Music Videos That Look Like Videogames

Music Videos had one of their first significant moments in 1894. That year, Edward B. Marks and Joe Stern, both musical score editors, hired electrician George Thomas to, together with some artists, make a video to promote their song “The Little Lost Child”. Projecting different static images on a screen, with the artists' live performances, the video became a very popular form of entertainment known as 'illustrated song' - and thus constituted one of the first steps towards the emergence of the clip.

In 1981, one of the most important moments in the history of music was when MTV went on air, showing their first music video in a broadcast that would become historic.

The chosen video was “Video Killed The Radio Star”, by the band The Buggles.

The clip was a super production at a time when all band videos basically consisted of recordings of the musicians playing: the Buggles spent around 50 thousand dollars, with the vast majority of bands barely spending a fraction of that on their videos.

Blur - Ong Ong

Blur is an English band and was formed in December 1988 when bassist Alex James joined Damon Albarn's band, drummer Dave Rowntree joined soon after, and guitarist Graham Coxon was Albarn's childhood friend. The group first performed live in the summer of 1989 in the goods shed at the East Anglian Railway Museum in Chappel & Wakes Colne.

A representative from Food Records named Andy Ross attended a performance by the band and convinced them to join the label. The only concern was that they didn't like the band's name, which was called Seymour. Food created a list of alternatives, from which the group decided to change to the name Blur. They signed the renamed band in March 1990.

The song 'Ong Ong' is a poetic composition about escapism and the desire to be with someone special, even in the midst of adverse circumstances. The lyrics begin with the image of a hot, suffocating day, where the asphalt melts and people seem disoriented. The narrator decides to escape this oppressive reality, boarding a boat searching for a more peaceful and meaningful place. This journey is a metaphor for the search for peace and connection amidst everyday chaos.

The 'black kites' island and the 'wishing tree' mentioned in the song evoke an almost mythical place, where wishes can come true and nature offers a refuge. Here we have a slow and contemplative journey, where time seems to slow down, allowing the narrator to reflect and reconnect with their feelings. The island has serene landscapes and Buddhist temples, which reinforces the idea of ​​a spiritual and emotional retreat.

The repetition of the desire to be with the loved one, regardless of the circumstances, is a central theme in the song. Whether facing storms at sea or exploring mountains and islands, unconditional love is expressed alongside wanting to share all experiences with that person. The song ends with a simple chorus which can be interpreted as an expression of joy and contentment, a reference to the depth of true love.

Goldfish - We Come Together

In Cape Town, South Africa, Dominic Peters and David Poole - two jazz musicians - met while studying at college. The two got together and formed Goldfish, their sound has jazz and African music elements, combining acoustic instruments such as double bass, saxophones, keyboards, flute, vocals with samplers, effects and synthesizers.

The cartoonish atmosphere always present in their videos is a testament to their creativity. The duo also knows how to appropriate memes or internet viral content to their advantage, recreating and mixing everything in a satirical and humorous way. They show their mascot a lot, which is a goldfish.

And they made a video that became a gem for the world of video games. We Come Together is a video tribute to several video games, where the protagonist is a goldfish looking for his girlfriend.

This is perhaps Goldfish's best-known clip, making reference to several Pop culture icons, such as Star Wars, Angry Birds, Pitfall, Street Fighter, GTA, Packman, Hello Kitty and many others. Here the duo spares no one when it comes to telling the story of their mascot, the goldfish, saving his princess in trouble.

A wonderful audiovisual work that mixes various techniques and aesthetics, from 8-bit visuals, 3D animation to clay animation. An excellent work that brought together an international team to recreate this fun story that is worth watching several times, as we’re unable to capture the enormous number of references and details that we have in this video.

It's worth watching this one several times and then watching the band's other clips, which also feature the goldfish in excellent animations and different techniques.

Super Furry Animals - Lazer Beam

Super Furry Animals were formed in Cardiff, Wales in 1993 after being part of several other bands in the area: Gruff Rhys and Dafydd Ieuan played together, while Huw Bunford and Guto Pryce were members of other bands.

