History ShowWithinAShow / VideoGames

* The VisualNovel series called Choices: The Stories You Play, has one of the stories, ''VisualNovel/TheCrownAndTheFlame'', treated in ''VisualNovel/TheFreshman'' as both a tv series and a series of doorstopper novels.

* ''[[VideoGame/MarioParty Mario Party Advance]]'' has a show called ''Toad Force V'', which is about a robotic Toad named Jack and his partner, the heroine Britney, who is [[spoiler:more popular]]. Together, they fight villains such as the Spore King and Toxic Toad Z. The show is so extremely popular that there are a few quests related to this show. It is also mentioned several times in the game.

* In the second chapter of VisualNovel/SuperDanganRonpa2, Monokuma presents the students with a doujin game called Twilight Syndrome, which functions as ShmuckBait: completing the game reveals a motive to kill, but if you choose [[ParanoiaFuel not to play and someone else does, then you might be in danger and not know about it]]. It was revealed that the game revolves around [[spoiler: the death of Fuyuhiko's sister along with the death of Sato who was the killer for Fuyuhiko's sister.]]

* VideoGame/SaintsRow 3 and 4 (in addition to the ''Nyteblade'' show in type 2 example), gives us [[WordSaladTitle Professor Genki's Super Ethical Reality Climax]], which is an example of types 1, 2, 3, and arguably 4 all rolled into one. [[GameShowHost Professor Genki]] is the host/mascot the show, itself is a Japanese game show similar to Series/TakeshisCastle but with firearms and various mascots trying to kill the contestants as they try to get through a colorful, bizarre obstacle course before the timer runs out. The Saints are fans of the show (type 2), and participation is a [[MiniGame gang activity]] which increases control over Steel port...somehow (type 1), with an entire expansion pack devoted to a Superbowl-esque event in which the Saints Boss participates (types 1 and 3), and, finally, the general bloody antics and anarchy the player gets up to is roughly similar to the regular gameplay, and [[UpToEleven way past 11]] (type 4).

* The big reveal of ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony'' is that [[spoiler:[[TrumanShowPlot the killing game itself is one of these]], and the kids are the stars. It's part of a long-running franchise of reality shows called ''New Danganronpa'', which was conceptually based on the success of the in-universe Hope's Peak Saga games and anime. The mastermind deliberately styled the victims so they'd match the archetypes in their favorite series. To make matters worse, everyone [[TomatoInTheMirror turned out to be such a big fan of the series]] that they'd willingly get mindwiped and have their personality overwritten so they can get on the show. Let's just say the survivors weren't too pleased to figure that last part out.]]

* The big reveal of ''VisualNovel/NewDanganronpaV3'' is that [[spoiler:[[TrumanShowPlot the killing game itself is one of these]], and the kids are the stars. It's part of a long-running franchise of reality shows called ''New Danganronpa'', which was conceptually based on The Hope's Peak Saga. The mastermind deliberately styled the victims so they'd match the archetypes in their favorite series. To make matters worse, everyone [[TomatoInTheMirror turned out to be such a big fan of the series]] that they'd willingly get mindwiped and have their personality overwritten so they can get on the show.]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Splatoon}}'' has Inkopolis News, a news show hosted by the Squid Sisters, Callie and Marie. Its primary purpose is to report which battle stages are currently available on the online modes, as well as information on the Splatfest events. When you start the game for the first time, the duo will also report on the disappearance of the Great Zapfish, a crucial plot point in the game's story mode. Upon clearing the game for the first time, a news segment plays reporting the return of the Great Zapfish. This news broadcast returns in VideoGame/Splatoon2, serving the same purpose but now hosted by Pearl and Marina.

* ''VideoGame/{{Splatoon}}'' has Inkopolis News, a news show hosted by the Squid Sisters, Callie and Marie. Its primary purpose is to report which battle stages are currently available on the online modes, as well as information on the Splatfest events. When you start the game for the first time, the duo will also report on the disappearance of the Great Zapfish, a crucial plot point in the game's story mode. Upon clearing the game for the first time, a news segment plays reporting the return of the Great Zapfish.

* ''Night Springs'' in ''VideoGame/AlanWake'', an obvious pastiche of ''Series/TheTwilightZone'', which Alan wrote a few episodes of before writing novels, as his manager [[PluckyComicRelief Barry]] later mentions. It fits type two as well, as Alan gets to watch the show on certain TV sets during the course of the game.

