Podcast Episode #4: Games in Other Media

B coma · LOF why? Joined: 05 Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles 2098

Another life-affirming episode. This week's topic: games in other media. Listen for a detailed examination of the way games and gamers are portrayed in movies, television, and printed images.

Bonus 1: learn a dark secret from Sketch's past!
Bonus 2: ultrafun wallpaper sized version of album cover

This episode features Take it Sleazy, diplo, robotdell, P1d40n3, Sketch, and a poledancing fox!
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Episode #4 Direct Link: Click Here

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If you use iTunes, follow this link to subscribe
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Check out the libsyn blog at http://selectbutton.libsyn.com/

you. you want to help organize the next episode in the main podcast thread.
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Take It Sleazy · Joined: 06 Dec 2006

astralon · Joined: 21 Mar 2009

BONUS LINK: "Immersion" [NY Times] (Video portraits of kids playing games. Mentioned in the podcast.)

P1d40n3 · Joined: 28 Jan 2008 Location: A nice desert

Those Immersion kids look constipated.

Is there a difference between being focused, and being constipated?
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Sketch · Joined: 05 Dec 2006

Wow, a beautiful collections of links. Thanks Sleazy. Well worth checking them out, especially the look around you video.

And man, my mic made everything sound rough. Apologies to all for my crappy set-up. But it was edited rather swell!

BONUS PIC:
Gamesworld Aztec theme:

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GAMES OF THE WORLD: everything from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe

Schwere Viper · Joined: 14 Feb 2007 Location: Western Australia

I was surprised more actual video game movies weren't brought up, but maybe that's its own topic.

Good job on a nice 'cast, guys!
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boost chains explode brains

Deets · Joined: 05 Dec 2006

The only things I would have contributed to this podcast would be mentions of Game Center CX and the awesome game in Megazone 23 Part III. Gamesworld blows my fucking mind, sketch. Excellent work.

Great show, guys!

diplo · Joined: 18 Dec 2006 Location: kenji ito's duodenum

more gamesmaster videos:

feat: virtua fighter 2

feat: 'kendo nagasaki'

feat: giant psx controller

Sketch · Joined: 05 Dec 2006

Thanks! Maybe I'll make a topic about Gamesworld some time - growing up with it I'd not realised there weren't really such shows in the USA, apart from Nick Arcade and Videopower.

Ahh yes, Game Centre CX - wonderful show. I remember fort90 talking about it a lot. Wasn't there talk of it getting an official western release with subtitles? Because I'd totally buy a DVD of those.
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GAMES OF THE WORLD: everything from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe

Take It Sleazy · Joined: 06 Dec 2006

Listening back to this, I realized that Children of Men didn't register in my head when P1d40n3 mentioned it, but the amazing, impossible, long takes really do keep up a tension similar to a video game and it has a very similar feel to Half-Life. And yeah, I think there's still plenty of material to go over for a Videogame Aesthics in Film, or Video Game Movies/TV shows/cartoons show.

Another one of my favorite examples of random game nerdiness is the short lived show Middleman. The shows revels in making casual geeky references so the main character also talks about emulation, beat em ups, and they have her playing stuff like Castlevania Adventure (the show ended last year, I believe).

I also wanted to bring up WarGames and how it ties games and technology into the narrative, but what can you do? Here are a few more interesting links on the subject:

Plenty of examples on the subject at hand
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PacManFever

Some more fictional video games
http://www.gamepro.com/article/features/209851/the-9-greatest-fictional-video-games/

Medieval Mayhem from The Cosby Show

Here are some clips from the show Clarissa Explains It All in which fake video games that the kids design often play a central role in the plot.

shnozlak · Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2009 8:42 pm

Parliament Funkadelic has an entire album called "video games" the music videos are themed as such.
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Shnozlak is riding around town on a bicycle.

Sketch · Joined: 05 Dec 2006

Deets · Joined: 05 Dec 2006

B coma · LOF why? Joined: 05 Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles 2098

Speaking of Fort90 I keep meaning to track down that videogame themed movie he wrote about here.

Resurrection of the Little Match Girl

Renfrew · Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2009 11:06 pm

G. · Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 1:59 am

The Blueberry Hill · Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Location: Island Continent.

The reason some of the shots in Children of Men seem so videogamey is more to do with their movement than their length. It was part of the reason I couldn't get into the film, actually.

First things I thought of when I heard the topic were:

City hunter

and

(basically versus Snake/Nibbles/etc. on bikes)

shnozlak · Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 5:54 am

...you guys haven't seen Blood Sport? Whaaat?
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Shnozlak is riding around town on a bicycle.

Take It Sleazy · Joined: 06 Dec 2006

Whenever it's on TV I always only seem to catch the last fight where he takes on the big dude from Enter the Dragon. I'll probably double feature it with JCVD in a couple days.

jakten · Joined: 02 Jan 2009

This was a great show guys I was really entertained and impressed by how much stuff you guys remembered!

Here in Canada I wasn't lucky enough to get a decent video game competition type show, so instead we got Video and Arcade top 10 The show wasn't very good and I'm surprised at how long it went on. The show ended around 2004 and I think that's about when they started playing N64 games...

Also I don't think this was posted but just in case I wanted to post this:
King Koopa's Kool Kartoons

CubaLibre · Joined: 02 Mar 2007 Location: The District

Should be "media."
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B coma · LOF why? Joined: 05 Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles 2098

huh, you're totally right, I was hardly paying attention to that part. fixed it.
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The Blueberry Hill · Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Location: Island Continent.

There's nothing wrong with using 'mediums', B Coma.
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MYSTERY ADVENTURE START..

