by Georgia Cutler
Sometimes, a work of art can be so powerful that it manages to sway the direction of an entire movement, industry, or general mindset. Certainly, that is the case with movies, many of which have been so powerful that they have captured the souls of millions of people; bringing them round to a way of thinking or to another plain of perception.
Here, we take a look at some of the seminal movies that altered the course of the video game and online gaming industries, so that quotes from their protagonists and other characters still make regular appearances in the chat areas found on platforms like Twitch and YouTube Gaming.

Why not grab yourself some popcorn and fire up some of these classic movies which quite literally changed the game.
A Classic Game Revolutionized by Hollywood Movies
When Hollywood producers and directors find a winning formula for a movie that creates incredible tension and stellar box office stats, then they tend to turn to it again and again, like a trusty old friend.
Such was the case with the classic card game of poker in the late 1990s and early 2000s as a whole raft of movies were released putting the game center stage. This may have been down to production houses and their executives being fans of the game themselves, or because of the boom the game experienced online, making it undoubtedly the most played classic game to have transitioned online. Riding this wave of popularity, and of course being one of the factors for that wave in the first place, were motion pictures like Rounders, which made movie-goers aware that even A-list stars such as Matt Damon were willing to lead poker movies.
Other earlier seminal poker movies, which provided inspiration for more contemporary ones like Rounders, include The Cincinnati Kid and California Split. Neither were entirely about the classic card game, but the game was integral enough to their famous storylines that it meant its vagaries were cemented in the American movie goer’s psyche forever, something fans of poker will always be grateful for.
Online gamers are always listening intently – via their special gaming headsets – for the latest trend or movie that they simply have to watch.
Female Protagonists Rule, Okay!
Online games and video games are both often criticized for not catering enough to a wide enough array of the population, even though some of the industry’s most popular franchises and series are led by female protagonists.
Two such legendary gaming titles are Tomb Raider and Resident Evil. Both games were incredibly well received when they were first released but it was their movie remakes which really made video game developers sit up and take note about just how much universal appeal female protagonists can have. This has meant that plenty of other modern gaming titles have put women at their helm, such as the recent hit Horizon Zero Dawn and The Last of Us. There is no doubt that without Angelina Jolie and Milla Jovovich many of these modern-day game protagonists would have been men.
Documentary Movies That Lift the Lid on an Industry
While there are many movies that ape video games or impact them indirectly in other ways, there is a different breed of movie that gives keen fans of this entertainment genre some fascinating insights.
These come in the form of movie documentaries like Atari: Game Over, Minecraft: The Story of Mojang, and Indie Game: The Movie. All these incredible documentaries have very different styles but essentially tell similar types of stories: what it takes to dream up and then create a successful game that can capture the imagination of gamers around the world. Any gamer worth their salt will find all three of these documentary-style movies truly eye opening.