Season 5 Episode 19 The Weekend Vortex, the boys of the Big Bang plan a weekend gaming marathon. They decide to play 48hrs of Star Wars reliving their ‘glory days’ without the girls. However, when Bernadette invades the boys’ weekend comedy ensues. There is even a City of Heroes reference in this episode. Probably the funniest bit of the whole thing is when Bernadette convinces Howard to change into purple armour. “Sorry, I just thought it would be nice if people knew we were a couple”
“Fine I’ll change” [Insert whip noise here].
3) Cops Called after WoW account hacked
I can honestly say that if my WoW account got hacked and I lost everything I would be devastated. It takes hours to level up, collect gold, weapons and armor for your WoW character. If it got stolen I would feel the need to call the cops. But, they would probably think I was crazy and lock me up. Sheldon Cooper wasn’t afraid of that. He called the cops- and the FBI to report his items stolen.
2) Sheldon sells the Sword of Azeroth on Ebay
The idea of someone selling a World of Warcraft sword on Ebay is just ridiculous. But it happens on the 3rd episode of Big Bang theory. For me this is the funniest gaming reference I have ever seen in a tv show ever. The guys have spent 97 hours playing the game just to get to this one point, the gate of Elezebob. They’ve got a plan, things are going well and then Sheldon betrays them by- obtaining the Sword of Azeroth- leaving the game and then selling the sword on ebay.
1) Make Love, Not Warcraft
This Season 10 episode 8 of South Park takes the cake when it comes to video game homages though. An entire episode, made in the likeness of none other than the MMO game loved by all Warcraft. This episode has a griefer who torments the South Park boys killing them every chance he gets. In order to kill him, they play 21hrs a day for 2 months leveling up enough to beat the griefer. Not only does this episode honor WoW it even got Blizzard entertainment to help out. Blizzard entertainment animated the WoW sequences to make it as accurate as possible. And it is truly the best video game moment on tv.
1.5) Grounded Vidaloop
Now, I know I said this is a top ten list but I can’t end this list without mentioning South Park’s Season 18 episode 7 featuring the Oculus Rift. In this episode Cartman convinces Butters that he is in a virtual world and what is happening to him is not real, that he is actually wearing an oculus rift. But, it turns out the joke is on Carman because he is in fact in the Oculus rift. Who knew calling tech support inside the oculus rift creates a virtual reality time loop?
This is the end of the list for the best video game references in television and movies.
Do you agree with our list? Comment and Like Below. Until Next Time.
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