History YMMV / Gamer

* FetishRetardant: Everything that happens in "Society". ''Everything''. Most likely {{Justified}} considering 1) they're all mind-controlled human beings, adding a layer of creepiness to them, and 2) if you give people the freedom to do whatever they want, that includes things [[BrainBleach no one else wanted to see or do]].

* SpiritualLicensee:

* {{Narm}}: Everyone gratuitously swearing all the time is obviously meant to convey how desensitized and degenerated society has become [[note]]Not to mention a subtle reference to the amount of swearing done by most people who play online multiplayer-focused games[[/note]], but chances are that you will be pressed not to find it utterly hilarious as the end result is that pretty much every character either sound like drunken sailors or teenagers who have just discovered the concept of swearing.

* FetishRetardant: Everything that happens in "Society". ''Everything''. Most likely {{Justified}} considering 1) they're all mind-controlled human beings, adding a layer of UncannyValley to them, and 2) if you give people the freedom to do whatever they want, that includes things [[BrainBleach no one else wanted to see or do]].

* {{Narm}}: Everyone gratuitously swearing all the time is obviously meant to convey how desensitized and degenerated society has become [[note]]Not to mention a subtle reference to the amount of swearing done by most people who play online multiplayer-focused games[[/note]] , but chances are that you will pressed not to find it utterly hilarious for all the wrong reasons.

* TheWoobie: Society is full of them.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: Both the trailer and the actual movie make great usage of Music/MarilynManson's cover of "Sweet Dreams."

** [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Ken Castle]] is a billionaire technology magnate in a dystopian future. He develops an indulge-every-depravity-you-want-short-of-murder game called ''Society'' using brainwashed, destitute people as the players' avatars. His second game, ''Slayers'', is a death match where [[CondemnedContestant condemned prisoners]] kill each other in an enclosed warzone. If they're running low on participants, Castle will frame them if necessary. If a prisoner can survive 30 rounds they'll be released, but he has no intention of honoring this arrangement and plans to kill anyone who makes it that far. He ultimately wants to [[MassHypnosis brainwash most of the planet]] to be his slaves and rob them of anything even resembling free will. He takes over John "Kable" Tillman's body to force him to slit his little girl's throat. Completely [[LackOfEmpathy lacking empathy]] for anyone, he sees people mostly as toys to play with and destroy as he sees fit.

* CrazyAwesome: The dance number/fight scene in Castle's mansion. It almost redeems the movie of [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot wasting a perfectly good plot.]]

* SoBleakItsBoring: The characters in this movie are either [[TheSociopath sociopathic]] [[CompleteMonster monsters,]] obnoxious [[{{Jerkass}} jerkasses]], or people who are so [[FlatCharacter one-dimensional]] that it's very hard to care for them. Kable isn't safe either, as he too is a psychopath even outside of "Slayers", willing to kill random people, and snaps Rick Rape's spine [[DisproportionateRetribution just because he was hitting on his wife,]] [[DesignatedHero even though Rick wasn't in control of his actions.]] The only real likable character is [[RootingForTheEmpire Ken]] [[DracoInLeatherPants Castle]], mainly because of Michael C. Hall's [[HamAndCheese gloriously silly performance.]] And he's the friggin' villain.

* DarknessInducedAudienceApathy: The characters in this movie are either [[TheSociopath sociopathic]] [[CompleteMonster monsters,]] obnoxious [[{{Jerkass}} jerkasses]], or people who are so [[FlatCharacter one-dimensional]] that it's very hard to care for them. Kable isn't safe either, as he too is a psychopath even outside of "Slayers", willing to kill random people, and snaps Rick Rape's spine [[DisproportionateRetribution just because he was hitting on his wife,]] [[DesignatedHero even though Rick wasn't in control of his actions.]] The only real likable character is [[RootingForTheEmpire Ken]] [[DracoInLeatherPants Castle]], mainly because of Michael C. Hall's [[HamAndCheese gloriously silly performance.]] And he's the friggin' villain.

* DarknessInducedAudienceApathy: The characters in this movie are either [[TheSociopath sociopathic]] [[CompleteMonster monsters,]] obnoxious [[{{Jerkass}} jerkasses]], or people who are so [[FlatCharacter one-dimensional]] that it's very hard to care for them. Kable isn't safe either, as he too is a psychopath even outside of "Slayers", willing to kill random people, and snaps Rick Rape's spine [[DisproportionateRetribution just because he was hitting on his wife,]] [[DesignatedHero even though Rick wasn't in control of his actions.]] The only real likable character is [[RootingForTheEmpire Ken Castle]], mainly because of Michael C. Hall's [[HamAndCheese gloriously silly performance.]] And he's the friggin' villain.

* DarknessInducedAudienceApathy: The characters in this movie are either [[TheSociopath sociopathic]] [[CompleteMonster monsters,]] obnoxious [[{{Jerkass}} jerkasses]], or people who are so [[FlatCharacter one-dimensional]] that it's very hard to care for them. Kable isn't safe either, as he too is a psychopath even outside of "Slayers", willing to kill random people, and snaps Rick Rape's spine [[DisproportionateRetribution just because he was hitting on his wife,]] [[DesignatedHero even though Rick wasn't in control of his actions.]] The only real likable character is Ken Castle, mainly because of Michael C. Hall's [[HamAndCheese gloriously silly performance.]] And he's the friggin' villain.

