History Main / PacmanFever

See also: ArcadeSounds, BeepingComputers, FictionalVideoGame, VideoArcade, TheCoconutEffect, PublicMediumIgnorance, TwoDecadesBehind, and HollywoodGameDesign. Compare StockFootage. If pushed far enough, it can lead to SchizoTech. Not to be confused with the Platform/NintendoGameCube/Platform/PlayStarion 2 game of the same name or an obsession about a certain Filipino boxer. For the case of someone playing Pac-Man feverently, see JustOneMoreLevel.

See also: ArcadeSounds, BeepingComputers, FictionalVideoGame, VideoArcade, TheCoconutEffect, PublicMediumIgnorance, TwoDecadesBehind, and HollywoodGameDesign. Compare StockFootage. If pushed far enough, it can lead to SchizoTech. Not to be confused with the Platform/NintendoGameCube game of the same name or an obsession about a certain Filipino boxer. For the case of someone playing Pac-Man feverently, see JustOneMoreLevel.

** There is also ''Series/DrakeAndJosh''. In one episode we see Helen's Groove Machine (a BlandNameProduct of ''VideoGame/DanceDanceRevolution'') hooked directly up to her TV. Despite the fact that the screen shows displays for two players, Drake, Josh, and Helen are all shown dancing on a machine built for three people. Their dancing is also far more choreographed than usual for such a game and the icons moving on screen don't match up to their movements.
** In another episode Josh is shown playing games on TV with what is clearly a Platform/NintendoGamecube controller and quickly switching between that and a Platform/GameboyAdvance SP playing both while rapidly pushing buttons. We can hear some of the sound effects from both and they are the standard "bloopy" sound effects from older games.
** There is an episode where Drake is seen playing a new game system called the Game Sphere, first with an original Xbox controller, and the switching to what appears to be a wireless Nintendo 64 controller. In real life, no wireless controllers were ever made for the Nintendo 64.
** In another episode Megan pulls out her "Pintendo GS" and starts playing it by rapidly pushing buttons, without appearing to even turn it on. We hear generic laser-firing sounds for a few seconds.

* In an episode of some Disney TV show (''Series/HannahMontana'' or ''Series/ThatsSoRaven''), two people are playing a video game together. One person has a [=GameCube=] controller, and the other has an Xbox 360 controller. True, a PC can use both 360 controllers and USB-adapted GCN controllers, but it's unlikely that was the case.

''For the 1982 novelty single and album by Buckner & Garcia, [[Music/PacManFever click here]].''

The Trope Namer is the 1982 novelty song "Music/PacManFever" by Buckner and Garcia.

* Ironically, the {{Trope Namer|s}} ''Music/PacManFever'' is an aversion, given the fact that 1) the sounds in question ''are'' from the video games in question, 2) they were, in fact, new at the time of the album's release and 3) the lyrics clearly show that at least one of the band members has intimate knowledge of them.

** In ''Film/{{Transformers}}'' (2007), Glen's cousin is playing ''VideoGame/DanceDanceRevolution''; when Glen enters, he asks what level he's on, and the reply is "Six!" (Level 6 songs in ''DDR'' included ".59" and "Healing Vision" on Standard or "Max 300" on Light, prior to the expansion from 10 to 18 levels in ''DDR X''.) Then Glen pauses the game and asks his cousin to leave the room, and the reply is "Well, save my game!" (Unlike ''Amplitude'', ''VideoGame/GuitarHero'', and ''VideoGame/RockBand'', DDR doesn't have pause. It does, like those games, have auto-save.) Very likely he's actually playing ''VideoGame/StepMania'', a DDR-alike that has similar graphics.

* The FPS played in ''Anime/ProtocolRain'' looks legitimate, however the game look like a game from 10-15 years behind.

* Aboard the starship Entreprise-2601 in ''ComicBook/{{Pouvoirpoint}}'' , on several occasions we see the characters playing a first-person video game in black and green wireframe, called ''Death Race in a Non-Euclidean Environment'' (visually inspired by the 1979 Commodore PET game [[https://youtu.be/Bk0iuJ4DgQE Ratrun]]). To defeat the boss "Sly Lozenge", the player must find the "Power Polyhedron", which activates "Hyperbolic Crystals". This raises the specter of the "Rectangle of the Mountain'', who give the player "Symplectic Invincibility"... They also play an unnamed 8-bit fighting game, with a red fighter against a blue fighter. Lots of ButtonMashing seems to be involved.

This trope has several root causes. It was most prevalent in the early 2000s, and was a clear result of TwoDecadesBehind. Most screenwriters remembered video games as simplistic arcade games from TheEighties or from the [[UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]] such as VideoGame/PacMan or VideoGame/DonkeyKong, and so that's what they continued to write into TV shows and films, long after video games had moved on to more sophisticated gameplay and storytelling. If not "beat the level"-type games, expect UltraSuperDeathGoreFestChainsawer3000 for those writers who remembered ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' or ''VideoGame/{{Mortal Kombat|1992}}'' (both again from the early '90s). As newer and newer writers enter the industry to replace the old guard, they're looking back either on (relatively) newer games from their own childhoods or present-day games that they play themselves as a hobby, putting this trope on track to becoming a DiscreditedTrope.

