What is GameLit, you ask? There are a number of definitions out there but GameLit is essentially a piece of fiction that features gaming elements that are integral to the plot. This can be anything from a Table Top Role-Playing Game (TTRPG) to a Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (VRMMORPG) to a First-Person Shooter (FPS) to a Table Top Card Game. GameLit can feature people entering into a game world, elements of a game world bleeding into the real world, or some combination of the two.
There are a number of fantastic GameLit books out there (too many to list), but I'm going to focus on GameLit movies and television. While some of my choices more strictly conform to the stated definition than others, I believe all of the following movies/TV shows have earned their place in the discussion and I will include my rationale for each title. You'll notice some of my earlier entries are light on the game mechanics, but these early movies have nonetheless impacted GameLit's development over the years. Also, all of these movies/shows have varying budgets from multi-million-dollar franchises to little or no budget at all, therefore the quality varies greatly across titles. In no way am I saying all of these shows are good, but they do qualify as GameLit, at least according to my subjective opinion, which is why they landed on this list.
If you notice a GameLit movie, TV show, anime, cartoon, etc. missing from this list, please reach out, hit the contact button at the bottom of the page, and let me know. Though I am a GameLit author, I am a fan first and I would be delighted to learn of more GameLit to devour.
Without further ado, here are my choices listed in chronological order from their release date:
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase. This doesn't affect what content I choose to write about, but every little bit helps for an indie author such as myself. So, click away!
Tron (1982)
Directed by Steven Lisberger
What’s it about? Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) is a software developer, hacker, and arcade owner who becomes trapped inside a computer program, and with the help of Tron (Bruce Boxleitner)—a user-friendly computer program—he has to find a way out before the computer’s operating system, Master Control, finds and kills him.
What makes it GameLit? The world that Flynn finds himself in is like a rudimentary version of modern-day GameLit books, except, rather than NPCs or Mobs, the computer sub-programs themselves are the ones forced to partake in games or die at the digital hands of Master Control and his second in command, Sark. Because of this, the game mechanics don’t make a ton of sense, but it doesn’t take away from the movie’s impact to the genre.
Interesting Tidbits: It took nearly 30 years for the sequel to get made, but Tron Legacy still featured the original’s two leads: Jeff Bridges and Bruce Boxleitner.
War Games (1983)
Directed by John Badham
What’s it about? David (Matthew Broderick) is a teenage hacker who discovers a backdoor into a new videogame called Global Thermonuclear War. Unbeknownst to him, he is actually hacking into a war game simulator putting the United States on the brink of war against the Soviet Union.
What makes it GameLit? Although the movie doesn’t feature any game mechanics, the AI running the Global Thermonuclear War game/simulation interprets David’s actions as genuine threats with real-world ramifications. This is another early example of the genre, and though it is a fringe GamLit movie, I still think it deserves a spot on the list.
Interesting Tidbits: Ernest Cline drew inspiration for Ready Player One (the book) from War Games and had one entire quest devoted to the movie.
Dungeons and Dragons (1983)
Developed for television by Mark Evanier
What’s it about? A ragtag group of kids take the D&D ride at the local fair only to find themselves transported into a fantasy world. Each of the six children receives a magic weapon and a different class, and they have to learn to work together to find their way back home. Along the way, they receive help and guidance from the Dungeonmaster and a unicorn named Uni.
What makes it GameLit? Character classes, magic weapons, sword and sorcery, and a godlike character called the Dungeonmaster. Need I say more?
Interesting Tidbits: The voice cast is top notch and includes Frank Welker (Scooby Doo), Peter Cullen (Optimus Prime), and many others. It’s also a great way to introduce the genre to kids!
The Last Starfighter (1984)
Directed by Nick Castle
What’s it about? Alex (Lance Guest) feels trapped in Nowhereville, U.S.A, and when he isn’t spending time with his girlfriend (Catherine Mary Stewart), he’s putting countless hours into playing his favorite space-simulator arcade game. Only it turns out it might be more than just a game…
What makes it GameLit? Out of all the movies on this list, this is probably the one that will get me the most flak. Understandably so. At first glance, it might appear as though the arcade videogame that Alex plays has little to do with the actual plot of the movie. However, I would argue that the leveling up he does through playing the arcade game (even if there isn’t much shown in the movie) is central to the plot and I’ve included it on this list because it is one of the earliest examples of GameLit on the silver screen. Also, this is a childhood favorite and the movie still rocks!
