History Main / IDontKnowMortalKombat

* Averted in ''{{Series/CSI NY}}''. Mac, who was a Marine before he became a cop,never played Call of Duty before, but is still good at it.

When someone does something in a video game they, of course, [[IKnowMortalKombat become an expert at it in real life]]. If [[IKnowMortalKombat you know Mortal Kombat]], then you can mop the floor with even the most seasoned fighters after practicing on your MurderSimulators (or so the MoralGuardians say) and [[TaughtByTelevision if you watch]] ''Series/MacGyver'' you can get right to work on HomemadeInventions.

* Averted in one commercial, where a group of friends are playing an FPS online but keep ending up totally pwned by an unseen enemy, who always ambushes and slaughters them. It turns out that the enemy is a soldier playing in an army tent in Afghanistan, laughing at how easy it is. Funny thing is, in RealLife, those player would've already started complaining about "f*ing campers".

* ''Series/ParksAndRecreation'''s Ron Swanson, a lifelong hunter, is intrigued by a Big Buck Hunter arcade game at the local roller rink, and is beyond furious that he is initially quite bad at it.

* Ahhhh, fighting video games in general. In many reenactments be it onstage or within other mediums, and even to real life, fights tend to have a lot variables and aspects to them that can get them to end pretty quickly if it's not sport fighting in a ring. Plenty of factors and aspects make for a funner video game experience, including a long gauge of health, frame invincibility, combo mechanics, developer intended and restricted features, and these factors allowing for a longer and more epic gameplay experience. There are realism aimed fighters out there, but for martial artists and modern day warriors, the life to machine input interval for commands and attacks, as well as the interface and mechanics centered aspects to [[AcceptableBreaksFromReality make it a game to be played specifically in the creator's intended manner than a true to life combat simulator.]]

* Played with in ''[[ForgottenRealms Crusade]]'', the third volume of the ''Empires'' trilogy: King Azoun IV of Cormyr is a terrible chess player who can never beat his wife, Queen Filfaeril. [[UltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny He nevertheless manages to defeat Yamun Khahan]], the Tuigan emperor, in an actual war, despite being outnumbered by more than three-to-one, commanding a much less experienced army, and despite the fact that the Khahan himself is a recognized military genius. When he returns home, is able to win about one game out of four against his wife.

* From the staff behind the Franchise/{{BEMANI}} series:

* Averted in the Worlds of Power book "Bionic Commando". The title character stops for some pizza during his adventure, and then dominates in the Bionic Commando arcade game. A kid is impressed, and the commando tells him he had a lot of practice [in real life]. This is rather ridiculous if you remember the arcade game was a side scrolling platform jumper, so it wasn't even like the ''Back to the Future III'' shooting situation, such as that was. Though it was obviously for the purposes of product placement, and telling kids to stay in shape if planned on a career in special forces obviously wouldn't have gone over big with Nintendo (though the books weren't licensed with Nintendo itself in the first place).

* ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima!'' gives a straight and averted example: lead wizard Negi tries and fails at playing a magic-based trading card/arcade game based around the same dodge-and-incant tactics he uses in battle. Oddly, the one who beat him was the demonic-beast/warrior class fighter Kotaro, who just happens to be better than Negi at games (Negi won the fight they had later that day, avoiding the pit-falls he encountered in the game). Negi did, however, do extremely well at the game before Kotaro showed up, so much so that the girls couldn't believe it was his first time playing.
* ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'': Even though he's inherited Genkai's Spirit Wave and technicallly surpassed her as a martial artist by defeating Toguro when she failed to do so, Yusuke still loses to her almost all the time at a fighting game.

* Averted in ''Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja''. A ninja-drug, which gives anyone injected with it real -- if temporary -- ninja-skills, also extends to video games. On multiple occasions, goons shot up with the drug have amused themselves by playing Mortal Kombat, and particularly pulling off [[FinishHim Fatalities]] with ease. We've yet to see if the REAL ninjas can transfer their skills to video games just as easily. Dan didn't do very well in the Dr [=McNinja=] official game, but he doesn't play games and had high expectations for his player character (the doctor) to not be fazed by the game's obstacles, and so didn't necessarily make much of an effort to avoid them.

