10 movies about computer games, after which you want to become a gamer

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Nostalgic stories, dark cyberpunk and even interactive movies.

10. Pixels

• USA, China, Canada, 2015.
• Comedy, action, fantasy.
• Duration: 106 minutes.
• IMDb: 5, 5.

In 1982, earthlings sent a capsule into space with various information about our planet. Among other things, it also contains a recording of a competition in popular computer games. Years later, aliens attack the Earth. Moreover, they appear in the form of game elements Arkanoid, Pac-Man and even Tetris.

It’s worth making a reservation right away: this film failed in all respects and received five nominations for the “Golden Raspberry”, so you should not expect at least some logic and a coherent narrative from it. But as a trash-comedy with a portion of nostalgia for viewing in a cheerful company, Pixels are quite suitable.

9. Wizard

• USA, Brazil, 1989.
• Drama, comedy, adventure.
• Duration: 96 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 1.

Nine-year-old autistic Jimmy runs away from home with his older brother Corey. They head to California and on the way meet Hayley, who tells her fellow travelers about a computer game tournament. It turns out that Jimmy has an incredible talent as a gamer, and therefore they have a chance to take the main prize.

After its release, the picture was often accused of excessive advertising of computer games, which turned "The Magician" into one big promo video. But in fact, the film also found a place for the touching story of a child's farewell to a loved one.

8. Nirvana

• Italy, France, 1997.
• Science fiction, drama.
• Duration: 113 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 1.

In the future, large corporations will seize power in the world. Programmer Jimi creates a computer game in which the events are as close as possible to the real world. But a virus infects her, and now the protagonist of the game Solo remembers all his previous lives. Unable to bear his existence, he asks Jimi to remove him along with the game. To do this, the programmer needs to get into the territory of the corporation.

This dark film is considered one of the clearest examples of on-screen cyberpunk: in the world of Nirvana, high technology coexists with decay in society and the power of money. It suggests that every year our world is approaching such a reality. And computer games with a mind do not seem so fantastic anymore.

7. The Last Star Fighter

• USA, 1984.
• Adventure, action, fantasy.
• Duration: 101 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 8.

High school student Alex Rogan lives in a trailer park and how he can make a living. He also loves the Last Star Fighter slot machine. When Alex gets a record number of points in the game, he is taken by a spaceship. After all, it turns out that the machine gun is needed to identify the best fighter who can help in interplanetary war.

The popularity of this film was greatly damaged by the excessive resemblance to the famous "Star Wars". Some parts of the plot seem to be completely borrowed from the creation of George Lucas. Although the move with a computer game as a simulator for real battles was later used more than once.

6. Throne

• USA, 1982.
• Science fiction, thriller.
• Duration: 96 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 8.

Talented developer Kevin Flynn of ENCOM Corporation creates original computer games. But the bosses appropriate them for themselves, and the programmer himself is fired. Kevin decides to take his property and sneaks into the laboratory at night. He falls under the digital beam and moves into the virtual space, where totalitarian orders reign.

In this film, the authors for the first time showed the world of computer games from the inside. Moreover, for the early 1980s, "Tron" was a breakthrough in terms of special effects. About 20 minutes, the paintings were created on a computer, and facial animation appeared for the first time in it. The franchise was expected to release games, and in 2010 there was a sequel "Tron: Legacy".

5. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle

• USA, India, Canada, UK, Australia, Germany, 2017.
• Adventure, comedy, fantasy, action.
• Duration: 119 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 9.

Four schoolchildren find an old console with a computer game "Jumanji". After launching it, the heroes suddenly move into the jungle and turn into adult characters. To get out, they have to go through many tests.

The first part of this franchise was released in 1995 and was dedicated to the board game "Jumanji". It is logical that in the continuation of the story they made more modern - they transferred it to the virtual world.

4. War games

• USA, 1984.
• Science fiction, action, thriller.
• Duration: 114 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 1.

Young hacker Dave Lightman hacks into the Pentagon's computer network for fun. Among the many files, he finds the "Global Thermonuclear War" and launches it. But it turns out that this is not a game, but a program capable of creating a real apocalypse. Now Dave needs to somehow defeat the computer to save the world.

In this film, Matthew Broderick played his first major role. The plot perfectly balances on the edge of a military thriller and the story of a naive teenager who foolishly arranges a lot of problems.

3. Black Mirror: Bandersnatch

• USA, UK, 2018.
• Science fiction, thriller, drama.
• Duration: 90 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 2.

The action takes place in 1984. A young programmer Stefan comes up with a new adventure game based on the novel "Bandashmyg". But gradually he realizes that he himself can be controlled by someone.

Formally, this film enters the world of Black Mirror. However, it differs from episodes of the series and from most other films. The thing is that "Brandashmyg" is an interactive movie in which the viewer can directly influence the development of the plot, choosing how this or that character will act.

2. Prepare for the first player

• USA, 2018.
• Science fiction, adventure.
• Duration: 140 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 5.

In the future, the whole world is fascinated by the virtual game OASIS. Plunging into it, people forget about the problems that have accumulated in real life too much. Wade Watts, a poor neighborhood guy, realizes that he can get the first prize in the game. But the hero and his friends are confronted by the powerful corporation IOI.

Steven Spielberg took as a basis the novel of the same name by Ernest Kline, filled with references to the pop culture of the eighties and nineties. On the screen, the viewer is shown the same thing: in the virtual world of OASIS, you can see the car from Back to the Future, the Steel Giant, whole scenes from Kubrick's The Shining, and dozens of heroes familiar from childhood.

1. Ralph

• USA, 2012.
• Adventure, comedy.
• Duration: 101 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 7.

Ralph has been a villain in the Master Felix Jr. slot machine for 30 years. Although in fact he is good-natured and caring and suffers greatly from a lack of love. Tired of loneliness, the hero goes to a nearby slot machine in search of friends.

In addition to the cute and positive plot, the cartoon contains many references to old computer games: Pac-Man, Sonic the Hedgehog, Street Fighter and many others.