Video Game Scenes In Movies

I've often wondered about how video games end up in certain movies. I wondered how much thought goes into this type of Hollywood product placement, and if using games within feature films is actual product placement or if it's simply an expression of a theme or subject in another type of media. Well, I recently read an excellent feature story from Kotaku on how Shadow of the Colossus made its way into a key scene in the new movie "Reign Over Me." After reading the insightful piece, I began thinking about some of the more memorable appearances of video games in movies.

After some thorough research, I discovered that there have been quite a few movies that have used video games for more than just backdrop scenery or passing references. There have been many notable scenes, in fact, over the last 25 to 30 years. This doesn't mean that the scenes have to be examples of great movie-making; in fact, a number of these scenes are laughably bad and are derived from terrible movies. But the scenes are nonetheless noteworthy because of their prominent featuring of video games. And after reviewing this list, which spans almost 30 years of film, it occurred to me how much the portrayal of gaming has changed over the years. What once was considered a simple gimmick to please child audiences or a cheap product placement has now evolved into something more (which I'll revisit at the end of this feature).

The following feature is a list of top video games scenes in movie history. Along with a description of the scene in question, I've included a clip of the scene wherever possible; a designation on whether the game was real or fake; the primary messages that can be derived from the scenes (don't take these too seriously, please); a trivia point regarding the movie, game or scene in question and a memorable quote from the clip.

First, some ground rules. There has to be some type of video game footage, whether its actual game footage from a real game or computer generated animation specifically designed for the film. So as much as I love the Ms. Pac-Man joke from "National Lampoon's Van Wilder," I'm afraid that scene doesn't qualify for this list. Second, the game can either be an actual title that was released to the public, an unreleased game or a completely made-up game that only exists in fiction. And third, a movie can't simply flash a few arcade games on screen to make this list; there has to be some type of substance to the scene regarding the character, plot or dialogue of the film.

So here's the list:

20. Surf Ninjas, 1993: Game Gear Galore

This scene is such an obvious, shameful product placement but it's still worth mentioning because 1) "Surf Ninjas" is so wretchedly bad that it's considered a cult classic on the order of "Plan 9 from Outer Space," and 2) the movie has Leslie Nielsen, Rob Schneider, Kelly Hu, rapper Ton Loc and martial arts expert Ernie Reyes Jr. The plot of "Surf Ninjas" deals with two bothers, Adam and Johnny, who learn they are heirs to a mysterious island kingdom called Patu San and are bestowed with magical powers. In addition to becoming powerful surf ninjas, Adam (Nicolas Cowan) discovers his Game Gear has been magically transformed into a device that can predict the future. Now that mod surely blows our Solar DS Lite out of the water! Whatever, this movie is still completely lame.
Clip: No Game Gear footage, but here's a trailer for the movie.
Real Game?: Yes, it's the actual Sega Game Gear portable, with Shinobi.
Primary Message: Even high-profile product placement couldn't save Sega.
Secondary Message: If you make a movie that is bad enough, it will live forever.
Trivia: After promoting Game Gear, Sega developed a Surf Ninjas game for the portable game system.
Quote: "You know what they say: chick's got a veil, dude better bail."

The infamous "Surf Ninjas" starring Rob Schneider, Ton Loc and Leslie Nielsen.

19. Back to the Future II, 1989: Wild Gunman Retro

"Back to the Future II" was a weak sequel but it did have a clever scene that involves the Nintendo title Wild Gunman. When Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) travels to the year 2015, 30 years in the future, he walks into the Café 80s, which features relics from the past like arcade games. One such game is Wild Gunman, and Marty finds two kids trying to play the game. He quickly picks up the light gun, proclaims he's a crack shot and starts nailing his targets. But the two kids only look at Marty with confusion because they're never seen a video game that required the use of one's hands. Hence, one of the kids refers to Wild Gunman as a "baby's toy." 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.
Clip: Here's a Spanish language version of the scene. Sorry, best I could do.
Real Game?: Yes, though the arcade version of Wild Gunman was created specifically for the movie.
Primary Message: The light gun was super cool back in the day.
Secondary Message: The 80s were totally lame.
Trivia: One of the kids in Café 80s is a young Elijah Wood ("The Lord of the Rings" trilogy) in his first feature film.
Quote: "You mean you have to use your hands?"

Michael J. Fox and Elijah Wood (center) play Wild Gunman in "Back to the Future II."

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