If you're too young to remember what ''Pac-Man'' was like on the UsefulNotes/Atari2600, check [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HL2p2ANFlQ4 this]] out. And [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juH2qHYX9aI this]] for good measure. And, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzI1RBdK2_g this]] is ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong'' on the same system. These two games probably account for the vast, vast majority of ArcadeSounds used on TV. Very rarely, though, you'll hear a ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' sound effect, or one from ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' every once in a blue moon.

See also: ArcadeSounds, BeepingComputers, FictionalVideoGame, VideoArcade, TheCoconutEffect, PublicMediumIgnorance, TwoDecadesBehind, and HollywoodGameDesign. Compare StockFootage. If pushed far enough, it can lead to SchizoTech. Not to be confused with the UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube game of the same name or an obsession about a certain Filipino boxer. For the case of someone playing Pac-Man feverently, see JustOneMoreLevel.

* Countless advertisement images and banners have used stock photography of people playing video games using outdated controllers, most commonly from the {{UsefulNotes/Xbox}} and UsefulNotes/PlayStation families.

* The makers of ''Fruit by the Foot'' once struck a promotional deal with Nintendo to print gameplay tips for UsefulNotes/{{Nintendo 64}} games on the snack's cellophane wrappers. The commercial showed two teenagers grown old, with one who's been waiting 62 years for his friend to finish playing. He's supposedly been using the snack's hints to keep from losing for all these years... but he's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-C-z2J9Qp_Y playing]] ''VideoGame/BanjoKazooie''. If the tips are that useful, he should have beaten it by now. It's even worse for the next commercial, where he's playing ''VideoGame/MarioParty2'' - which is specifically designed to be ''[[PartyGame a multiplayer game.]]''

* Look no further than the box cover of the AK Rocker gamer chair for a prime example of this: A family of three (dad, son, daughter) are all on the eponymous chairs playing a game together... with an UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}} or UsefulNotes/PlayStation2, Nintendo 64, and UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}} controller, respectively, and the dad appears to be holding the controller backwards. It also depicts another family playing games cosplaying as ''Vikings'', so take that as you will. [[https://web.archive.org/web/20150129044207/http://www.blogcdn.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2006/06/marketinggonebadcqh.jpg Here's a pic.]]

* A print commercial for ''VideoGame/CrashMindOverMutant'' shows two kids playing the game with a UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube controller. When Radical Entertainment took over the ''Crash'' franchise (''Mind over Mutant'' being their third game), the [=GameCube=] was long dead. And the Wii version of said game does not support [=GameCube=] controls.
* Parodied in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZYQiXKvZDg this]] commercial for [[Creator/{{Syfy}} Sci Fi Channel]], wherein [[Franchise/TombRaider Lara Croft]] plays a version of ''VideoGame/{{Pong}}'' with stock sound effects from the UsefulNotes/{{Atari 2600}}'s version of ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong''--whilst on a UsefulNotes/PlayStation.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yh0V68c1ybw This]] commercial for Sonic the Hedgehog pasta by Franco-American has a boy playing ''[[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles Sonic and Knuckles]]'' on a UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis (specifically the Mushroom Hill stage). Ordinarily, this example would avert this trope, except the music playing in the background is from the Chemical Plant stage from ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2'' and the kid's button presses don't match what Sonic is doing on-screen.

* A 2022 "Consumers Protection Law" [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/img_4999.jpeg ad on Facebook]] advertised a possible class action settlement payout for parents of children who made in-app purchases on the open-world action-adventure game ''VideoGame/GenshinImpact''. The stock photo for the ad features a child with a headset and a UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 controller, and ''Genshin Impact'' is available on [=PS4=]...but the screen in the photo depicts ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'' with the very obvious FightingGame UI.

* A fairly obscure example lies in the sole English-subbed episode of ''Manga/KyouKaraOreWa'', where at one point the main character is waiting for someone and plays the early UsefulNotes/GameBoy shooter ''Solar Striker'', complete with actual footage. However, the sounds are your generic random bleeps and bloops, as opposed to the actual (although still bleeping and blooping) soundtrack.
* In an early episode from the English dub of ''Manga/CardcaptorSakura'', Kero is seen playing an RPG that looks similar to ''VideoGame/ShiningForce'', but with sound effects from the UsefulNotes/Atari2600 version of ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong'' in the background.
* In an episode of ''Anime/GhostStories'' two characters are shown playing ''VideoGame/DarkCloud'' together, using actual footage from the game. What's the problem? ''Dark Cloud'' is a single player game. And the console shown was a first-generation UsefulNotes/{{PlayStation}} while Dark Cloud was one of the launch title for UsefulNotes/PlayStation2. The GagDub takes it a step further by adding UltraSuperDeathGoreFestChainsawer3000 on top of that, the characters talk about the game as if it were a violent RatedMForMoney game along the lines of ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' and mention beating up hookers. Needless to say, none of that is in Dark Cloud, though it's likely played for the laughs.

* ''Manga/OuranHighSchoolHostClub''. In a flashback, the twins Hikaru and Kaoru are playing (well, ''one'' of them is playing) a game on what is clearly a UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance -- but when we see the screen, the graphics are comically low-rez, looking more like an LCD Game & Watch (Maybe they were playing ''Game & Watch Gallery 4''). Averted in a later flashback, where they've upgraded to a DS.

* One episode of ''Anime/SuperSonico'' has her play what is clearly ''VideoGame/BioShock2'' on a UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn. Played with in that this takes place in her dream.