** Before him, the lead guitarist of Music/QueensOfTheStoneAge admitted to being unable to complete "No One Knows" in the original ''Guitar Hero''. [[ScrappyLevel They have nothing to be ashamed of]], but...

** The lead developer of the Konami '''published''' ''Rock Revolution'' had failed the Ramones song "Blitzkreig Bop" at the 2008 E3, after having just gotten through playing the song with a Ramones tribute band.

** [[Music/PaulMcCartney Paul]] has also admitted to having trouble with the game. He admitted that he once had to tell his grandkids, "Listen, you may beat me at Rock Band, but I made the original records, so shut up."

* Played completely straight in ''Literature/{{Corpies}}'', Titan is terrible at video games, including superhero fighting games. It doesn't help that the Titan playable character in the game that Hexcellent manages to get him playing is way weaker than he really is.

* One famous low point in {{Sega}}'s history was when they bragged about how realistic one of their racing games were, showcasing it with their sponsored championship level race car driver. He crashed.

** As [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAgutrkFjBQ this video]] shows, Music/JonathanCoulton (who wrote "Still Alive" for the ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'' soundtrack) failed to get through it singing in ''RockBand'' when he was first announcing its release for that game.

** Music/{{Disturbed}} says during one of their Music as a Weapon festivals, (which, inspired by Ozzfest, happened to have gaming tents) they were convinced by a few fans to try out their own songs on RockBand. They failed miserably.

* Keith Elwin, 5-time {{pinball}} world champion, tried playing the UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem port of the pinball machine ''Pinball/HighSpeed''. He got a GameOver in less than 60 seconds.

* In ''Manga/OnePunchMan'', Hellish Blizzard challenges Saitama to a challenge, where her group and Saitama's group play a fighting game. Saitama gathers [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast "Demon Cyborg" Genos, "Silverfang" Bang, and King]] to help him out. It turns out that while Saitama has the game and plays at an upper intermediate level, Genos and Bang turn out to be completely useless as they have never played a video game before and don't understand what's going on. Averted with King, however, who demonstrates his world-class skill at the game and promptly defeats everyone in Blizzard's gang all by himself, even the pro gamer.

-->-- '''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0dvCPliouc Herman Li]]''', Music/DragonForce, on playing [[ThatOneBoss Through The Fire And Flames]] on ''VideoGame/GuitarHero''

!!Examples

* ''VideoGame/FatalFury: The Motion Picture'' had a scene with [[TheHero Hero]] Terry Bogard trying and failing to play a FightingGame at an arcade, to the amusement of a little girl watching who tells him that her baby brother is better than him.
** Possibly a subversion: the sound/voice effects heard in the game are ''Andy's''.

*** [[http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/TerryPlaysAOFs.jpg This official picture]] depicts a similar scene; but curiously, Terry seems to be complaining at the ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting'' demonstration screen, rather than to some actual gameplay event. Funnily enough, right next to him is John Crawley (an ''AOF'' character) getting his ass whupped at... ''Fatal Fury 2''.

* A story in both the manga and the anime of ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' has Ranma, currently in female form, trying to persuade a lazy and rather spoiled kid named Yotaro to start playing outside. When s/he asks how much fun sitting around playing videogames all day could be, he turns over the controls for a vertical scrolling shooter game. Ranma brags that his/her superior reflexes means it will pose no challenge... and is promptly wiped out. Genma proves to be better, even in panda form.
** Over a dozen volumes later in the manga, Ranma is seen schooling Miss Hinako in a ''[[ShoutOut Street Fighter]]'' clone. Must have trained in the meantime.
*** Someone probably just told him it's [[MartialArtsAndCrafts Videogame Martial Arts]].
* In the ''Anime/TenchiUniverse'' TV-anime, the [[UnwantedHarem Nakama]] eventually recruit two legendary MagicKnight warriors to help them. A while afterward, Sasami is shown thoroughly trouncing the BOTH of them in a Fighting Game. The ending actually expounds that one of them started calling her "Sensei", entering her tutelage to learn [[IKnowMortalKombat Mortal Kombat]].
** To be fair, as the other points out: "Well Azaka, we didn't have toys like this in our day."
* Expert gunslinger, bounty hunter and former assassin ''Manga/BlackCat'' is really not good at first person shooters. Not even arcade ones with flash guns.

