History Main / IDontKnowMortalKombat

* ''VideoGame/TraumaCenter: Second Opinion'' invokes this trope in its congratulatory message for clearing all of the {{optional|Boss}} X operations, warning you that you shouldn't dive straight into real-life surgery just because you cleared the game out, and that if you actually ''are'' a certified and trained surgeon, that you shouldn't tell your patients how much you struggled at a medical simulation game.

* ''Series/ParksAndRecreation'''s Ron Swanson, a lifelong hunter, is intrigued by a Big Buck Hunter arcade game at the local roller rink, and is beyond furious that he is initially quite bad at it. (Ultimately subverted in that he's frustrated enough that he goes back and plays it until he gets good and earns the high score.)

* ''ComicStrip/KChronicles'': Creator/KeithKnight did a strip about the humiliation of being a cartoonist and losing at ''TabletopGame/{{Pictionary}}'' to his friend, a nurse. He then gets revenge by beating her in ''TabletopGame/{{Operation}}''. There is also mention of a private detective who jumped in front of a steam roller after losing at ''TabletopGame/{{Clue}}''.

** The band Music/{{Rush}} appeared on the ''Series/TheColbertReport'' and played their song "Tom Sawyer" in ''VideoGame/RockBand''. They [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btcvSWoQWV0 failed]] at 31%. Alex Lifeson is noticeably playing his guitar the way he would play the ''actual'' song, [[DamnYouMuscleMemory instead of hitting the beats according to color]].

* In ''Anime/{{Patlabor}}'', police mech pilot Noa proved a total failure at a HumongousMecha video game ''because'' she was so used to the real thing.

* In ''Film/TalladegaNightsTheBalladOfRickyBobby'', the title stock-car racer attempts a driving video game, and loses badly. In this case, though, it's used to show how traumatized he's become; he's so overcome by fear of racing that he can't even play a racing video game, much less compete in an actual race.

* ''VideoGame/FZero'': In his ''F-Zero GX'' ending, Draq is [[BreakingTheFourthWall playing the game itself]] and crashes before the finish line.

** The band Music/{{Rush}} appeared on the ''Series/TheColbertReport'' and played their song "Tom Sawyer" in ''VideoGame/RockBand''. They [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btcvSWoQWV0 failed]] at 31%.

* ''ComicBook/{{Empowered}}'': Ninjette sucks at video games about ninjas, despite being a ninja herself. (To be fair, she was doing pretty well up until [[CameraScrew the camera turned on her]].)

* ''VideoGame/TraumaCenter: Second Opinion'' invokes this trope in its congratulatory message for clearing all of the {{bonus|Boss}} X operations, warning you that you shouldn't dive straight into real-life surgery just because you cleared the game out, and that if you actually ''are'' a certified and trained surgeon, that you shouldn't tell your patients how much you struggled at a medical simulation game.

* ''ComicStrip/KChronicles'': CreatorYKeith Knight did a strip about the humiliation of being a cartoonist and losing at ''TabletopGame/{{Pictionary}}'' to his friend, a nurse. He then gets revenge by beating her in ''TabletopGame/{{Operation}}''. There is also mention of a private detective who jumped in front of a steam roller after losing at ''TabletopGame/{{Clue}}''.

* Keith Knight of ''K Chronicles'' did a strip about the humiliation of being a cartoonist and losing at ''TabletopGame/{{Pictionary}}'' to his friend, a nurse. He then gets revenge by beating her in Operation. There is also mention of a private detective who jumped in front of a steam roller after losing at Clue.

* In ''Fanfic/AeonEntelechyEvangelion'' when Toja (race lifted Toji) beats Shinji, the latter tries to use his hand-to-hand combat training to defend himself, only to realize that said skills are strictly attuned to him being in the EVA, and gets another punch to the face.

* Keith Knight of ''K Chronicles'' did a strip about the humiliation of being a cartoonist and losing at Pictionary to his friend, a nurse. He then gets revenge by beating her in Operation. There is also mention of a private detective who jumped in front of a steam roller after losing at Clue.

* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' has an example similar to ''Franchise/MassEffect'''s, with the player's Avatar, a [[TheStrategist gifted tactician]], failing at chess because they try too hard to apply [[NoCasualtiesRun their philosophy for real battles]] unto the game, while their opponent has [[CombatPragmatist no such qualms]]. [[note]] and said player explicitly rebukes the idea that they're a better tactician than the avatar because using chess rules in real combat would simply destroy morale. The chess board resets, lives don't. [[/note]]

* ''Series/ParksAndRecreation'''s Ron Swanson, a lifelong hunter, is intrigued by a Big Buck Hunter arcade game at the local roller rink, and is beyond furious that he is initially quite bad at it. it's ultimately subverted when he achieves the high score after a few more goes at it.

* ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'' gives a straight and averted example: lead wizard Negi tries and fails at playing a magic-based trading card/arcade game based around the same dodge-and-incant tactics he uses in battle. Oddly, the one who beat him was the demonic-beast/warrior class fighter Kotaro, who just happens to be better than Negi at games (Negi won the fight they had later that day, avoiding the pit-falls he encountered in the game). Negi did, however, do extremely well at the game before Kotaro showed up, so much so that the girls couldn't believe it was his first time playing.

* In ''Webcomic/OnePunchMan'', Hellish Blizzard challenges Saitama to a challenge, where her group and Saitama's group play a fighting game. Saitama gathers [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast "Demon Cyborg" Genos, "Silverfang" Bang, and King]] to help him out. It turns out that while Saitama has the game and plays at an upper intermediate level, Genos and Bang turn out to be completely useless as they have never played a video game before and are baffled at what's going on onscreen--Bang needed Saitama to remember who he's playing as, whereas Genos accidentally destroyed the controller without realizing it thinking that pushing the buttons harder makes the attacks stronger. Averted with King, however, who demonstrates his world-class skill at the game and promptly defeats everyone in Blizzard's gang all by himself, even the pro gamer.

* Averted in ''Film/SuburbanCommando'', where Shep somehow makes an After Burner arcade machine ''raise a surrender flag''.

* Averted in the Worlds of Power book "Bionic Commando". The title character stops for some pizza during his adventure, and then dominates in the ''VideoGame/BionicCommando'' arcade game. A kid is impressed, and the commando tells him he had a lot of practice [in real life]. This is rather ridiculous if you remember the arcade game was a side scrolling platform jumper, so it wasn't even like the ''Back to the Future III'' shooting situation, such as that was. Though it was obviously for the purposes of product placement, and telling kids to stay in shape if planned on a career in special forces obviously wouldn't have gone over big with Nintendo (though the books weren't licensed with Nintendo itself in the first place).

* Averted in the ''Literature/PaladinOfShadows'' book ''Unto the Breach'' when a group of Keldara use their combat training to dominate in videogames.

* Averted in ''{{Series/CSINY}}''. Mac, who was a Marine before he became a cop, never played Gears of War before (in fact the closest thing he has played is Asteroids) but he's still good at the latest version in "Kill Screen."

* Averted in ''Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja''. A ninja-drug, which gives anyone injected with it real -- if temporary -- ninja-skills, also extends to video games. On multiple occasions, goons shot up with the drug have amused themselves by playing Mortal Kombat, and particularly pulling off {{F|inishHim}}atalities with ease. We've yet to see if the REAL ninjas can transfer their skills to video games just as easily. Dan didn't do very well in the Dr [=McNinja=] official game, but he doesn't play games and had high expectations for his player character (the doctor) to not be fazed by the game's obstacles, and so didn't necessarily make much of an effort to avoid them.