Interesting Tidbits: Word on the street is that there’s a sequel in the works, and after seeing Ghostbusters Afterlife get made so many years after the originals, it gives me hope that it might actually happen. Also, the original features a small role by ultra-nerd, Wil Wheaton.
Captain N: The Game Master (1989)
What’s it about? Kevin Keene is a teenage kid who, along with his dog, gets sucked into Videoland, where he becomes Captain N: The Game Master. As Captain N, he fights alongside the likes of Mega Man, Kid Icarus, and Simon Belmont (the hero from Castlevania) against the evil Mother Brain and her minions.
What makes it GameLit? While in Videoland, Captain N can use his Nintendo controller and Duck Hunt gun while in the game. He can even hit the pause button and freeze everything around him. Also, when characters die, they suffer the same pixel implosion effect that was popular in videogames at that time.
Interesting Tidbits: Besides those characters already listed, it features plenty more Nintendo characters like Donkey Kong, Link, Princes Zelda, and a character named Gameboy, who is voiced by none-other-than, Frank Welker!
Arcade (1993)
Directed by Albert Pyun
What’s it about? An evil Arcade with the very original name of, Arcade, torments a group of teenagers.
What makes it GameLit? The game itself basically drives the plot of the movie, and though the computer animation is almost as terrible as the game mechanics themselves, it is nonetheless is an integral part of the story. Is it a good movie? Simple answer: no. However, there is one scene in the middle of the movie where the kids are strategizing for how they can beat the game and the game’s developer pulls out some game maps. It’s very brief, which is unfortunate since it was easily the most interesting scene this movie has to offer. However, it is an early example of B-movie GameLit, which is why it landed a place on this list.
Interesting Tidbits: Its young cast includes Seth Green and Peter Billingsley, best known from his starring roles in A Christmas Story and The Dirt Bike Kid.
Jumanji (1995)
Directed by Joe Johnston
What’s it about? A kid gets trapped in Jumanji, a mysterious board game, and it isn’t until several years later, after he has grown into a full-grown man (played by Robin Williams), when a couple more kids unwittingly release him and bring Jumanji into the real world.
What makes it GameLit? Jumanji is significant because it primarily takes place in the real world, rather than within the game setting, and the gaming elements overflow into the real world. They have to strictly follow the rules of the game in order for them to return their world back to normal.
Interesting Tidbits: The people of Keene, New Hampshire, where the movie was filmed, loved Robin Williams so much they gave him the key to the city.
Virtuosity (1995)
Directed by Brett Leonard
What’s it about? The Law Enforcement Technology Advancement Centre (LETAC) recruits ex-cop Parker Barnes (Denzel Washington) as a test subject for its high-tech crime prevention training simulator, which pits test subjects against SID—the Sadistic, Intelligent, and Dangerous virtual entity (Russell Crowe), who was designed by compiling the minds of over 150 serial killers. The simulation changes the program and SID ends up in the real world, and only Parker Barnes can stop him from unimaginable crimes.
What makes it GameLit? They call it a simulation, but its basically just a game. However, apart from the start of the movie taking place within the simulation, the game mechanics don’t play a part in the latter half of the movie.
Interesting Tidbits: In this movie, Denzel’s character hunts Crowe’s character, a role reversal to their later film, American Gangster, which sees Crowe hunting Denzel.
Virtual Combat AKA Grid Runner (1995)
Directed by Andrew Stevens
What’s it about? A scientist brings virtual reality characters to life starting with a couple of cybersex characters and a final boss from a fighting game. The boss runs amok in future Los Angeles as he attempts to bring the rest of his videogame minions into the real world. It’s up to Grid Runner, David Quarry (Don “the Dragon” Wilson), to bring him down.
What makes it GameLit? The mechanics may not make a whole lot of sense, but this is a simple story of bringing videogame characters to life and a gamer having to use all his skills to put a stop to it.
Interesting Tidbits: The actress Athena Massey, who plays one of the cybersex characters, would later go on to star in the Command and Conquer videogame series.
.hack//SIGN (2002)
Directed by Kōichi Mashimo
What’s it about? A mysterious kid named Tsukasa shows up in a VRMMORPG called The World claiming to be a real boy but not playing the game from a computer terminal like other gamers. He is thought to be an illegal player and hunted by the game’s admins—the Crimson Knights.