* An Italian Donald Duck comic features a villain by the name of "The Analog Knight" interrupting a videogame tournament [[ItMakesSenseInContext by transforming modern gaming consoles into tabletop games]]. The scene shows two guys playing on a console styled after the UsefulNotes/XBox360, but the TV screen shows a scene that was clearly traced from a ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'' screenshot. Not only was ''Final Fantasy XII'' never released on a Microsoft console, it's not even a multiplayer game.

* In ''Ultimate Nightmare'' [[ComicBook/UltimateXMen Bobby]] is shown playing what looks like a current gen game on a regular old UsefulNotes/GameBoy.

* ''Film/{{Shorts}}'' features a particularly bad example of this. Various characters in the film are often shown playing ''VideoGame/{{Spore}}''. Normally this wouldn't be all that bad, but said characters are shown playing it multiplayer (''Spore'' is a single player game), on a UsefulNotes/{{P|layStation3}}S3 (''Spore'' is PC exclusive), and while randomly mashing buttons all while showing the Creature Creator on screen. To top it all off, nothing is even happening on the screen while said button-mashing is happening (the creature is clearly in its idle animation), and several bleeps reminiscent of some kind of weapons fire are heard.

* ''Film/RumbleInTheBronx'' and ''Film/{{Airheads}}'' feature cartridgeless Sega UsefulNotes/GameGear consoles. ''Rumble in the Bronx'' is particularly amusing, as the wheel-chair bound kid exclaims while playing the cartridge- and ''battery''-less Game Gear: "Thank you for the game, uncle Jackie!"

** In an early scene of ''Film/TransformersRiseOfTheBeasts'', Noah's little brother Kris is shown playing with a UsefulNotes/GameBoy and complains that he can't defeat [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Bowser]], and the losing sound effect from ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1'' can be heard coming from the Game Boy. ''Super Mario Bros.'' wasn't playable on the original Game Boy (a porting/remake, titled ''Super Mario Bros. Deluxe'', came out in 1999, but the movie is set in 1994), and no other ''Mario'' games on the first Game Boy had boss battles with Bowser.
* ''Film/InsideMan'' goes the opposite extreme. A kid plays an ersatz ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' UsefulNotes/{{P|layStationPortable}}SP game. When we see clips, the game's graphics are too advanced for the PSP, especially since at the time Sony had the CPU speed slowed down to preserve battery life.

* ''Film/MeetDave'' has an extremely stupid example. The eponymous alien plays against a kid in what appears to be ''Kinetica'', an ''VideoGame/FZero''/''VideoGame/{{Wipeout}}''-like racing game for a UsefulNotes/PlayStation2. The kid seems to be playing correctly, but Dave just taps his fingers over the controller like a mad man, and kicks the kid's ass in the game. Granted, he's an alien unfamiliar with human video games, but there is no way that ButtonMashing on crack could help you in any racing game at all, as they don't require combos. If it were a fighting game, this might've been funny, but in a racing game it looks stupid.

* ''Dead Babies'': ''VideoGame/PerfectDark'' is played on an N64 with a UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 controller.

* ''Film/SupermanIII'' has the scene when the villains have successfully constructed their supercomputer and Supes is heading their way, they try to take him out with missiles, and the computer represents the battle with a rather nice UsefulNotes/AtariST-esque render of Supes... Set to the sounds of Pac-Man from the Atari 2600.

* In the 2017 movie ''Film/BiggerFatterLiar'', the main character is supposed to be a teenage computer and video game genius, who supposedly comes up with an idea for an industry revolutionizing video game, and he gets his idea for it plagiarized by a video game developer. All throughout the movie the characters keep talking about how amazing and brilliant this game is and yet in the brief footage we see of it it appears to be a casual game in which your character runs around catching bombs thrown from a gorilla in the sky. The graphics for the video game are at least 15 years out of date and the actual game footage bears absolutely no relation to how the people in the movie describe it. This game is clearly not the sort that would revolutionize an industry, in spite of how much the characters gush about it. Even funnier is that a video game with a similar premise was already released decades prior [[OlderThanNES in 1981]]: ''VideoGame/{{Kaboom}}'' for the UsefulNotes/Atari2600.

* ''[[Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief]]'' has a character playing ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare 2'' on a PC, with an Xbox control scheme, using a UsefulNotes/{{P|layStation3}}S3 controller, and plays by button-mashing and spraying bullets everywhere. And he "pauses" while playing online, presumably leaving the other players to kill him freely. With sound effects still in the background, no less.

* In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire'', Harry mentions that Dudley broke his UsefulNotes/PlayStation (and comments about Dudley playing UltraSuperDeathGorefestChainsawer3000 games). Given that he was writing that in the summer of 1994 and the system would not be available in Japan until that December, nor in Europe until September of the following year, Creator/JKRowling admits she [[WritersCannotDoMath screwed up with the numbers]]. This was apparently going to be worse as, before her editor suggested using the [=PlayStation=], Rowling was going to use an SNES.

* In ''Skeleton Key'', the third book in the ''Literature/AlexRider'' series, Alex is given a UsefulNotes/GameBoy and a copy of a ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' game while traveling to Cuba, and he's relieved to get to "the fifth level" [[ItMakesSenseInContext without the Game Boy exploding in his hands]]. None of the ''Legend of Zelda'' games are divided into levels; they're all [[{{Metroidvania}} open-world games that require the player to accomplish tasks, gradually unlocking more of the world as the game progresses]]. That said, ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaLinksAwakening'' (possibly what the book meant) does explicitly refer to its dungeons as "levels" upon entry, so the writer could have been referring to the fifth ''dungeon''.

