Line #18 Main/InGameTV


1	Video games these days often try to do a lot of things to increase immersion and make the world feel more alive. These include things like physics on various objects in the world, having characters in the background hold conversations the player can overhear, and various other titbits of reality that are put into the game. Sometimes, it even includes a TV with actual "shows" [[http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2004/09/27/ the player can watch]].
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3	TV sets have existed in games for decades, as a background prop in most cases. As the player walked by, a TV could be seen in the background, which often display static, nothing at all, or a simple looping animation.
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5	But in some, especially rare, cases, the TV would display an actual "show". It might be only a few minutes long, but that's a few minutes longer than what other games show on their [=TVs=].
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7	'''Note: Only examples where the player can actually '''''watch''''' the TV directly count. Do not add examples of a show merely being mentioned.'''
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9	Compare InGameNovel.
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11	Not to be confused with ShowWithinAShow.
12	----
13	!Examples:
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15	[[foldercontrol]]
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17	[[folder:Adventure]]
18	* One of the earliest examples--possibly the UrExample--occurs in ''VideoGame/TheJourneymanProject 2: Buried in Time'', which includes a futuristic TV in Gage Blackwood's pad, on which you can watch a news program and view commercials.
19	* ''VideoGame/DestroyAllHumans'' comes with two SoBadItsGood 1950s B-movies for you to watch: ''Film/Plan9FromOuterSpace'' and ''Film/TeenagersFromOuterSpace''.
20	* ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots'' has the creepiest television ever. Cookery shows which use benzene! Advertising which emphasizes self-poisoning! The least creepy was the CelebrityParadox-causing "Celebrity Moralist" short, and even that was horrible.
21	* ''VideoGame/NormalityINC'' had a TV, but it only showed MediaNotes/{{Teletext}}.
22	* In ''VideoGame/InFamous'', the trials of Cole are [[spoiler: misleadingly]] broadcast about by the TV Jacker. Also, you can watch the news that vehemently denies the existence of superpowers.
23	** Continued in [[VideoGame/InFamous2 the second game]], where the news reports on the seemingly unstoppable progress of [[spoiler: the Beast]], while not actually reporting anything specific. There's also the militia broadcasts, but they're more propaganda than entertaining.
24	* In ''VideoGame/HeavyRain'', there are several [=TVs=] that show cartoons that you, the player, can actually watch, while another character is watching them. The cartoons are each several minutes long.
25	* In ''VideoGame/AlanWake'', there are plenty of [=TVs=] scattered throughout Bright Falls. Some of them provide insight into Alan's story while advancing the plot, and some simply screen a show called [[PunnyName Night Springs]]. These Twilight Zone-esque shorts are actually fairly well-written and are entertaining to seek out and watch. Oh, and there's an [[BraggingRightsReward achievement]] in it for you if you find them all.
26	* [=TVs=] in ''VideoGame/BeyondGoodAndEvil'' broadcast propaganda from the Alpha Sections.
27	* Not necessarily ''tv'' but in VideoGame/LANoire, while driving in your car, radio dramas will occasionally play, often five to ten minutes long of actual material before going to commercials.
28	* Watching Kyle's TV in ''VisualNovel/LastWindow'' provides insight into the electoral campaign, which ultimately ties into the ongoing plot.
29	[[/folder]]
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31	[[folder:Beat 'Em Up]]
32	* VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes featured Travis's TV where he could watch wrestling videos to learn new moves. The player however, couldn't see the actual footage. In ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes2DesperateStruggle'', you could watch the E3 trailer, play a game based on Travis's favorite anime, Pure White Lover Bizarre Jelly, and also watch a video of the {{moe}} show.
33	[[/folder]]
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35	[[folder:First Person Shooter]]
36	* ''VideoGame/TheDarkness'' actually allowed players to watch all of the movies ''Film/ToKillAMockingbird'' and ''Film/TheManWithTheGoldenArm'' on a TV, along with the ''[[Film/FlashGordonSerial Flash Gordon]]'' film serial.