The band's name came from t-shirts printed by Rhys's sister. She was making Super Furry Animals t-shirts for the fashion and music collective Acid Casuals. The band also referenced Blur, Elvis Costello and Wynton Marsalis as major influences on their work.

The song Lazer Beam has two music videos produced to accompany its release as a single.

We have a video "inspired by the movie Tron" that shows a fluorescent blue sea on a road towards "a cityscape that looks like something between downtown Tokyo and a graphic equalizer." Floating electronic billboards appear with the band, a neon monster, with the 'SFA' logo on its chest, appears among the translucent buildings with electric beams shooting from its body and also has a gorgeous multicolored neon spaceship.

The other music video starts with a scene of the band reflected on a television screen and with the first reference to the Nintendo and Super Nintendo logos. After the initial screen of the fictional game called 'Lazer Beam', 'Arcade mode' is selected and two characters are chosen from a menu with four lookalikes of the band members.

A villain is shown with arms crossed, towering over several skyscrapers. We have the Final Fight style map and the 'City' stage appears flashing on the screen. The 'game' has two characters shooting in a clear reference to the run and gun style of Metal Slug, several zombies arrive and the villain from the introduction appears.

In stage 2, 'Docks', we have more zombies, a boat/submarine enters from the right and starts throwing bombs at the players who destroy it with laser beams. Another cutscene comes in, the hangar explodes and disappears before flying out of the water, now with mechanical claws attached, and all this with the band frantically playing the game.

In the third stage, the villain attacks the characters from above with his flying vehicle and is hit several times by lasers as he tries to hit the players. One of the characters activates a device that summons a spaceship that shoots at the villain, and he escapes from his exploding vehicle saying "I'll be back".

And there's even a final cutscene for this game. Here, the "zombies" appear lined up singing the final verse of the song. Balloons and rainbows are shown behind them and a whale leaps out of the water before the screen goes black and the words "Game over" appear written across it.

The clip is so cool that it didn't even forget the classic message of “FBI winners don't use drugs! "

Iron Maiden – Speed ​​Of Light

The iron maiden is a torture device, consisting of a solid iron cabinet with a hinged front and spike-covered interior, high enough to encase a human being.

Despite their bad reputation, there’s no evidence of the existence of iron maidens before the 19th century. However, there are ancient accounts of the Spartan tyrant Nabis using a similar device around 200 BC to take people's lives. It’s also speculated that the Abbasid vizier Ibn al-Zayyat created a "furnace-like wooden chest that had iron spikes" for torture. Ironically, this would be used during his own arrest and execution in 847.

Traveling many years into the future, to Christmas 1975, a young bassist named Steve Harris had just left the band Smiler and, believing in his dream of being a well-known musician, formed one of the most iconic bands on the planet, Iron Maiden.

Harris attributed the band's name to a film adaptation of The Man in the Iron Mask, the famous novel by Alexandre Dumas. Harrys thought the title reminded him of the torture device. Initially, the band used the name Ash Mountain, but most of the band members preferred the name Iron Maiden.

During the following years, Maiden had several talented musicians in its formation, with some departures and returns among their members, but the classic formation came to an agreement and formed the most powerful sextet in the Heavy Metal world.

The song Speed ​​Of Light narrates an adventure through time and space, one that takes the band's mascot Eddie to see different eras of video games. Apparently, the character is accompanied by someone else, who invites him to go beyond the limits of his own universe.

The clip travels through references in which Eddie would be our protagonist, showing us the era of pubs. In the Donkey Kong phase, which takes place precisely at the same time, we see a guy who would be Paul Di’anno throwing burnt televisions.

We also see Eddie trying to save Charlotte in the game. Eddie needs to collect 4 hearts to be able to return to his dimension and complete the game, and after defeating the boss, he gets Charlotte's heart.

As Eddie passes through the scenes, he gradually gains a body, a clear reference to the band gaining worldwide notoriety over the years.

Eddie then travels through time and space and, in the 16-bit era, makes reference to games like Robocop vs Terminator and Megaman X. The car from Somewhere In Time that Eddie faces launches missiles in sequence and shoots diagonally, another reference to shooters like Contra and Metal Slug.