* ''Series/MarriedWithChildren'' has one episode with a nerd playing an original UsefulNotes/GameBoy, mashing the buttons while arcade noises sound. When the Game Boy is broken, he pulls a second one out of his pants, immediately playing it with the same sound effects.

* In the ''Series/EverybodyLovesRaymond'' episode "Homework", Ray and Robert are playing a fictional generic zombie {{F|irstPersonShooter}}PS on UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 (mashing buttons and all). Interestingly, a few minutes later, Robert picks up the console and leaves, and we can clearly see that it was not even hooked up to the TV.

** In one episode, House plays ''VideoGame/MetroidZeroMission'' on his UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance SP... however, despite going close-up on the GBA screen several times, you very pointedly hear ''Pac-Man'' bleeps and bloops. He also makes the same mistake as in ''Jarhead'' of referring to numbered levels in a MetroidVania. Maybe people just associate 2D with levels. Beyond that, several hours of playing don't seem to advance House beyond the first 30 seconds of gameplay. The visuals feature an extremely specific form of "[[TheCoconutEffect Wrong for the sake of accessibility]]"; in-game, main character Samus can roll into a ball and download maps from statues. However, the makers of the episode decided that the image of Samus being held in the claws of a big alien thing worked better as something recognizably negative (despite being something the player has to do to progress), complete with an "Oh, that's gotta hurt!" reaction shot from House.
** In another episode, House holds up a UsefulNotes/NintendoDS to a patient's ear to see if he can hear it. While it is quite clearly playing the Morph Ball time trial from ''Metroid Prime Hunters'' ([[AttractMode without any input from a player]], interestingly enough), we hear the stock sound effects. Maybe the writers are ''Metroid'' fans, but the sound effects guys think it's just ''Pac-Man'' with better graphics.

** In another episode, this is done slightly less poorly: House is playing ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden II'' on an UsefulNotes/{{Xbox 360}} with realistic sounds and button inputs. The only problem is that House seems to think that his goal is to kill the protagonist Ryu. Admittedly, as antisocial as House is, one could see him play a game just to kill the main character. It'd help if he was using the left stick and not the + Control Pad, though.
** Another episode has the team treating a video game designer and trying out his virtual reality immersion equipment for the game. It has some very good graphics and {{F|irstPersonShooter}}PS views. This specific example is an aversion, but a later episode shows Foreman and Taub bonding over playing UsefulNotes/XBox together (mashing buttons and analog sticks) while the exact same game footage plays on the TV.

* The Australian soap opera ''Series/{{Neighbours}}'' became infamous among schoolkids of the 90s for frequently showing one of the children playing a Nintendo UsefulNotes/GameBoy ''with no cartridge installed''. This wasn't possible until Nintendo introduced the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance in 2001, which could load a game into RAM from another GBA or a [=GameCube=].

* In two separate episodes of ''Series/{{Roseanne}}'', a UsefulNotes/{{Super N|intendoEntertainmentSystem}}ES is clearly being played, complete with actual sounds and music from ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld'' and using the SNES controller realistically. However, both times the games is misidentified. Mark states the game deals with "skulls and blood" while Roseanne makes a comment about saving a monkey princess, two things definitely not in ''Super Mario World''. There are skull rafts and [[LavaPit blood-red lava]] in the Vanilla Dome of ''SMW''; this may have confused the producers of ''Roseanne'' as much as it confused Luigi in "[[WesternAnimation/SuperMarioWorld Mama Luigi]]". To top it off, the music in at least one of these episodes is from [[AttractMode the game's title screen]], which never occurs anywhere else in the game.
* ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'' features Turk playing a game on the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox 360}}. The footage seen is from ''VideoGame/UnrealTournamentIII'', but the show doesn't seem to get its facts straight on anything, with the dialogue sounding more like they are playing ''Franchise/{{Halo}}''. Particularly hilarious is when Carla turns out to be the best player, but her actress obviously doesn't know how to hold the controller. Worst of all, the characters all explicitly mention that they are playing co-op mode on the same machine, but the screen clearly shows single-player mode in progress.
* ''Series/{{Life|2007}}'' had an episode where the victim is tied to drug dealing, and the detectives figure out that he managed to store files pertaining to the crime on his UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}}. So they get the victim's sister, who they see making vaguely controller-like fiddly motions in the air for no good reason, to play through ''VideoGame/PrinceOfPersiaTheTwoThrones'' until she gets to Level 10, which unlocks the files. Never minding the fact that the game itself doesn't ''have'' numbered levels, the people behind the show just decided to hack up footage from the game and randomly stick "level" screens between them to denote progress. To make matters worse, the player before the girl was brought in was shown dying a lot, even though one of the series' selling points is the ability to rewind time, and he claims the plot of the game is to, as he puts it, "SaveThePrincess, Farah", when Farah actually assists the player for a good portion of the game and doesn't need rescuing. (At least they got the ''name'' right.) To top it all off, there are plenty of easier, more accessible ways to hide files and easier, more accessible ways to get them back off the console. This, coupled with a lot of erroneous remarks involving game systems being "just hard drives with games on them", as well as a couple of rather nasty implications about gamers being losers, leads to a very grating episode.

** In another episode Josh is shown playing games on TV with what is clearly a UsefulNotes/NintendoGamecube controller and quickly switching between that and a UsefulNotes/GameboyAdvance SP playing both while rapidly pushing buttons. We can hear some of the sound effects from both and they are the standard "bloopy" sound effects from older games.

