The Best Movies About Gaming

Gaming has become one of the most popular hobbies in recent years. Estimates vary, but somewhere between a third and a half of the planet engages in the activity on a regular basis. It’s easy to see why, as there are many different options for players today, ensuring there is something for everyone. For hardcore gamers, there are more AAA shooting, RPG, and sports titles available for consoles and PC than ever before. Similarly, for fans of traditional card and table games, sites like 777Casino offer bonuses to new customers, allowing them to try out the different options.

Gaming is so prevalent and popular, it is finding its way into popular culture, inspiring books, music, art, and even television shows. Hollywood has also noticed the huge demand for this form of entertainment and has used it to influence some of its creations. Some of these films have floundered and flopped, but others have flourished, here are some of those great releases.

21 (2008)

Reflecting the fact that so many people enjoy playing casino games, 21 (2008) tells the story of the MIT Blackjack Team that used card counting techniques to take on many of the world’s most famous (and not so famous) gaming floors.

While based on true events, the film does make use of a lot of creative license in its storytelling. Some of this has helped to compress the events of two decades into less than two hours, while some is purely for entertainment purposes.

Nonetheless, it’s a thrilling depiction of impressive human ingenuity being applied to one of the world’s oldest and most popular games, blackjack.

Detective Pikachu (2019)

Based on the 2016 video game of the same name, Detective Pikachu (2019) stars the Pokémon franchise’s most famous character. It’s a live-action production that uses CGI to create the lead, a first for Pokémon. Ryan Reynolds gives voice to Pikachu in the movie, and facial motion capture technology was used to synchronize his lips to the yellow Pokémon’s. The Canadian-American is a particular highlight for the film.

While some fans were somewhat critical of the story, Detective Pikachu has been praised for its incredible visual effects.

Tomb Raider (2018)

Tomb Raider (2018) was the second attempt at making a movie based on the popular video game franchise. The first, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider was released back in 2001 but received a lukewarm critical response despite casting Angelina Jolie for the lead.

The 2018 version, with Alicia Vikander at the helm, fared much better. It was praised for its thrilling action sequences that were true to the original video game.

Following its success, a sequel had been planned, but this was shelved in 2022 after the rights to the IP expired.