We have an epic fight against the beast in the Run To The Hills scenario. Eddie starts off losing, but he returns, performs a combo like in Street Fighter and Marvel Vs Capcom, and we are entitled to a Finish Him with a Kano Fatality from the first Mortal Kombat.

In the last game, we see Eddie in first person facing enemies in the best Skyrim style. We have more Counter Strike references. Games like Nintendo 64's Turok, Borderlands or Arc Survival Evolved haven’t been forgotten in the dinosaur scene.

Finally, Eddie obtains the key pieces using his own heart and returns to his dimension. And we also have Easter eggs with the names of all the band members at the end of the scoreboard, just like in the arcades, with Eddie placing in first.

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication

Finally, we have the one that originated the mix of video games with music videos, Californication.

Red Hot Chili Peppers is a rock band formed in Los Angeles, 1982. Initially composed of vocalist Anthony Kiedis and bassist Flea, the band had ups and downs, with other members leaving until getting to the formation which became the perfect one for the fans.

Anthony Kiedis and Flea trailed a long way with other members, and after the departure of guitarist Dave Navarro in 1988, a 19-year-old named John Frusciante and drummer Chad Smith joined the band, becoming the band's perfect formation.

Red Hot has several remarkable songs, but in 1999 a videoclip was released that would change the audiovisual industry for bands. 'Californication' is an acidic and reflective critique of the influence of Hollywood culture on the so-called American Dream in global society. The song addresses themes such as the obsession with fame, the superficiality of appearances and the impact of media and entertainment on the perception of reality.

The expression 'Californication' is a play on words that combines 'California' with 'fornication', insinuating a dissemination and sale of Californian values ​​and lifestyle. The song also mentions the incessant search for eternal youth, criticizing the plastic surgery industry and the obsession with celebrities.

Additionally, cultural references such as Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain and the fictional planet Alderaan from 'Star Wars' illustrate how pop culture and the entertainment industry can be omnipresent and influential. The song suggests that, although destruction can lead to creations, there is a price to pay for the constant search for renewal and the unrestrained consumption of pop culture. A deep reflection on the effects of globalization.

The video takes the form of a fictional game that portrays each of the band members on some type of adventure in San Francisco and Los Angeles. The video ends when the world is devastated by an earthquake and the avatars are replaced by the live action band members. The music video for "Californication" is the group's most-watched video on YouTube, having officially reached one billion views on December 5th, 2022.

From a third-person perspective, each band member is a character on some type of adventure.

Guitarist John makes his way along the Hollywood Walk of Fame, dodging celebrities and their bodyguards. He enters a film studio, where he interferes with the production of a space film, an adult film and a Leonardo da Vinci documentary.

Chad rides snowboards in the mountains, falls off a cliff on a train, and onto one of the wires of the Golden Gate Bridge

Anthony swims in San Francisco Bay, surrounded by sharks and women, surfs on top of a shark and drives a convertible car, strolls across the bridge and passes a giant donut from Randy's Donuts. He also drives off a cliff and passes by the Hollywood sign, then landing on a giant dragonfly.

Flea crosses Sequoia National Park and tries to save a bear from a hunter, rides in a mining cart and escapes from several lumberjacks when they are cutting down all the trees.

The band experiences an earthquake in the middle of the city and ends up with all four members meeting in the center of the Earth, where they all touch a 3D cube, which transforms their avatars back into the real world. The video itself contains many homages to video games of its time.

The video is based on the game Crazy Taxi, released for the Dreamcast.

On March 1st, 2022, Spanish game developer Miquel Camps Orteza created a game based on the song's music video. You play as one of the four band members. The game has seven levels, each based on a scene from the video. Orteza wrote: “I wanted to play that game so bad! It's 2022, and I haven't seen anyone do it, so I challenged myself to create it. I selected some epic moments from the video and turned them into 7 levels, each with different mechanics."

In the video below, you can watch the gameplay and even download it to play for yourself.

Californication is one of the most iconic music videos in the history of music and, consequently, video games.

Video games are incredible works of art that, in addition to entertaining us, can inspire other forms of art.

And do you remember any music video that looks like a video game?