* ''Series/LawAndOrderUK'' has a teenager using his UsefulNotes/XBox360 as an alibi for not committing a crime. Subsequent investigation shows that he ''was'' online at the time the crime was committed (not ridiculous at all), that he made three saves at three specific times (okay, real-world time is saved for a lot of games), and that he ''had'' to be the one who made them because the saves were password protected, which on the face of it appears to be this trope, except that [[JustifiedTrope you don't have to automatically sign into an Xbox profile]], meaning that the saves could have been protected because he was the only person who was able to sign into his profile to save the games in.

** The Season 10 finale shows Abby complaining that while [[NewMediaAreEvil she hates violent video games]] [[SeriesContinuityError (she actually plays them with [=McGee=] all the time)]], she has designed a homebrew game to vent her frustrations at the Department of Defense special prosecutor, who is targeting [[spoiler:Gibbs]]. The game involves shooting an effigy of him on her PC monitor with a [[UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]] "Zapper" {{Light Gun|Game}}, which doesn't even run at the same frequency as a PC monitor.

* ''Series/BreakingBad'', for the most part, manages to avert this, but there was one instance of this trope partway through its fourth season. Jesse Pinkman is seen playing ''VideoGame/Rage2011'', which doesn't seem that odd except 1) The game wasn't out yet at the time of the episode's airing 2) It's clear he's playing a developer walkthrough trailer and 3) He's playing it with a light gun instead of a controller, when neither ''Rage'' nor the UsefulNotes/Xbox360 had light gun support. 4) There's no HUD, which is strange because rail shooters usually display information like the player's score, health, and ammo count. 5) While Rage DID have a rail shooter adaptation, it was for iOS devices, not for consoles.

* A ''Series/MadTV1995'' skit has former US President UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush being distracted by a UsefulNotes/GameBoy when being asked questions during a presidential debate. His response is "I have a question for you. Have you played ''Super Mario Bros.''? I'm in the water level and I can't beat the Kooper Trooper." ''Super Mario Bros.'' was released on the UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor and the use of "Kooper Trooper" is to make fun of Bush's frequent malapropisms, so what's the problem? Koopa Troopas (nor Bowser, if that's who he's actually referring to) can't be found in water levels.

* At one point in ''{{Series/Heroes}}'', Claire's brother Lyle plays something on a UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable, but the sounds are from the arcade game ''{{VideoGame/Defender}}''.

* In ''Series/BlueHeelers'' Tess plans to get Hayley a UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 and ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'', and they are seen already up to Tall Tall Mountain, meaning either she is either the best video game player in the world (which Tess promptly disproves) or the writers made a mistake in showing a level that late into the game.

* ''Series/TheSopranos'': In "[[Recap/TheSopranosS1E4Meadowlands Meadowlands]]", the fourth episode of the first season, has Tony coming in to find A.J. playing ''VideoGame/MarioKart64'' and then joins him in the race. We get the correct sounds, there is a cartridge in the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 and they consistently stay on the same track (Luigi Raceway); A.J. does a bit of button-mashing, but not too egregious. A.J. does mention to Tony that he should "watch out for the ghosts" and, while ghosts are one of the weaker items (and a non-avoidable one), they do at least exist in the game. To really nitpick, they complete all three laps of Luigi Raceway in some 20 seconds (though the time shown on the screen shows a more realistic 2 minutes 27 seconds), and Tony holds the N64 controller one-handed, using the central grip, only moving the analog stick. All in all, though, a pretty faithful representation of ''Mario Kart'' on TV.
* ''Series/WhiteRabbitProject'': In "The Granddad Gang" segment of the "Heists" episode, one part of the reenactment of the crime was animated in the style of a [[{{Retraux}} "8-bit video game"]] - with sound effects lifted from the notorious UsefulNotes/Atari2600 port of VideoGame/PacMan.

* ''Series/TheXFiles'' episode [[{{Recap/TheXFilesS05E03UnusualSuspects}} "Unusual Suspects"]], which takes place in 1989, has Byers's boss [[https://xfilesarchive.com/gallery/UnusualSuspectsBR45.jpg playing]] ''VideoGame/DigDug'' at the FCC booth. It's admirable that the game's reproduced perfectly, sound effects and all, but there weren't any [[{{Main/ArcadePerfectPort}} arcade-perfect ports]] of ''Dig Dug'' for [=PCs=] like the [[{{UsefulNotes/IBMPersonalComputer}} IBM-compatible]] shown until 1996's ''Microsoft Return of Arcade'' for [[{{UsefulNotes/MicrosoftWindows}} Windows]]. It's likely the production used the port in ''[[{{VideoGame/NamcoMuseum}} Namco Museum Vol. 3]]'' hooked up to the CRT.

* In Chamillionaire's "Ridin'" video, the lyric goes, "Next to this new chic she like cola, next to the [=PlayStation=] controller." But the controller seen in the girl's hand is clearly an UsefulNotes/XBox controller. See it [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8n7ncJEFuSw here]] (at 0:50).

** Justified again in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoOnline's'' arcade update, which allows you to buy and run a bar that's also a retro arcade[[note]]And a front for the casino robbery being planned in the basement[[/note]], complete with about 15 games you can buy, place in your arcade, and play. These range from games that actually make ''VideoGame/{{Pong}}'' look advanced to games that wouldn't look out of place on the UsefulNotes/{{SNES}} or UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis. There's even a claw machine.