37	* ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'' has the 1984-esque "Breencasts" starring Wallace Breen visible on a multitude of screens throughout City 17 and outlying areas. Valve actually did something revolutionary with their Source rendering engine, by being one of the first allowing the texture on a surface to be a 2-D rendering of a scene animated somewhere else. Thus, every time there's a Breencast, there's a little unreachable map section with Breen talking to a camera.
38	** Driven home through judicious use of cheat codes. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RC5AGKMdLok&feature=related There's a video on YouTube]] where a guy no-clipped through the walls of an area, tracked down Breen's "studio", and shot him. He later ran across a TV that was supposed to be showing a Breencast, and it showed an empty room [[BlackComedy with blood on the walls instead]].
39	** Done again in Episode One where Gordon and Alyx watch a video recorded by Dr. Mossman that takes place far away from the game's current geographic location. The in game commentary will actually zoom the camera to another part of the map that shows the video you watch is being played out and is not really a recording by the game.
40	* At the beginning of ''VideoGame/{{Doom 3}}'', the player can watch a news broadcast on a TV at the cafeteria. There are also a few propaganda announcements on how groundbreaking and "safe" the UAC is.
41	* Most stages in ''VideoGame/TheConduit'' include television screens or radios featuring broadcasts that last several minutes.
42	[[/folder]]
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44	[[folder:RPG]]
45	* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'':
46	** ''VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl'' and ''Platinum'' editions actually let you watch TV and learn about an outbreak of Pokémon appearing and the news tells you where the Pokémon have appeared, giving you an opportunity to snag some rare ones. The TV also plays some documentaries related to basic game mechanics, as well as shows about your exploits. It's possible to screw with them by talking to the TV station crew and giving nonsense answers to the interview.
47	** This also happened in ''VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire'' and ''Emerald''. In that game, swapping records with other players would also get you stories about their exploits.
48	** In ''[=FireRed=]'' and ''[=LeafGreen=]'' (remakes of the original ''VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue'') there's a key item named the "Teachy TV" that's ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: it's a portable TV that broadcasts info on the basics of the game, like catching Pokémon.
49	** ''VideoGame/PokemonColosseum'' and ''XD'' have the camera zoom in on the TV to show news reports, complete with a rather realistic-sounding "News Bulletin" jingle.
50	** Watching TV is the main focus of ''VideoGame/PokemonChannel''.
51	** ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'' have a TV you can watch. Unlike the previous games, the swarms aren't on TV. However, lessons on items and abilities, as well as [[GratuitousJapanese Japanese lessons]], do show up sometimes.
52	* ''VideoGame/VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines'' has a TV set in the player's haven, which shows a newscast detailing the latest in-game happenings and quest hooks. Not only that, if you are a [[MadOracle Malkavian]], you can actually [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThyD2ikS9SY talk to the newscaster]].
53	** Even better, by activating the noclip cheat, you can actually ''get into'' the newscaster's studio, just to see how many corners were cut to actually make his appearance on the screen look fairly realistic. Also, [[EasterEgg there was a money clip on the floor of the studio with a few hundred bucks in it]], just for the folk that decided to visit.
54	* In ''[[VideoGame/DotHackGUGames .hack//G.U.]]'', there is the Internet series, "Online Jack", that contains some details about the characters and story that you won't find out otherwise (not counting in the real life Internet of course).
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57	[[folder:Simulation]]
58	* The ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon'' series usually has a TV you can watch. In some cases, it's something like the TV equivalent of a PamphletShelf--the "shows" are short and silly. In others, they're still short, but they form a complete story-- for example, ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonFriendsOfMineralTown'' has "My Fair Princess", a fairy-tale show about a princess and a Demon Lord, which actually has its own little story arc. (In ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonDS'', you can actually get the full show on DVD and "watch" all the episodes.)
59	* Similarly, ''VideoGame/StardewValley'' has a TV with multiple useful channels, covering weather, luck, cooking recipes, and gameplay tips. You can also unlock a movie theater and invite friends (one movie per season on a two-year cycle, plus a concession stand and a crane minigame with new decoration items).
60	* In ''VideoGame/TheSims2'' and ''VideoGame/TheSims3'', one could watch various Simlish channels on television sets. These variably showed a network television channel depicting a reality show and a doctor drama (where the characters bear a strong resemblance to Luka and Sam from ''Series/{{ER}}''), a children's programming channel, a cooking channel, or a sports channel in the University expansion pack of ''The Sims 2'', all of which ran commercials.