[[folder:Fanfiction]]

[[folder:Films -- Live Action]]

* In ''Film/{{Wasabi}}'', Jean Reno's secret agent character gets his butt handed to him by a Japanese highschool student playing a series of arcade games, causing a bunch of high schoolers to laugh at how silly he's doing. Yakuza thugs then attack the arcade, and Reno proceeds to blast them all to bits in a manic gunfight as the shocked high school students looks on. With little coin "bling!" sound effects added to each hit, [[RuleOfFunny just for giggles]].

[[folder:Live Action TV]]
* In ''TopGear'', Jeremy Clarkson failed to complete a race on a track he knew in real life on ''Gran Turismo''. He put this down to the fact that the track in the game wasn't quite a perfect representation, and it was missing a couple of corners. Plus the price of failure would have been time in hospital, as opposed to simply pressing restart.
** Not to mention the fact that Leguna Seca's infamous chicane turn (a very steep downhill S-turn with sharp corners) has ''killed'' people who didn't treat it seriously.
** Two other points: Clarkson's time in the game is perfectly doable IRL (they acknowledged this in the episode) and the chicane's entrance is just over the crest of a hill; it's not easy to enter it fast.

* ''VideoGame/{{F-Zero}}'': In his F-Zero GX ending, Draq is [[BreakingTheFourthWall playing the game itself]] and crashes before the finish line.
* Tytti Norrbuck from ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'' is known as the herald of the Elemental Lord of Water... yet in a BeachEpisode, she prefers to stay on land... because [[SuperDrowningSkills she can't swim]].
** Not only that, but considering where she's from (Finland) as well as the fact that the title of her theme song (From The Land Of Water And Ice) refers to it, you'd think she would've gotten around to learn how to at some point in her life.

* [[http://www.misfile.com/?page=217 Vash]] from ''Webcomic/{{Misfile}}'': "Give me a break. Smiting people with my real sword is WAY more intuitive than these stupid controls."
** Ash is similarly afflicted as far as driving games go.
*** Amusingly enough, they both lose to the same person.
* Jenny Breeden of TheDevilsPanties has been trained in at least two kinds of dance. Guess what she can't play to save her life.

* Inverted, then subverted by [[http://terminallance.com/2012/03/13/terminal-lance-185-experience/ this strip]] from TerminalLance: Abe, a Marine, ''is'' good at first person shooters, but ''not'' because of his military training.
* Averted in ''Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja''. A ninja-drug, which gives anyone injected with it real - if temporary - ninja-skills, also extends to videogames. On multiple occasions, goons shot up with the drug have amused themselves by playing Mortal Kombat, and particularly pulling off [[FinishHim Fatalities]] with ease. We've yet to see if the REAL ninjas can transfer their skills to videogames just as easily. Dan didn't do very well in the Dr [=McNinja=] official game, but he doesn't play games and had high expectations for his player character (the doctor) to not be fazed by the game's obstacles, and so didn't necessarily make much of an effort to avoid them.