* ''Deathwatch'', the LethalGameshow within ''VideoGame/MadWorld''; Jack is a contestant.

* In the bonus rounds of SonicTheHedgehogSpinball, Sonic operates an actual pinball machine, in what looks like Las Vegas. You can see his reflection in the glass, and his eyes and hands even move as you play.

* The ''VideoGame/HalfLife''/''VideoGame/CounterStrike''/''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'' universe and the ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' universe are [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall video games within]] ''Left 4 Dead'''s reality. When picking up a crowbar, Louis may say "I feel like Gordon Freeman!"; when picking up an SMG, he might say "This is just like ''Counter-Strike''!"; and he has a [[FaceOfTheBand Heavy]] bobble head on his desk.

* ''[[VisualNovel/TokimekiMemorial Tokimeki Memorial 2]]'' is the host of several Shows Within a Show: "Super Dragon Warrior" (Chou Senshi Dragon, a HotBlooded SuperSentai series), "Go-Driller" (a HotBlooded SuperRobot anime), "Space Idol Love-Love Star" (Uchuu Idol Love-Love Star, a MagicalGirl series), and "Protuding-navel Kero Kero" (Kero Kero Debeso, an anime). Homura Akai is a ''big'' fan of the first two, to the point of mimicing the Dragon Warrior's special kick and [[ThisIsADrill wielding drills]] just like Go-Driller ; Mei Ijuin likes the second too ; Miyuki Kotobuki is an avid fan of the third ; and Miho Shirayuki ''adores'' the fourth.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory'' world in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'', Rex is a fan of ''Venom Rex'', a ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV'' {{expy}}, where the main character, Yozora (a Noctis {{expy}}), apparently resembles Sora, and is accompanied by his friends, the shield-carrying Aegis and sorcerer Magia. From the same game are Gigas, a type of mecha enemy prominently featured in the game, which also have toys based off of them that Sora and co. end up fighting. Presumably, they're Magitek {{expy}}s. [[spoiler:The secret ending implies Yozora is RealAfterAll]].

* In the ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory'' world in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'', Rex is a fan of a ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV'' {{expy}}, where the main character, Yozora (a Noctis {{expy}}), apparently resembles Sora, and is accompanied by his friends, the shield-carrying Aegis and sorcerer Magia. From the same game are Gigas, a type of mecha enemy prominently featured in the game, which also have toys based off of them that Sora and co. end up fighting. Presumably, they're Magitek {{expy}}s.

** Later, the characters come across a toyline based on the real-life figures made for ''[[VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy2015 Dissidia Final Fantasy NT]]'' -- which makes this a case of RecursiveCanon as well, since it's been shown that ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' characters also exist in the ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts'' universe.

* ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'': Alphys is a huge fan of ''Mew Mew Kissy Cutie'', an anime, though she doesn't like the sequel. Said anime is only discussed, however.

* Being an AffectionateParody of the video game industri as a whole, the ''VideoGame/{{Neptunia}}'' series feature plenty of in-universe games that are parodies of real-life video games. Most of these go unnamed and are only indirectly mentioned with phrases like "[[VideoGame/MarioParty that plumber's party game]]" or "[[VideoGame/LittleBigPlanet a little big]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LittleBigPlanet_Karting racer]]", but one that gets mentioned from time to time is ''[[VideoGame/{{Pokemon}} Pocketed Monstrosities]]''. On the non-parody side, there's the in-universe MMORPG ''4 Goddesses Online'', which was eventually partially [[{{Defictionalization}} defictionalized]] as ''VideoGame/CyberdimensionNeptunia4GoddessesOnline''.

* A radio show on ''VideoGame/Fallout3'' featured "adventurer Herbert Dashwood and his stalwart ghoul manservant, Argyle." In each episode Herbert's bumbling landed them in situations Argyle would singlehandedly extract them from. The player could meet Herbert in game, who claimed he wasn't really that big of a fool but admitted Argyle was most certainly a badass. You can find Argyl's corpse in Rockopolis. He fell trying to escape from the slavers, (which Dashwood accidentally led to Rockopolis) and the population of Rockopolis which Dashwood barely escaped from, the news of which will crush Dashwood.

* Matt Miller from ''VideoGame/SaintsRowTheThird'' and ''VideoGame/SaintsRowIV'' is a fan of ''Nyteblayde'', a cheesy action-drama adapted from a comic book about a [[HunterOfHisOwnKind vampire-hunter turned vampire]]. Overlaps with Type 1 as one of the major [=NPCs=] from ''The Third'', Josh Birk, plays Nyteblayde on TV.