61	* While all ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'' games have TV sets, those of ''City Folk'' and ''New Leaf'' are on a schedule according to the day of the week and time.
62	* In ''VideoGame/{{Webkinz}}'', if you buy a TV for your pet, you can watch three different shows. The first is The Secret Chef, hosted by Chef Gazpacho, which serves a purpose in showing off different recipes you can make (although sometimes one of the ingredients is wrong, and you'll have to figure out the correct one yourself). The Monkey & Monkey Show is a stand-up comedy show. Both of these have a few episodes each and full voice acting. The last is Winners' Shows, which are [[OfficialFanSubmittedContent skits made in the Webkinz Studio that have won contests hosted by Webkinz]], and thus vary in genre.
63	* One of the many, many GameMods for ''VideoGame/{{Rimworld}}'' gives you the ability to create your own simple shows from static images and have them play on the TV sets you can buy or construct. Can be found [[https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1685381492 here]].
64	* ''VideoGame/AirplaneMode'' is about being a passenger in an airplane. The in-flight entertainment not only includes blackjack and solitaire, but you can also watch two movies and a public domain ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoon.
65	[[/folder]]
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67	[[folder:Third Person Shooter]]
68	* In ''VideoGame/{{Control}}'', you will occasionally come across instructional films recorded by the head scientist Dr. Darling, which helps [[MrExposition fill in]] some of the background of the story and the Oldest House. There's also a [[SubvertedKidsShow creepy low-budget puppet show]] called ''Threshold Kids'' created by some of the Bureau's employees.
69	* The ''VideoGame/MaxPayne'' series had several shows you could watch, reaching its peak in ''Max Payne 2''. "Address Unknown" was a creepy psychological thriller that surreality paralleled Max's own struggle, and "Lords and Ladies" was a costume drama/soap opera, both of which had their own story arcs that progressed throughout the game. "Dick Justice" was a blaxploitation spoof of the first ''Max Payne''. There was also "Captain Baseball Bat Boy," one of Vinnie Gognitti's favorites, actually a multi-media franchise that appears frequently as a comic series in the first game. In addition to that, a room in Woden's secret [[HeadTiltinglyKinky S&M dungeon]] in the ASGARD building in the first game allows you to tune in to an episode of a Star Trek knockoff. ''Max Payne 2'' also briefly featured a TV depicting a porn movie called ''Max Heat 8''.
70	** Something worthy of note is that every new TV you come across during ''Max Payne 2'' has a new episode of a certain show. After it ends (or if you turn it off and back on), only commercials play, so it's impossible to watch everything in one "sitting".
71	* ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV'' had a TV with a lot of different shows that could be watched. It even had two theaters with live shows that the player could watch onstage, one of which featured Ricky Gervais and Katt Williams doing standup.
72	* In ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' you can watch the news on television sets, and even get personalized ads!
73	** The extranet terminals mostly give you galactic news and relatively normal ads, but you occasionally run across ads for [[ShowWithinAShow a TV series starring Blasto, the first Hanar Spectre]].
74	* ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption'' has some old shorts that John can watch on film projectors (complete with dialogue cards and period music), as well as old-time cartoons.
75	* ''VideoGame/{{Messiah}}'' has a couple of news reports, playing on large street screens or on the citizens' [=TVs=].
76	* Every game in the ''Franchise/{{Splatoon}}'' series often greets the player with a news show hosted by an idol group whenever the game is booted. Depicted on a giant street screen, the news will showcase the current stages in rotation, game updates, as well as the occasional Splatfest news, and even give players a hint about Story mode's events whenever they're starting for the first time. In the first two games, the news is practically a mandatory thing to watch, as you're gonna have to spam the A button if you want to head straight to gameplay. This becomes averted by the [[VideoGame/Splatoon3 third game]], where Inklings watch the news on their phones instead as well as given the ability to skip the news and wander while the news is still playing (However, Splatfest-related news cannot be skipped.)
77	[[/folder]]

Context Main / InGameTV