What makes it GameLit? The show takes place within the game with classes and leveling up.
Interesting Tidbits: This has a number of companion pieces such as .hack//Roots (2006), .hack//Qantum: Walking Party (2010), and .hack//Quantum: Worldend Pallbearer (2011).
Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005)
Directed by John Favreau
What’s it about? At first glance, Zathura looks like a copycat of Jumangi, but in space. However, rather than taking place in the real world, the trio of siblings playing Zathura have their home sucked into the game.
What makes it GameLit? The board game dictates pretty much everything that happens to the characters, and though there isn’t a lot of skill involved with how they play the game—similar to Jumanji—it nonetheless earns a spot on this list.
Interesting Tidbits: After directing Zathura, Jon Favreau would go on direct Iron Man, which kicked off the Marvel Universe that we know and love today.
Gamer (2009)
Directed by Mark Neveldine, Brian Taylor
What’s it about? In a dystopian future, Kable (Gerard Butler) is a death row inmate who is forced to play a game where he is controlled by a gamer named Simon in a sadistic first-person shooter where they can experience pain and death. Kable must survive 30 sessions of the game in order to earn his freedom.
What makes it GameLit? Slayers is the name of the game that serves as the focal point of the movie, and it is featured heavily in the plot. Gamer does deviate from its GameLit beginnings as the movie progresses, but it definitely deserves a spot on this list.
Interesting Tidbits: It’s got a strong cast including the aforementioned Butler, Michael C. Hall (Dexter), Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson), Kyra Sedgwick, Ludacris, and Terry Crews, who plays a fun psychopathic inmate.
Tron Legacy (2010)
Directed by Joseph Kosinski
What’s it about? Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund) goes in search of his father who disappeared several years earlier following the events of the first Tron. As Sam delves into the digital world, he discovers a lot has happened since his father’s first adventures in the computer program.
What makes it GameLit? The majority of the movie takes place within the computer program and, like the first movie, it features the light cycle game, as well as some combat simulations.
Interesting Tidbits: It’s got an excellent soundtrack by Daft Punk!
Scott Pilgrim vs the World (2010)
Directed by Edgar Wright
What’s it about? Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) falls for Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) only to discover he has to fight her seven evil exes before he can date her.
What makes it GameLit? In addition to the boss-fights, Scott receives coins and earns experience points for each battle. He also earns bonuses and special weapons. The fights themselves are well worth the watch, so quit reading and start watching.
Interesting Tidbits: This has multiple Marvel movie connections. Scott Pilgrim’s director, Edgar Wright, never got to direct Ant-Man like he was original supposed to, but he did write the screenplay. Captain America himself, Chris Evans, plays one of the evil exes, and it also feature Brie Larson, who would later go on to star in Captain Marvel.
Sword Art Online (2012)
Based on the Light Novel by Reki Kawahara
What’s it about? In the near future, Krita, along with thousands of other gamers, gets trapped inside a fantasy VRMMORPG where death in the game equals real world death and any attempts to disconnect the gamers in the real world from the Nerve Gear hardware will also kill them. The only way out is to beat level 100.
What makes it GameLit? This is the first entry on this list where there is absolutely no dispute as to its place in GameLit. The game mechanics match real-life videogame mechanics very well. Sword Art Online is one of the best examples of the genre and a must watch for fans of GameLit.
Interesting Tidbits: It has some companion films like Ordinal Scale (2017), Gun Gale Online (2018), and Progressive - Aria of a Starless Night (2021).
Accel World (2012)
What’s it about? Haruyuki’s life in one of ridicule and scorn from bullies until he gets the opportunity to participate in a secret program called Brain Burst. The program accelerates the human cognitive capabilities to the point where time practically stops.
What makes it GameLit? The show takes place in an augmented reality MMO (ARMMO) fighting game, which is obviously integral to the plot.
Interesting Tidbits: Based off a light novel by Reki Kawahara—the same guy who wrote Sword Art Online.
Wreck-It Ralph (2012)
Directed by Rich Moore
What’s it about? Wreck-It Ralph is a videogame bad guy in a Donkey-Kong-type game, but he’s sick and tired of always being the bad guy. Instead, he decides to abandon his game and enter another game to be a hero.
