We know you love gaming – duh, that’s why you’re reading this blog. Unless you don’t love gaming, in which case, why are you reading this blog? Weird. What’s stranger is how celebrities have found ways to seep into the gaming community in all their stardom glory. Celebrities have found a home around or within video games, from streaming their favorite games to becoming characters themselves. Have you ever wondered which celebrities are gamers? Here’s a list of eight celebrities who play video games.
Brie Larson
Known for her breathtaking role of Carol Danvers (Vers) in the Avengers franchise and her similarly acclaimed leads in Room (2015) and Short Term 12 (2013), Larson is undoubtedly a celebrated actress. She’s also a gamer with a YouTube channel partially dedicated to streaming her favorite games. Her YouTube channel features, among other things, fun playthroughs of her wandering through the virtual worlds of Fortnite, Knockout City, and Animal Crossing. While it’s unsurprising that Larson is just as likable on her YouTube channels as in the Marvel films, it’s certainly fun to watch her discuss her elaborate house near Tom Nook.
Norman Reedus
While not an avid gamer, Reedus has made many guest – and star – appearances in popular video games. Aside from his given animation as Derryl in numerous The Walking Dead adaptations, Reedus stars in Hideo Kojima’s 2019 game, Death Stranding. Death Stranding has you deliver packages across the United States in an attempt to reconnect a data network, which would be simple except for the monstrous creatures and angry humans determined to take you down (Adams, 2019). His likeness also appears in Silent Hills’ 2014 Playable Teaser, which worked as a teaser for the upcoming Silent Hill game in 2014 (Adams, 2019).
Terry Crews
As a man who wears many hats, it’s unsurprising that Crews has had his claim to fame within the gaming community. Before his big-screen premiere, Crews was a defensive end for several NFL teams (Schultz, 2022). In 1997, he decided to take on acting, where he flew into stardom for his roles in Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013-2021), Idiocracy (2006), and The Expendables (2010). Through all that, his love for gaming never faded – from playing in the arcade during his childhood to bonding with his son over video games, Crews found ways to game (Erickson, 2022). He’s featured in Microsoft’s Crackdown 3 as Commander Isaiah Jaxon (Erickson, 2022) and as Benjamin King in Saints Row IV (IMDB, n.d.).
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
“The Rock,” another man with many hats, is known for his recent work on Jumanji (2017) and the plethora of big-guy-with-a-big-heart comedy thrillers he’s starred in. In an interview, he revealed that his favorite video games are Mortal Kombat and Rampage. Then, hot off the heels of the first Mortal Kombat (2021) film, “The Rock” divulged that he’s currently working on a video game film – one that’s based on a game he’s loved for years (Lewis, 2022). Ed Boom, the game designer of Mortal Kombat, didn’t help dissipate this rumor. He tweeted that “The Rock” would be a great Shao Kahn, and people have since speculated about his appearance in the film’s sequel (Lewis, 2022).
Mila Kunis
Golden-globe nominated Mila Kunis is known for her countless big-screen appearances in shows like That ‘70s Show (19980-2006) and Family Guy (1998-current), and films like Black Swan (2010), Jupiter Ascending (2015), and Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008). To make it even better, she’s also an avid gamer. During a recent episode of Hot Ones on YouTube, she discussed her love of World of Warcraft. We get it, Mila Kunis; we have the same problem with House Party. She even said that at one point, her addiction was so bad that her agent’s only way of contacting her was through the game.
Jack Black
The hilarious and absurd Jack Black, known for his roles in School of Rock (2003), High Fidelity (2000), Nacho Libre (2006), and Kung Fu Panda (2008), is just as chaotic in virtual reality as he is in his films. He runs a YouTube channel called Jablinkski Games, where he plays Red Dead Redemption 2, Brutal Legend, and among other things, Minecraft. In one ridiculous moment, while playing with PewDiePie, Black accidentally burned down PewDiePie’s Minecraft house. As you can imagine, chaos ensued, Black’s character died in flames, and PewDiePie cried in agony. Well – it went something like that. While he may not be the best gamer, he certainly brings his witty humor and shenanigans to every game he plays.
Kristen Bell
Assassin’s Creed, a popular action game set in 1191 A.D. that allows players a chance to save the Holy Land, features Kristen Bell as Lucy Stillman (Steam, n.d.). Bell’s physical likeness and voice give life to Stillman (Lucy Stillman, n.d.), and her character arc is only mildly crazier than Frank’s. As an acclaimed actress known for her roles in Frozen (2013), Veronica Mars (2004-2019), and Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008), Bell is known worldwide for both her singing and acting skills. In terms of gaming, outside of Assassin’s Creed, she said in an older interview that she loves playing Mario Kart (Goldman, 2006).
Doja Cat
Okay, so we’ve been saving the best for last. Grammy Award-winning rapper Doja Cat has released many popular songs, including ones like “Mooo!” “Say So,” and “Kiss Me More.” She’s an incredibly celebrated artist who fearlessly says what’s on her mind. And most excitingly, she is a DLC in our own House Party! House Party is our player-choice game where you roam around a (for lack of a better word) house party. You can take your pants off, do drugs, dance wherever you want, and, umm… live a virtual life filled with pretty much anything else you can think of. With Doja Cat in the mix, who knows where the night will take you.
At Eek! Games, we love supporting all kinds of shenanigans. Doja Cat is a recent addition to our game – she just joined last month! We have plenty more crazy collaborations in the works, so while Kristen Bell’s video game days may be over, some wild debauchery will come your way soon!
References:
Adams, R. N. (2019, November 26). Norman Reedus Game list: Games featuring The walking dead star. GameRevolution. Retrieved September 8, 2022, from https://www.gamerevolution.com/guides/619508-norman-reedus-game-list-death-stranding-pt-the-walking-dead-hideo-kojima
Assassin’s Creed™: Director’s Cut Edition on Steam. Welcome to Steam. (n.d.). Retrieved September 8, 2022, from https://store.steampowered.com/app/15100/Assassins_Creed_Directors_Cut_Edition/
Cyre, C. S. (2021, October 29). Mila Kunis appears on Hot ones and talks about playing World of warcraft. Game Rant. Retrieved September 8, 2022, from https://gamerant.com/mila-kunis-hot-ones-world-of-warcraft/
Erickson, N. (2022, July 14). Consider this the official petition to cast Terry Crews in all video games. Esquire. Retrieved September 8, 2022, from https://www.esquire.com/lifestyle/a26237523/terry-crews-crackdown-3-interview/
Goldman, E. (2006, December 13). IGN exclusive interview: Kristen Bell. IGN. Retrieved September 8, 2022, from https://www.ign.com/articles/2006/12/13/ign-exclusive-interview-kristen-bell
IMDb.com. (n.d.). Saints row IV. IMDb. Retrieved September 8, 2022, from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2971572/characters/nm0187719
Lewis, C. (2022, January 26). Mortal kombat creator wants the rock to play series’ Main baddie. GAMINGbible. Retrieved September 8, 2022, from https://www.gamingbible.co.uk/news/mortal-kombat-creator-wants-the-rock-main-baddie-20220126
Lucy Stillman. Assassin’s Creed Wiki. (n.d.). Retrieved September 8, 2022, from https://assassinscreed.fandom.com/wiki/Lucy_Stillman
Schultz, A. (2022, April 27). Why did Terry Crews quit his NFL career? Sports news. Retrieved September 8, 2022, from https://www.sportskeeda.com/nfl/why-terry-crews-quit-nfl-career
You guys forgot Ari Lennox :), I lov