[[folder: Web Original]]

** He's not alone. Guitar Hero is very different from actually playing a guitar. See Real Life below.

* Herman Li, guitarist of [=DragonForce=], couldn't play through his band's song, "[[ThatOneBoss Through the Fire and Flames]]", on Hard level in ''VideoGame/GuitarHero 3'' (see RealityIsUnrealistic), even though he's actually played the game plenty. Before him, the lead guitarist of QueensOfTheStoneAge admitted to being unable to complete "No One Knows" in the original ''VideoGame/GuitarHero''. [[ScrappyLevel They have nothing to be ashamed of]], but...
** Tom Morello, guitarist for Music/RageAgainstTheMachine, Music/{{Audioslave}} and The Nightwatchman said in a radio interview getting beat by the daughter of producer for The Nightwatchman album in ''VideoGame/GuitarHero 2'' led him to get himself added as a boss in ''VideoGame/GuitarHero 3''.
** Scott Ian, the rhythm guitarist from Music/{{Anthrax}}, was also unable to complete his band's song "Madhouse" in ''VideoGame/GuitarHero 2'' on Easy difficulty.
** [=DragonForce=]'s other guitarist, Sam Totman, has said that he can't even beat "Smoke on the Water."

** The lead developer of the Konami '''published''' ''Rock Revolution'' had failed the Ramones song ''Blitzkreig Bop'' at the 2008 E3, after having just gotten through playing the song with a Ramones tribute band.
** As [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAgutrkFjBQ&feature=related this video]] shows, Music/JonathanCoulton (who wrote "Still Alive" for the ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'' soundtrack) failed to get through it singing in ''RockBand'' when he was first announcing its release for that game.
** The band {{Rush}} appeared on the ''Series/TheColbertReport'' and played their song "Tom Sawyer" in ''RockBand''. They [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btcvSWoQWV0 failed]] at 31%.

* Kevin Federline (once a backup dancer for Music/BritneySpears before he married her) was challenged to play an arcade game that required you to dance in a specific pattern to the music. He failed miserably. It's interesting to note that trained dancers tend to do ''worse'' at games like VideoGame/DanceDanceRevolution.

* Speaking of ''Franchise/MortalKombat'', [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hF1eTHrxIyc Here's a match between Shang Tsung and Johnny Cage's actors playing the very characters they have portrayed in the second game]].

* Mike Tyson claimed that he never beat Glass Joe in ''VideoGame/PunchOut''.
** To say nothing of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfEOHcGFchY fighting himself]].

* Speaking of ''MortalKombat'', [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hF1eTHrxIyc Here's a match between Shang Tsung and Johnny Cage's actors playing the very characters they have portrayed in the second game]].

* Creator/SylvesterStallone mentioned in a talk show that he played the ''{{Film/Rocky}}'' [=PS2=] game against his son, and lost pitifully. While he played as Rocky and his son as one of those side characters whom Rocky defeated easily in the actual movie.

* In ''TopTen'', Girl One (playing herself) keeps dying while playing the ''Top Ten'' videogame. Naturally, this is [[spoiler:foreshadowing of her real death]].
* Non-video game example: Keith Knight of ''K Chronicles'' did a strip about the humiliation of being a cartoonist and losing at Pictionary to his friend, a nurse. He then gets revenge by beating her in Operation. There is also mention of a private detective who jumped in front of a steam roller after losing at Clue.

* Kevin Federline (once a backup dancer for BritneySpears before he married her) was challenged to play an arcade game that required you to dance in a specific pattern to the music. He failed miserably. It's interesting to note that trained dancers tend to do ''worse'' at games like VideoGame/DanceDanceRevolution.

* Averted in one commercial, where a group of friends are playing an FPS online but keep ending up totally pwned by an unseen enemy, who always ambushes and slaughters them. It turns out that the enemy is a soldier playing in an army tent in Afghanistan, laughing at how easy it is.

* In the TvTropes Online Roleplay WeAreOurAvatars, [[VideoGame/DeadRising Frank West]] [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=i9k31ypluou9s5j9d2w7n23k&page=22184 played a game of]] [[VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3 Superhero Works Vs. Capcom 3]] against [[BowsersKingdom Hal the Koopa]]. He mostly {{button mash|ing}}ed his characters to a draw in that match. He also was surprised that he was in the game and picked fighters Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine and Frank West.