A deliberate design choice, or mere coincidence?
Perhaps well never know.
The films best videogame cameo, though, is surely the one illustrated above.
GalagaWarGames (1983)
Ah,WarGames.
What in Gods name are these things?
Id better call my agent, her expression seems to say.
Pole PositionD.A.R.Y.L.
In reality,Pole Positionchugged along like an old Volvo with its handbrake on.
InDeath Wish IV, a couple of scenes in an arcade are accompanied by the immediately recognisable sounds ofGalaxian.
This is in spite of the apparent absence of Namcos 1979 shooter in any of the shots.
Two years later, Sega would release a videogame calledCrack Downin an act of snarky revenge.
Bad Dudes Vs DragonNinjaParenthood (1989)
Are you a bad enough dude to rescue Ronnie?
Thats why they call the gameBad Dudes.
Why, a NES Advantage joystick, of course.
Im a crack shot at this) is a foreshadowing of the cowboy themedBack To The Future III.
With the line, I love the Power Glove.
Cultural significance:probably the first time a videogame related unit was openly mocked in a movie.
Though in fairness, the movie was no better than the peripheral it parodied.
Now Im playin with power!
Midnight ResistanceRoboCop 2 (1991)
Officer Duffy, take a seat.
The reason for this?
Data East was the company responsible for theRoboCoparcade game and its sequel.
Cultural significance:the first instance of an arcade machine being knocked over by a cyborg policeman.
Theres also a bit where John enjoys a spot ofAfter Burner.
If this is the case, how did the filmmakers get hold of it?
Mike Myers was unavailable for comment.
God bless the NES.
The results on both sides of the creative fence were quite dire.
Carver holds the future of mankind in his hands, the trailers voice-over man tells us.
The future of mankind, it seems, was designed by Konami.
Cultural significance:none.
Breakfast, schmrekfest, Brodie says to his girlfriend Rene, played by Shannen Doherty.
Look at the score.
Im only in the middle of the second, and Im winning 12 to two.
Breakfasts come and go, Rene.
Cultural significance:by the mid 90s, videogames were undergoing a change in public perception.
But thats probably being a bit pretentious.
Geek fail, as I believe the kids all say these days.
Cultural significance:theShaun Of The Deadparagraph about slacker cool applies.
Adam Sandler plays Charlie, whos grieving over the loss of his family during the 9/11 tragedy.
Cultural significance:its a rare instance of an intelligently employed videogame cameo.
InThe Hurt Locker,we see a young soldier blasting away on the game while stationed in Iraq.
What Mapothers grief stricken character doesnt know is that the girl was responsible for the crash.
In one key scene, the two bond over a game ofWii Sports Boxing.
By now, games have a history that is almost as rich and familiar as cinema itself.
