Hollywood will occasionally include another form of entertainment in their product: the video game. It's a less common occurrence in modern times, but especially during the 1980s, video games would be used in a narrative for various purposes.
The best examples utilize this interactive form of entertainment to strengthen character. However, some go a step even further by making video games central to the plot development as a whole. It's not always done smoothly, but cinema and video games occasionally merge in a way that feels organic, never once detracting from the suspension of disbelief involved in viewing cinema.
MacReady Vs. Chess – The Thing (1982)
R.J. MacReady is one of several characters in cinema history who was introduced to the audience by their playing a video game. In the case of the protagonist in John Carpenter's claustrophobic horror movie The Thing, the video game is computer chess.
Kurt Russell's MacReady is a stoic man who doesn't take a loss lightly. This is perfectly illustrated by him pouring a glass of scotch onto the computer, causing it to spark and malfunction. This is a film that utilized a video game to convey important character details to the audience.
The Light Cycles – Tron (1982)
The forgotten 1980s sci-fi film Tron was both one of the first films to prominently feature CGI and one of the first films to feature a video game. In fact, Tron inspired its very own arcade game.
Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) is a software engineer who is now the head of an arcade. When he tries to hack into his former employer's mainframe, he's shut down only to try later with friends. Then, with the help of a special laser, he becomes digitally rendered. From there on out, Tron becomes more or less of a videogame itself.
David Plays Galaga – WarGames (1983)
This early '80s sci-fi thriller featured Matthew Broderick as David Lightman: high school student and expert hacker. When he accidentally accesses a NORAD supercomputer, he unknowingly gains access to the United States' nuclear arsenal. It's a commentary on hacking, tech, and A.I. that made WarGames a sci-fi movie that predicted the future.
The supercomputer's scenarios are not the only examples of Lightman playing a game. Towards the beginning of the film, he's at an arcade called 20 Grand Palace. In this arcade/restaurant, the camera pans past several machines, one of which features the brand SEGA. It stops on Lightman playing a very familiar-looking game: Galaga. This classic even makes a return appearance later on when Ally Sheedy's Jennifer Mack asks Lightman to alter her grades.
Starfighter – The Last Starfighter (1984)
The first time viewers meet Alex Rogan (Lance Guest) in The Last Starfighter, he's playing the titular Starfighter - an arcade game that's secretly much more.
The game is a proving ground to find the human capable of participating in a real-life variation of its space battles. Rogan soon learns this when approached by the game's alien creator. There's an actual intergalactic conflict between the Rylan Star League and the Ko-Dan Empire (with the former being the team Rogan joins) and, as "The Last Starfighter," Rogan is their best hope.
NES-Fueled Statue Of Liberty – Ghostbusters II (1989)
Ghostbusters II may not match up to the quality of the original, but it does have a memorable scene involving the Statue of Liberty.
It feels more or less like the filmmakers' attempt to one-up the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. However, instead of it being antagonistic like that high-calorie mascot, the Lady of Liberty is piloted by the protagonists. What's interesting about the Statue of Liberty's appearance in Ghostbusters II is the method of guiding its motions: a mixture of emotional slime and an NES Advantage Controller.
Elijah Wood, The Wild Gunman – Back To The Future Part II (1989)
It's a blink and you'll miss it moment, but Frodo Baggins met Marty McFly in Back to the Future Part II. The scene takes place in the movie's version of the future, which stands as one thing about the Back to the Future sequels that hold up.
When McFly goes to the futuristic version of Lou's Diner, he's baffled by all of the changes. There's a computer instead of a waiter, and it doesn't even understand his order of a drink that's long since been off the market. He also hears the beeps and other sound effects of an arcade game in the corner. Two boys are playing (a nonexistent arcade version of) Wild Gunman and one of them is a very young Elijah Wood. McFly is a pro, making this the only cinematic usage of a video game that foreshadows a protagonist's skill in the next film. Were it not for Wild Gunman, Marty McFly probably would have met his death in the Old West.
The Power Glove As Part Of The Plot – The Wizard (1989)
The entire plot of The Wizard focuses on video games. Luke Edwards plays Jimmy Woods, the introverted child with a gift for games. Along with his brother, Corey (Fred Savage), Woods must travel to California to participate in a tournament that will show his skills off to the whole world.
While some video games in movies are fictional, The Wizard directly incorporates popular Nintendo titles. When the Woods meet another child entering the competition, he shows off his Nintendo Power Glove by playing Rad Racer. During the tournament, Woods plays the original Ninja Gaiden. Most notably, the competition ends with them playing the then-unreleased Super Mario Bros. 3. It's shoehorned advertising but the most prominent utilization of a video game in a film's narrative.