* In ''VideoGame/SonicColors'', each set of stages in Game Land remixes music from the rest of the game to sound like they came out of an NES, though some actually more closely resemble the UsefulNotes/SegaMasterSystem.
* ''VideoGame/{{Shenmue}}'' allowed us to play on old games like ''VideoGame/SpaceHarrier'' either at the arcade (an aversion, since the cabinets are period-accurate) or the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn.
* ''VideoGame/ConkersBadFurDay'' featured one of Conker's idle animations as him pulling out a yellow UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor and playing the GB version of ''VideoGame/KillerInstinct'', immediately recognizable for its world-famous theme music. It also played sometimes Sabrewulf's theme, and Jago's theme from [=KI2=] for no apparent reason whatsoever. In the Xbox remake, ''Conker: Live & Reloaded'', the themes of Cinder, Spinal, Riptor, and T.J. Combo are part of the theme rotation.

* A bizarre self inflicted case in ''VideoGame/Uncharted4AThiefsEnd''. There is an easter egg when Nate plays a ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'' level on a old UsefulNotes/PlayStation, and it involves him trying to beat Elena's high score (with an secret trophy if the player manages it). There is no high score mechanic in the actual release of the game done in the way depicted in the scene (in fact, the score screen is lifted from the box total screen).

** This trope is intentionally used, as Strong Bad seems to have an outdated understanding of technology. He regularly references Atari and NES-style games as if they were the latest thing. However, references to later systems such as the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis and the UsefulNotes/{{Nintendo 64}} have appeared in the series.

* In Webvideo/TheNostalgiaCritic's review of ''[[Film/ThePrincessDiaries The Princess Diaries 2]]'', Hyper Fangirl distracts the Critic with a Wrestling/{{WWE}} game downloaded on the Playstation 3. The title screen shown is from the UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor version of ''WWF Wrestlemania 2000'' and the music and sound effects are from the arcade game ''WWF Wrestlefest''.

** In "Morning Mimosa", Steve has what looks like a UsefulNotes/PlayStation with a wireless controller, but it sounds like something from the early 80s.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheJimmyTimmyPowerHour'': Early in the first special, Timmy is seen playing a video game called ''[[UltraSuperDeathGoreFestChainsawer3000 The Decimator]]''. It's in 3D and comes on a CD, but is played on a "Game Buddy", which resembles the UsefulNotes/GameBoy or Game Boy Color despite both of those devices being cartridge-based and completely incapable of such graphics. As for the gameplay itself, when Timmy downloads the game's files into Goddard, it turns him into a killer humanoid robot who blows things up to progress through levels (in both definitions, as he grows in size and consequently, takes on tougher subjects to a point where he indirectly menaces Retroville by targeting a factory).

* In the "If You're So Smart, Why Aren't You Rich?" episode of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries,'' Edward Nygma has created a video game so popular that a ''multi-billion dollar theme park attraction'' is built based on it. When we see the actual game the graphics are only at UsefulNotes/{{Intellivision}} level. The gameplay is more akin to InteractiveFiction than a video game, and old school interactive fiction to boot. And this version of Gotham City is, if anything, TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture ... May have been intentional, since this would go with the [[AnachronismStew anachronistic style]] of the show's take on Gotham City, where it's clearly the present day and modern tech abounds, but people dress like it's 1930 and TV is broadcast in black and white.

* Parodied in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/StrangeHillHigh'': Mitchell is shown playing with a portable console with 8-bit graphics and chiptune sounds. Later in the episode, that console is referred in dialogue as ''a UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita''.
* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls2016'' has the girls playing a game called "Dragon Wizard Skateboard Fighters". The console they play it on is a mishmash of the UsefulNotes/Xbox360 and the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}, and it doesn't have wireless controllers. Not much is shown of the game but it uses a point-system, the noises sound 8-bit, and the title screen is [[{{retraux}} very 80s looking]] however the customizing scene is drawn in the series' normal style. During the climax scene multiple 8-bit noises are used in the fighting, combined with "combos" and "Game Over" graphics.

** Many games that aim for a late-90's UsefulNotes/PlayStation look tend to exaggerate pixelation and lowered polygon counts to where they look like parodies of a real [=PSOne=] game rather than deliberate emulations. ''VideoGame/BackIn1995'', to name one, looks categorically worse in every way than the ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' and ''Franchise/SilentHill''-flavor of SurvivalHorror games it purports to homage, even the ones that came out well before 1995 like ''VideoGame/AloneInTheDark'' and ''VideoGame/DoctorHauzer'' (though given [[TakeThatAudience the main point of the game]], it might not necessarily be a ''loving'' homage to begin with).

* There's a battery commercial that features a kid playing what looks to be a (fictional) UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance fighting game against his grandpa, and defeating him over and over -- until his batteries start dying on him, allowing his grandpa to turn the tables. The notably true-to-life moment comes when we see the grandpa's character continuing to land sorta-registered blows even as his opponent falls, which seems to indicate that ''someone'' on the team, at least, was doing their homework.