* A radio show on ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'' featured "adventurer Herbert Dashwood and his stalwart ghoul manservant, Argyle." In each episode Herbert's bumbling landed them in situations Argyle would singlehandedly extract them from. The player could meet Herbert in game, who claimed he wasn't really that big of a fool but admitted Argyle was most certainly a badass. You can find Argyl's corpse in Rockopolis. He fell trying to escape from the slavers, (which Dashwood accidentally led to Rockopolis) and the population of Rockopolis which Dashwood barely escaped from, the news of which will crush Dashwood.

* ''VideoGame/AceCombat5TheUnsungWar'' is both "characters are fans" and "PlotParallel" with the book ''A Blue Dove for the Princess.'' It fits into the "characters are fans" category in that the book in question belongs to Nagase, and is her favorite story from her childhood. It becomes a plot parallel as the exploits of the protagonist squadron, Wardog, begin to coincide with the story of the "Demon of Razgriz" from the book.[[labelnote:Demon's Story]]"When history witnesses a great change, Razgriz reveals itself, first as a dark demon. As a demon, it uses its power to rain death upon the land, and then it does. However, after a period of slumber, Razgriz returns, this time as a great hero."[[/labelnote]] Several characters make note of this, including the squadron's enemies, who begin referring to them as the "Demons of Razgriz," and the squadron officially adopts the name [[spoiler: after their rebirth.]]

* Zig-zagged between this and "Characters are Fans" in ''VideoGame/AceCombat5TheUnsungWar'' with the book ''A Blue Dove for the Princess.'' It fits into the "characters are fans" category in that the book in question belongs to Nagase, and is her favorite story from her childhood. It becomes a plot parallel as the exploits of the protagonist squadron, Wardog, begin to coincide with the story of the "Demon of Razgriz" from the book.[[labelnote:Demon's Story]]"When history witnesses a great change, Razgriz reveals itself, first as a dark demon. As a demon, it uses its power to rain death upon the land, and then it does. However, after a period of slumber, Razgriz returns, this time as a great hero."[[/labelnote]] Several characters make note of this, including the squadron's enemies, who begin referring to them as the "Demons of Razgriz," and the squadron officially adopts the name [[spoiler: after their rebirth.]]

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII Crisis Core'' has both the book and the play version of ''Loveless'', which has already been established as a play in the original game. Resident VillainSue Genesis is a huge fan of the book, to the point of basing his rebellion around it and wandering dangerously close to having Otakukin type thoughts regarding he and his friends reliving the story. In an interesting case of [[TruthInTelevision Truth in Video Games]], the player can meet up with fans of the book who complain about the AdaptationDecay and MisaimedFandom of the play version.

* ''VideoGame/{{SUPERHOT}}'' is a game InUniverse that your friend sent you and recommended you to play, [[spoiler:which is what you also do with your friends at the end of the game, [[AssimilationPlot but in a much darker context]].

* In ''VideoGame/Fallout4,'' you find a radio station dedicated to a serial entitled "The Silver Shroud." Not only was the PC a fan before the Great War, you can find the costume and prop gun, bring it to a guy named "Kent," who modifies them into functional armor and weaponry, and act it out on Goodneighbor's local gang of drug-pushing thugs (who inexplicably wear Prewar three-peice suits for the "30's gangster" vibe) during the quest ''The Silver Shroud.''

* While never outright stated, it's FanOn that everyone in ''VideoGame/Fallout3'' loves the ''Herbert "Daring" Dashwood'' radio serial. You can even meet the man himself during a certain sidequest, although it's not a plot point.
** In ''VideoGame/Fallout4,'' you find a radio station dedicated to a serial entitled "The Silver Shroud." Not only was the PC a fan before the Great War, you can find the costume and prop gun, bring it to a guy named "Kent," who modifies them into functional armor and weaponry, and act it out on Goodneighbor's local gang of drug-pushing thugs (who inexplicably wear Prewar three-peice suits for the "30's gangster" vibe) during the quest ''The Silver Shroud.''

** ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV'' features television programmes that can be watched, including complete episodes of in-game series ''Republican Space Rangers'', ''The Serrated Edge'', ''Princess Robot Bubblegum (In Episodes from Liberty City)'' and a history of Liberty City. ''The Men's Room'' is a talk show matching a CampGay host with [[MixedMartialArts MMA legend Bas Rutten]].