What makes it GameLit? This movie differs from a lot of the others on this list in that it’s told entirely from the perspective of game characters. It takes the good guy/bad guy videogame trope and flops it on its head, giving the characters an added dimension.
Interesting Tidbits: The movie features a slew of videogame cameos from games like Sonic the Hedgehog, Pacman, and Street Fighter, to name but a few.
Ender's Game
Directed by Gavin Hood
What’s it about? A kid who has been playing war simulations since a very young age is selected to participate in advanced training to combat an alien race.
What makes it GameLit? The kid is raised on war games and his advanced training is just another series of more advanced games, and the process is very much like leveling up in games. There are other comparisons as well but are difficult to discuss without spoilers.
Interesting Tidbits: The producers consulted with Elon Musk regarding the future space crfat in the movie.
Virtual Warriors AKA Virtually Heroes (2013)
Directed by G.J. Echternkamp
What’s it about? A couple NPCs from a war game become self-aware and begin questioning their actions.
What makes it GameLit? It focuses on NPCs as they become self-aware. Also, Mark Hamill plays a monk who helps them beat the game/win the girl.
Interesting Tidbits: This is apparently Roger Corman’s cheapest produced movie, which is saying a lot given his extensive catalogue of low-budget movies. The filmmakers achieved this feat by using a bunch of Corman’s old stock footage and only doing a couple takes for each scene. It was also Coran’s first movie to be entered into the Sundance Film Festival. Mark Hamill plays a monk in the movie.
This is one of the few entries on this list that I have not seen in its entirety, mainly because I can’t find the full movie anywhere online. So, if you have seen it, let me know which service you found it on so I can see the full movie.
Log Horizon (2013)
What’s it about? Thousands of people get trapped inside the world of Elder Tale—an online fantasy RPG. Shiroe forms a guild called Log Horizon so that he can survive the game.
What makes it GameLit? NPCs, quests, guilds, and the like; it is GameLit at its very core.
Interesting Tidbits: The first two seasons were released between 2013 and 2015 but there was a 6-year gap before season three came out in 2021.
Knights of Badassdom (2014)
Directed by Joe Lynch
What’s it about? A group of Live-Action Role Players (Larpers) accidentally summon a real demon during a large-scale LARP campaign in the middle of a forest. They have to find a way to send the demon back to hell.
What makes it GameLit? Whether or not this movie deserves to be on this list is dependent on whether or not one feels LARPing is a game. Although the game mechanics don’t necessarily hold true, some of the characters remain in-character throughout the movie, most notably Peter Dinklage’s Hung character.
Interesting Tidbits: Though low budget, this has a surprisingly good cast including Steve Zahn, aforementioned Peter Dinklage, and Firefly’s, Sumer Glau.
Overlord (2015)
What’s it about? A Dive MMORPG fantasy game called YGGDRASIL goes offline, trapping a player inside. Frightened and confused at first, he decides to make the game his own.
What makes it GameLit? The gamer is trapped inside the game and has to work with the sentient NPC to level up.
Interesting Tidbits: In Norse mythology, Yggdrasil is the name of a sacred tree at the center of the nine realms.
Pixels (2015)
Directed by Chris Columbus
What’s it about? Years after receiving signals from earth featuring video clips of videogames, an alien species arrives and attacks earth using characters/enemies fashioned from the old arcade games from the video clips. It’s up to Brenner (Adam Sandler) and his ragtag group of misfits to defeat the aliens using the same strategies they used to defeat the old arcade games back when they were kids.
What makes it GameLit? The aliens present themselves through videogames like Pacman, Galaga, Donkey Kong, Centipede, and Q*bert. Brenner and his crew use a blend of real-world tech and arcade game strategy to defeat them.
Interesting Tidbits: The movie is silly, but it’s also filled with a ton of retro videogame nostalgia and features a fun scene with the creator of Pacman confronting the alien reincarnation of his most famous creation. Also, fun fact, Peter Dinklage’s character was designed in looks and personality after real-life professional gamer, Billy Mitchell.
Accel World: Infinite Burst (2016)
What’s it about? This is a continuation of the story in Accel World, half the movie being recap of the series and half introducing new material.
What makes it GameLit? It’s GameLit for the same reasons as the anime series: plot involves the main character, Haruyuki, playing an ARMMORPG fighting game.
Interesting Tidbits: Features the same director as the original Accel World series, as well as Sword Art Online.