* Doi from ''Manga/WanderingSon'' has a PSP if you look at certain panels. Anna and Maho are shown playing DS' and in an early issue Takatsuki has a UsefulNotes/PlayStation in her room.
* ''Literature/NyarukoCrawlingWithLove'' has an episode that opens with Nyaruko, Cuuko and Hasta playing what is clearly ''VideoGame/MarioKart64''. The game itself is never shown, but the controllers, and their shouts of "Who threw that shell?!" and "The banana! The banana!" make it obvious. The cast's console of choice seems to be the [[UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable PSPs]]; in one episode, Yoriko and Cuko are playing one of the ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'' games (evidenced by Yoriko's remark about using a sound bomb) and in another, Nyarko and Cuko are apparently playing ''Gundam vs. Gundam Next Plus'' (since Cuko mentions "Endless Defense", a tactic from the VideoGame/GundamVsSeries regarded as unfair).

* Played with in the beginning of ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory2''. While the graphics are every bit as advanced as the movie's animation ([[FakeOutOpening and intentionally so,]])[[note]]so much so that some UsefulNotes/{{Xbox 360}} and UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 games look slightly worse or merely ''as good'' a decade later,[[/note]] the "game over" screen puts retro sounding video game music with just the two words "GAME OVER". Also, the system being played is a UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem (albeit with the Super Famicom/European SNES controller), which ''was'' more-or-less current [[ProductionLeadTime when writing began]].

* Averted in ''Film/ScottPilgrimVsTheWorld'', which is expected since the film contains many VideoGameTropes. In an early scene, one of the characters can be seen playing a UsefulNotes/NintendoDS, with music from the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance version of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'' faintly audible. ''A Link to the Past'' DID have a GBA remake (it was originally on the UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem) and the trivia track confirms that the actor was actually really playing the game during that scene, as opposed to just pretending to play it. Later on, we see a FictionalVideoGame titled ''Ninja Ninja Revolution'', which actually looks like a believable arcade game, and is played in a fairly realistic way.

* ''Film/{{Showtime}}'' had Creator/EddieMurphy playing the light gun shooter VideoGame/TotalVice competently for the few seconds its on screen. Interestingly enough, the game itself is so rare that these few seconds were the only widely known footage of the game for nearly 15 years. (The game ran on the faulty sucessor to the UsefulNotes/ThreeDOInteractiveMultiplayer and it was produced in limited quantites)

* In the second ''Literature/DarkestPowers'' book (which was released in 2009), Rae is depicted playing ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'' on a UsefulNotes/NintendoGamecube while at the facility. She complains that it is outdated and says the workers have told her they'll bring a UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} for her soon.

* In Episode Five of ''Series/{{Primeval}}'', Connor plays ''Videogame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion'', with graphics taken from the game, on an UsefulNotes/{{Xbox 360}}. The game was a little old at the time but Connor does call it "a classic" rather than it being something he just got. Indeed the game's age is used as a TearJerker as he sees an old save file from one of his friends who'd recently died.

** An episode has the team protecting a particularly Gibbsian preteen boy. To amuse him, [=McGee=] provides him with an accurately named UsefulNotes/NintendoDS. Only problem? Judging by the sounds, the kid in question is involved in an intense and gripping session of Pictochat. The DS was brand new however, putting it at the point where Pictochat got used before it is forgotten.

* Nicely averted in an episode of ''Series/{{Psych}}''. In order to get on the good side of another police officer, a detective heads to her house on Thanksgiving with the gift of a UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} that he got as seized property during a recent drug bust. He proceeds to play Boxing in ''VideoGame/WiiSports'' accurately with the woman's young cousins, using the punching motion controls, and getting too into it and having the kids complain about how good he is.[[labelnote:*]]It does however fall into cousin trope HollywoodLaw. Unless he got it at a police auction for a completed case, taking seized property anywhere is a ''big'' no-no, especially with him being a ByTheBookCop.[[/labelnote]]

* In an episode of ''Series/{{Threshold}}'', Lucas plays ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' in an unused conference room, having apparently brought his UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}} with him to Threshold. Molly comes in and surprises us with her video game savvy by giving him a tip on killing Jackals. Apart from footage that shows what is clearly multiplayer action, the game is portrayed accurately.

* In Season 1 of ''Series/{{Lost}}'', Sayid and his friends play the [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 PS2]] port of ''VideoGame/HalfLife1'', possibly even preparing for ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'', which would be released later that year (2004).

* The ''Series/{{Community}}'' episode "Contemporary American Poultry" has Abed score the study group a UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 and a copy of ''VideoGame/ModnationRacers''. This is even more impressive considering the game wasn't even out yet at the time the episode aired.

* Averted in "The Games Underfoot" episode of ''Series/{{Elementary}}''. It is about game named "Nottingham Knights" for the Emeryvision, which is an obvious reference to the UsefulNotes/{{Atari 2600}} and ''[[VideoGame/ETTheExtraTerrestrial E.T]]''. The console looks realistic and the way the characters play the games is accurate as well.