B coma · LOF why? Joined: 05 Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles 2098

B coma · LOF why? Joined: 05 Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles 2098

Blueberry Hill I am also a little surprised that Tron didn't come up (maybe it's too obvious)? It's also very strange that it stands the test of time as one of the better "GETTING SUCKED INTO THE GAME" movies.

and

Ronk · Joined: 29 Dec 2008

oh man this is one i would've loved to have been apart of. :/

i think in judd apatow's 40 year old virgin, they had that scene where seth rogan and paul rudd were playing mortal kombat: deadly alliance. one was playing from a fake game chair with a controller built in on the side and the other was playing with an n64 controller. yeah, for some reason those little inaccuracies really kind of irk me, i'm sure in the same way that doctors probably get really annoyed watching something like house.

also: did anyone ever watch this movie:

(i'd kind of like to never hear the phrase "boot it up" when referring to computers. )

or this?

or this?

or what about that show that was the on sci fi channel not terribly long ago, and it was basically america's next top gamer.

i'm surprised you didn't go more in depth about movies based on video games themselves, or the general difficulty of adapting elements from a video game to a medium like film. why movies like silent hill and resident evil and hitman and tomb raider and all those modern day ones with "cinematic flair" don't really work as films because the games themselves already have that cinematic element, plus interactivity, making a film adaptation already a step down.

if they're going to make movies out of games, i think they should really pick ones that aren't story driven cinematic blockbusters, and go for something completely left field. in my opinion the most entertaining game-film adaptations are the ones where the story is really backseat in the actual game, leaving room for ridiculous interpretation (super mario bros the movie, street fighter the movie, mortal kombat, etc...)

for an actually good video game related movie, i think everyone should give king of kong a fist full of quarters a rent. i think that's a great example of using people playing games within the narrative of the story (this one being a classic 80's style underdog tale) and the fact that its a very entertaining documentary adds something else to it. everyone i've showed this movie to has been non-gamers and they all loved watching it and got into it.

also, what are your guys feelings on the programming of G4? anything worth mentioning that stands out?
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Ronk · Joined: 29 Dec 2008

also this is probably worth a mention

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Ronk · Joined: 29 Dec 2008

also speaking of rappers and videogames

(and i'm not just saying that... )
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Neverwhere · Joined: 06 Jul 2008

Is the comedy anime mentioned at the middle of the podcast this episode of Gintama? I recommend watching the whole thing (episodes 98 - 99) instead of only clips on youtube since it's hilarious and you don't have to know the show to appreciate it. Also there's a Shenmue joke.
Episodes 120 - 123 are video game related too. There's a part with the characters playing Monkey Hunter Online, and it sort of makes fun of .Hack which is always cool in my book.

There's way too much to tell about video game references in Japanese pop culture, still I wish I had seen this show to talk about it.
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diplo · Joined: 18 Dec 2006 Location: kenji ito's duodenum

yup, that's it.

DonMarco · graphics fucker Joined: 06 Dec 2006

Why didn't anyone mention the Game Gear in Surf Ninjas?

Or maybe I'm the only one that didn't repress it.
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Collector of 1,538 strategy guides, and BlazBlue ain't one of them.

"Toups, can I ask you? Do you think love can bloom even in the Forum Axe?"

Lasakon · Joined: 05 Dec 2006 Location: Oregon Trail

There was a "fantastic" law and order criminal intent episode dealing with a video game company that makes the most ultra violent radtacular murder simulators out there and features come great reaction shots of Vincent D'onofrio contemplating the state of society as he watches the game being played.

shrugtheironteacup · Joined: 06 Dec 2006 Location: Tau Ceti

I'm so happy that Sketch mentioned Bloodsport.

Remember that bit in Inside Man where Spike Lee takes a moment for KILL DAT NIGGA and Clive Owen's bank robber gravely tells a young boy "we need to talk to your dad about this game"?

I'm too lazy and my connection is too shit to look for it right now.
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select button
the nature of beards in war

Sonicrain · Joined: 20 Dec 2006 Location: Montreal!

i JUST started the show, im 20 min in and you talking about famous people playing games.

I used to work at a computer game and console game shop.

I saw a lotta famous people shop there like drew carey and others.

The one that freaked me out was Robin Williams. He came in and bought about 10 PC game FPS, the most violent ones.
i was like "wtf" scared of this guy now :P
i also got a copy of his receipt and signature lol

Take It Sleazy · Joined: 06 Dec 2006

I always liked that on The Drew Carey Show he kept a Sega Saturn on his TV for years and years after it was out of print in America and when he finally replaced it, it was a Dreamcast.

Also Robin Williams is so bad he named his daughter Zelda for Zelda

Sonicrain · Joined: 20 Dec 2006 Location: Montreal!

Nice ones guys.

totally forgot to speak about Ludacris - Press the start button

VIDEO IS HARDCORE YO~!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fg_LNCnYZbA

and yes, nerdcore is horrible and shouldnt exist.

Bloodsport is awesome, watched it several times.
me and my friends invented a drinking game for this movie.

Each time he does a high kick you drink. Each time he does a split move or a jump kick, you empty your drink.
Seriously, the last movie get ready to drink about 8 bottles.

Take It Sleazy · Joined: 06 Dec 2006

diplo · Joined: 18 Dec 2006 Location: kenji ito's duodenum

negativedge · Posted: Thu Nov 19, 2009 3:04 am

oh god, it begins

tacotaskforce · Joined: 04 Dec 2006 Location: Logical, Practical

This seems related.
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diplo · Joined: 18 Dec 2006 Location: kenji ito's duodenum

man, think of all the things we could dig up re: games in other media for socimages.

- two males; no females allowed
- less attractive people are dumber
- exaggerated positions, again
- "gamers like you" (???)