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)
Directed by Jake Kasdan
What’s it about? Jumanji makes the jump from board game to videogame. Four high school kids get sucked into Jumanji and have to beat the game in order to return to the real world.
What makes it GameLit? Each kid plays as a character, each with their own back story, as well as unique strengths and weaknesses. Each character also has only three lives before suffering permanent death. The videogame mechanics are somewhat basic, but it stays true to its own rules, and the way this movie introduces in-game message boxes showing each character’s strengths, weaknesses, and special abilities makes it worth a viewing for anyone who is into GameLit/LitRPG.
Interesting Tidbits: The hat that Jack Black wears in this movie is the same hat he can be seen wearing in a commercial he did as a kid for the Atari 2600 game: Pitfall.
Ready Player One (2018)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
What’s it about? The Oasis is a massive virtual reality world filled with gamrs playing games of every type, but the movie focuses on one gamer in particular, Wade Watts (AKA, Parzival), and his pursuit of the easter egg hidden within that would give him ownership of Oasis. To d so, he has to acquire 3 keys.
What makes it GameLit? Practically everything that occurs within the Oasis is a game of one sort of another, so each key quest demands that Wade complete a different type of game.
Interesting Tidbits: Because this movie deviates a great deal from the source material, some might be surprised to discover that the book’s author co-wrote the screenplay along with Zak Penn, who gets a writing credit for the most recent edition on this list.
Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018)
Directed by Phil Johnston, Rick Moore
What’s it about? Ralph finds a way to break out of the arcade and into viral videos in the real world.
What makes it GameLit? Although this movie features even less than the first game in the way of game mechanics, it does follow a videogame character impacting with the real world.
Interesting Tidbits: The Slaughter Race game in the movie is based off of the Twisted Metal games.
SHK HeroForce (2018)
Directed by Zane Nixon
What’s it about? A trio of siblings uncover a hidden game console in their attic that serves as a portal between the real world and game, HeroForce.
What makes it GameLit? You’ve heard of low budget, but this show is no-budget. Still, it’s definitely GameLit, even if the troll-like villains from the HeroForce world are just a couple of regular old humans with green paint on their face and hands.
Interesting Tidbits: Surprisingly, this no-budget series is currently available on Amazon Prime.
Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)
Directed by Jake Kasdan
What’s it about? The crew from the first Jumanji are joined by two elderly companions (Danny DeVito and Danny Glover) as they navigate a Jumanji much different than their previous playthrough.
What makes it GameLit? The sequel makes the list for the same reasons given for Welcome to the Jungle.
Interesting Tidbits: I could be wrong, but I believe this is the first example of animals being used as playable characters to be put on film.
Boss Level (2020)
Directed by Joe Carnahan
What’s it about? Roy Pulver (Frank Grillo) wakes every morning and has to repeat the same day over and over again, a day in which a group of assassins are out to get him.
What makes it GameLit? The name of the movie itself should be a strong enough indicator that this was inspired by videogames, but the opening credits are also done in the pixelated style of videogames and there are several hints suggesting the movie is in fact a videogame. The assassins are all over-the-top, very unrealistic characters, and the side characters are like NPCs in that they seem to have the unique skillsets needed for Roy to level up enough to make it to the boss level. Speaking of leveling up, Roy attempts multiple strategies to get to the main boss, played by Mel Gibson, but he eventually discovers he has to level up before he can get to him. The whole movie plays out like a videogame.
Interesting Tidbits: It’s got a very eclectic cast including big names like Mel Gibson, Naomi Watts, and Michelle Yeoh alongside the likes of Will Sasso, Ken Jeong, Sheaun McKinney, footballer, Rob Gronkowski, MMA fighters (Quintin Jackson, Rashad Evans), and more. Roy Pulver’s son in the movie is Frank Grillo’s real life son, Rio Grillo.
Max Reload and the Nether Blasters (2020)
Directed by Scott Conditt, Jeremy Tremp
What’s it about? Max Jenkins works as a clerk at a gaming store and dreams of coding videogames for a living. He gets his hands on the final copy of an ill-fated videogame long since believed to be destroyed in a mysterious fire. After playing the game, he unleashes a mysterious evil force that possesses people and gives them videogame-like powers. With the help of his friends and the game’s developers, he has to fight off the demons possessing his townsfolk by blasting them back to the nether-realm with special Nether-Blaster guns.