* ''Series/KamenRiderExAid'' uses gaming as its overall theme and the basis for its heroes' powers. While it does use HollywoodGameDesign and some anachronistic visuals and sound effects, those appear to be intentional design choices rather than ignorance about the medium -- regarding the outdated visuals and sounds, the Rider designs have a 90's "extreme" aesthetic in general so retro gaming would fit right with that. The Riders' powers are {{Homage}}s ranging from the broad to the specific; for example, Ex-Aid's main powers come from "Mighty Action X", a 2D platformer series that pastiches ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'', ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'', and ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'', while Snipe's MidSeasonUpgrade "Bang Bang Simulations" is a pretty explicit reference to ''VideoGame/KanColle'', outfitting him with battleship "armor" like that game's ship girls and putting an admiral's cap on his head. It also helps that the franchise's MerchandiseDriven nature gives it ties to a real-life game developer, Creator/BandaiNamcoEntertainment,[[note]]Bandai produces the ''Kamen Rider'' toyline[[/note]] meaning production has easy access to both people with first-hand experience in the industry and the rights to include actual Namco games and hardware on occasion - its first crossover movie even has ''VideoGame/PacMan himself'' as a guest star, a UsefulNotes/WonderSwan is occasionally seen in {{Flash Back}}s, and tie-in materials give the Riders powerups based on Namco classics like ''Pac-Man'', ''VideoGame/{{Xevious}}'', ''[[VideoGame/RBIBaseball Family Stadium]]'', ''VideoGame/TaikoNoTatsujin'', and ''VideoGame/{{Galaxian}}''.

* ''Webcomic/MegaTokyo'' makes lots of references to gaming technology that does not (yet?) exist in the real world, such as the UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, [[VideoGame/DanceDanceRevolution Mosh Mosh Revolution]] ("Tohya, what's a mosh?") and a RobotGirl accessory for DatingSim games.

* ''WebVideo/TheGuild'', consisting largely of references to a game similar to ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' (by a writer who [[JustForFun/OneOfUs was addicted to it for several years]]) obviously averts this for the most part. It seems like it falls into this trope with Tinkerballa, who's constantly playing a UsefulNotes/NintendoDS with old-school ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' sounds... but it's very likely she's playing ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBros1'', which [[{{Retraux}} makes heavy use of the classic 8-bit sounds.]]

** Older games have also been referenced accurately in the works of Creator/SethMacFarlane, due to his AuthorAppeal for the age in which he grew up. ''Tetris'', ''Super Mario Bros.'' and the UsefulNotes/ColecoVision have been portrayed faithfully in his shows.

** Steven himself owns a [[UsefulNotes/NintendoGamecube Gamecube]] (called a Dolphin in universe, the original codename for the system) and [[https://i.redditmedia.com/qs2TcaAvEMdjEC32Bv0pZbHwtUlSOWsMsarM4EnLszE.png?w=404&s=fd1e8467c60b6a449bc62d407428ec27 has some games based off real ones.]] This is an outdated console given the 2010s atmosphere of the series, but that's completely understandable given Steven's unique situation (being a gamer is not likely a part of his identity so he'd have no reason to upgrade hastily). The movie adds a Playstation 2 to his collection.
** Zig-zagged in the episode "Rose's Room" when Steven plays a 2-D, top-down RPG which heavily resembles [[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue the very first Pokemon games]][[note]]and contains elements based on several other assorted games as well[[/note]], albeit about mini golf instead of monster collecting, on what's clearly a UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 (up until 2019, all main Pokemon games have been for handhelds). The same episode also ''very accurately'' depicts the real life experience of being in the middle of an un-pausable, plot-relevant cutscene, which you have never seen before, only for your family to walk in at the worst possible moment, talking loudly over the dialogue and (unwittingly) blocking the screen, all the while trying to talk to you. The latter helps set the episode's plot in motion, as the incident causes Steven to want to go somewhere private where he can play in peace.
** Sour Cream owns Game Boys, [[http://66.media.tumblr.com/2fb8817977d6e7899a31f3b1c166785d/tumblr_nvhspg4mFl1uwt9qlo1_1280.jpg including the]] UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance. But in this case, he uses them as part of a DJ setup to play chiptune-style music. This is also TruthInTelevision: actual {{Chiptune}} artists very often use a bunch of retro consoles, including Game Boys, either hacked or equipped with independent softwares like LSDJ, when playing live sets in the same way Sour Cream does.

* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/RobTheRobot'' has the kids enter a video game that looks like a real licensed game of the series that wouldn't look out of place on the UsefulNotes/NintendoWii or even the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch. The graphics are smooth and mesh with the show's usual artstyle, and there is a lives counter at the top of the screen which goes gray as the kids [[DwindlingParty lose the one life they are given, one by one]].

* ''Anime/{{Kurenai}}'' has [[TokenMiniMoe Murasaki]] playing on (and breaking) a DS, and the game is shown to be ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaPhantomHourglass Phantom Hourglass]]''.

* One episode of ''The Creator/TyraBanks Show'' features a married couple having a falling out because of the husband's ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' addiction. The "solution" to this? Have the husband take the ''[=WoW=]'' CD and put it through an extra-strength shredder! Except the CD only installs the game, and ''World of Warcraft'' runs on a monthly subscription system; to really cut himself off from the game he'd also have to uninstall it from his PC and cancel his subscription. And even if shredding the CD prevents him from reinstalling the game, nothing is stopping him from simply buying another one. Also a case of TechnologyMarchesOn, as the most common way of installing ''[=WoW=]'' nowadays is just downloading the game off of Blizzard's website.[[note]][[AcceptableBreaksFromReality There is some justification for this.]] If the husband was playing on a desktop PC as opposed to a laptop, bringing that to the studio -- keyboard, mouse, tower, and monitor -- just to demonstrably uninstall and unsubscribe from the game would've been a massive undertaking. Plus, said PC would've had to be connected to the Internet while on the set for the "unsubscribe" part, although the studio could've hypothetically used an in-house PC for that instead. In all likelyhood, the husband may have already done the uninstall and unsubscribe steps or done so after filming when he got back home, and the CD-shredding was just a symbolic gesture.[[/note]]