** [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Ken Castle]] is a billionaire technology magnate in a dystopian future. He develops an indulge-every-depravity-you-want-short-of-murder game called ''Society'' using brainwashed, destitute people as the players' avatars. His second game, ''Slayers'', is a death match where [[CondemnedContestant condemned prisoners]] kill each other in an enclosed warzone. If they're running low on participants, Castle will frame them if necessary. If a prisoner can survive 30 rounds they'll be released, but he has no intention of honoring this arrangement and plans to kill anyone who makes it that far. He ultimately wants to [[MassHypnosis brainwash most of the planet]] to be his slaves and rob them of anything even resembling free will. He takes over [[TheProtagonist Kable]]'s body to force him to slit his little girl's throat. Completely [[LackOfEmpathy lacking empathy]] for anyone, he sees people mostly as toys to play with and destroy as he sees fit.

* FetishRetardant: Everything that happens in "Society". Everything.

* ValuesResonance: Ed Zitron, writing for ''The Concourse'', [[https://theconcourse.deadspin.com/gamer-was-a-batshit-great-bad-movie-that-was-a-decade-a-1833034814 described the film]] as being "a decade ahead of its time" in its portrayal of its tech industry villain (before public opinion had truly soured on Silicon Valley), as well as its dystopian depiction of the "gig economy" as manifested in Society.

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: When Kable/Tillman finally confronts the BigBad, Castle breaks into a choreographed dance number.

* {{Narm}}: Everyone gratuitously swearing all the time is obviously meant to convey how desensitised and degenerated society has become [[note]]Not to mention a subtle reference to the amount of swearing done by most people who play online multiplayer-focused games[[/note]] , but chances are that you will pressed not to find it utterly hilarious for all the wrong reasons.

** The movie is also the closest thing we'll ever get to ''VideoGame/UnrealTournament: the movie''. {{Condemned contestant}}s being forced to kill other people for their enjoyment, as well as some of them being promised freedom should they won? Check. A multimillionaire leading a MegaCorp who is behind the game and makes everyone fight for their lives for his and everyone else's enjoyment? Check. The only missing thing, aside of the ''VideoGame/SecondLife'' shenanigans? [[spoiler:A robot or armored human as the FinalBoss]].

* TheWoobie: Society is full of them.

** [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Ken Castle]] is a billionaire technology magnate in a dystopian future. He develops an indulge-every-depravity-you-want-short-of-murder game called ''Society'' using brainwashed, destitute people as the players' avatars. His second game, ''Slayers'', is a death match where [[CondemnedContestant condemned prisoners]] have to kill each other in an enclosed warzone. If they're running low on participants, Castle will frame them if necessary. If a prisoner can survive 30 rounds they'll be released, but he has no intention of honoring this arrangement and plans to kill anyone who makes it that far. He ultimately wants to [[MassHypnosis brainwash most of the planet]] to be his slaves and rob them of anything even resembling free will. He takes over [[TheProtagonist Kable]]'s body to force him to slit his little girl's throat. Completely [[LackOfEmpathy lacking empathy]] for anyone, he sees people mostly as toys to play with and destroy as he sees fit.

** [[BigBad Ken Castle]] is a [[CorruptCorporateExecutive billionaire technology magnate]] in a {{dystopia}}n future. He develops an indulge-every-depravity-you-want-short-of-murder game called ''Society'' using brainwashed, destitute people as the players' avatars. His second game, ''Slayers'', is a death match where [[CondemnedContestant condemned prisoners]] have to kill each other in an enclosed warzone. If they're running low on participants, Castle will [[FrameUp frame them]] if necessary. If a prisoner can survive 30 rounds they'll be released, but he has no intention of honoring this arrangement and plans to kill anyone who makes it that far. He ultimately wants to [[MassHypnosis brainwash most of the planet]] to be his slaves and rob them of anything even resembling free will. He takes over [[TheProtagonist Kable's]] body to force him to [[WouldHurtAChild slit his little girl's throat]]. Completely [[LackOfEmpathy lacking empathy]] for anyone, he sees people mostly as toys to play with and [[PsychopathicManchild destroy as he sees fit]].
** [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Hackman]] is an [[ScaryBlackMan enormous inmate]] in Kable's prison who went on a massive killing spree just so he could be locked up and [[AxCrazy personally participate in the carnage in Slayers]]. He arranges with Castle to remove the mind control on himself so he has an advantage over the other prisoners and can kill Kable himself. He kills another prisoner for no reason than to show Kable the resulting blood on his hands, and threatens to kill and/or rape Kable's wife and daughter. Through the rest of the film, while [[PsychoForHire working with Castle]], Hackman just keeps murdering people (especially innocents) left and right, clearly deriving {{sadist}}ic joy from all the crimes he commits with his own hands.

* {{Narm}}: Everyone gratuitously swearing all the time is obviously meant to convey how desensitised and degenerated society has become, but chances are that you will pressed not to find it utterly hilarious for all the wrong reasons.

** The movie is also the closest thing we'll ever get to ''VideoGame/UnrealTournament: the movie''. {{Condemned contestant}}s being forced to kill other people for their enjoyment? Check. A multimillionaire leading a MegaCorp who is behind the game and makes everyone fight for their lives for everyone else's enjoyment? Check. The only missing thing, aside of the ''VideoGame/SecondLife'' shenanigans? [[spoiler:A robot or armored human as the FinalBoss]].

* SpiritualLicensee: This movie could easily be a remake of ''Film/TheRunningMan''.