What makes it GameLit? The story revolves around a mysterious game, and though most of the movie takes place outside of the game, there is a scene where the characters are forced into the game to play out a boss fight sequence.
Interesting Tidbits: Kevin Smith plays the owner of the gaming store, Fallout Games, and Wil Wheaton lends his voice as the game’s narrator.
The Intergalactic Adventures of Max Cloud (2020)
Directed by Martin Owen
What’s it about? A girl in the 80s uncovers an easter egg in her favorite videogame, Max Cloud, and upon entering a secret room, she finds herself trapped in the game. She has to play the role of a lame character and she is being controlled by her best friend.
What makes it GameLit? The mechanics of this movie are all over the place. The videogame starts out as a simple side scroller similar to Streets of Rage, Final Fight, or Turtles in Time, but there’s a later sequence where it turns into a one-on-one fighter game like Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter. Still, the majority of the movie is set within the game and it definitely qualifies as GameLit.
Interesting Tidbits: B-movie action star, Scott Adkins, does a great job hamming it up as the arrogant Max Cloud, and the stunts in the first half of the movie are particularly impressive. The film’s stunt coordinator, Andreas Nguyen, did the stunt work for Cyberpunk 2077-Phoenix Program—a fan-made Cyberpunk 2077 short film.
Free Guy (2021)
Directed by Shawn Levy
What’s it about? An NPC (Ryan Reynolds) in a San Andreas-style videogame discovers he is an NPC as he falls for a gamer, who is only playing the game because she is searching for proof that the game’s developer stole ideas from her and her ex-boyfriend’s game. She believes the secret is hidden somewhere within the game.
What makes it GameLit? There’s not really a question as to whether or not it is GaneLit, as the majority of the movie takes place within the game and the game mechanics are integral to the plot. The way they used glasses to show stuff like mission options, gamer stats, first aid kits, loot, and the like was a nice touch.
Interesting Tidbits: There are a ton of easter eggs and passing references to videogames but my favorite is the N7 sticker on a laptop, an homage to Mass Effect.
Bonus Web Series: Viva La Dirt League
What’s it about? Viva La Dirt League is a YouTube channel with high quality video game-inspired short films.
What makes it GameLit? Not all of Viva La Dirt league's videos are GameLit, but those featuring NPC Man are about self-aware NPC characters in a Skyrim-like world called SkyCraft.
Interesting Tidbits: In 2021, Viva La Dirt League released a crowdfunded movie called Bailin's Route, which is much longer than the usual shorts and focuses on NPC Man (AKA Bailin).
Honorable Mentions and why they didn't make the cut
These are the movies that possess gaming elements, but didn't quite make the cut for one reason or another:
Mazes & Monsters (1982) Dir. Steven Hilliard Stern - Tom Hanks stars in this movie about a group of adults partaking in a game of Mazes & Monsters (a D&D ripoff) and one of the characters becomes so immersed in the game that it becomes real to him. One could argue it deserves a spot n the list but it was little more than a scare campaign against D&D at the time of its release.
Mindwarp (1991) Dir. Steve Barnett - Bruce Campbell stars in this story about a future world where people are plugged into VR simulations. Something happens with the simulation and the characters are thrown into a post-apocalyptic nightmare.
The Thirteenth Floor (1999) Dir. Josef Rusnak - A computer scientist attempts to uncover a murder connected with a VR simulation set in 1937. This is less of a game and more of a simulation. It might qualify as GameLit, but it just doesn't feel like a GameLit movie.
Existenz (1999) David Cronenberg - A gane designer is testing VR game called Existenz when somehting goes wrong and she is forced into increasingly bizarre situations with Cronenberg's classic body horror. Has an excellent cast including Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jude Law, Willem Dafoe, Ian Holm, Sarah Polley, and more.,
The Gamers (2002) / The Gamers: The Dorkness Rising (2008)/ The Gamers: Hands of Fate (2013) Dir. Matt Vancil - This is a live action reenactment of a fantasy tabletop campaign told while the gamers are playing the game.
Zero Charisma (2013) Dir. Katie Graham, Andrew Matthews - A GM for a tabletop fantasy game begins to lose touch with his regular party members. Tabletop gaming plays a major role in the movie, but the plot is more concerned with the emotional connection the GM has with his party.