Not a Game: Difference between revisions

** Ken, however, mistakes the Digital World to actually BE a game in ''[[Digimon Adventure 02]]'', not knowing he was enslaving real beings and, upon his defeat and before [[Heel Face Turn|joining the group]], threatens to "[[Save Scumming|reset the Digital World]]".

** Also shows up in ''[[Digimon Tamers]]''. After learning that Digimon are real, Kazu and Kenta think that being a Tamer and fighting evil Digimon is the coolest thing ever. When they want to accompany Takato to one of these fights, Takato nixes it, invoking this trope.

* ''[[Summer Wars]]'' is about an A.I. hacking into an online virtual world that the real world uses for nearly everything. When the protagonists try to stop it, their families gradually realize the activities they have been playing on their handheld devices ''isn't exactly a game...''

* In [[Naruto]], Kakashi Hatake berates Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto for not taking their training seriously enough. He even says, "You think this is all a game"; he makes a point by holding Sasuke hostage and giving Sakura the option to either kill Naruto or he [Sasuke] dies. After explaining how dangerous the shinobi world can really be, and how many lives are lost from mistakes or childishness, the trio finally get what it means to be "a team".

 

== Fan Works ==

 

 

{{quote| '''Mrs. Incredible''': Remember the bad guys on those shows you used to watch on Saturday mornings? Well, these guys are not like those guys. They won't exercise restraint because you're children. They ''will'' kill you if they get the chance. Do not give them that chance.}}

* ''[[Megamind]]''. Titan has no use for banter or jibes. He is just a murderous, brutish thug.

{{quote| '''Hopper:''' You think this is a game? Well, guess what: you just lost.}}

* Inverted in "[[Finding Nemo]]" : at one point, the only way that Marlin and Dorey make it out of a dangerous situation without completely dissolving into panic is by pretending that it *is* a game.

* ''Antitrust'':

{{quote| '''Milo:''' This isn't a game! In the real world, when you kill people they die -- for real!}}

{{quote| '''Jim Rhodes:''' This isn't a game. You do not send civilian equipment into my active war zone. Do you understand me?}}

{{quote| '''Natalya Simonova:''' This is not one of your games, Boris! Real people will die! You pathetic little worm...}}

* ''[[Titanic]]'':

{{quote| '''Ruth:''' This is not a game. Our situation is precarious. You ''know'' the money's gone.<br />

'''Rose:''' Of course I know it's gone! You remind me every day! }}

* In ''[[Magnolia]]'', while he is participating in a TV game show, Stanley's teammates stress that [[Serious Business|this isn't a game.]]

{{quote| ''It's not just a game -- anymore.''}}

{{quote| '''Sark:''' FINISH THE GAME!<br />

'''Flynn:''' [[Big No|NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!]] }}

{{quote| '''Unknown program racing against Clu:''' It's just a game!<br />

'''Clu:''' Not anymore. ''(kills his opponent)'' }}

{{quote| '''Bishop:''' Ah, Jesus Christ, you just... You don't just trade these people like they're baseball cards! It's not a fucking game!<br />

'''Muir:''' Oh, yes it is. It's exactly what it is. And it's no kid's game either. [[Serious Business|This is a whole other game. And it's serious and it's dangerous. And it's not one you want to lose.]] }}

* ''Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer'': Right after Reed Richards explains that Johnny Storm's encounter with the Surfer earlier in the film has caused him to begin randomly swapping powers with other members of the team whenever he makes physical contact with them, Ben Grimm grabs Johnny's shoulder and knowingly causes their powers to switch.

{{quote| '''Johnny:''' Oh, come on! We just said this is serious!}}

 

== Literature ==

** In ''Only in Death'', {{spoiler|after the loss of Gaunt}}, Rawne informs his officers to tell the men that if they slip up, they will make {{spoiler|Gaunt's}} [[Heroic Sacrifice|sacrifice]] [[Senseless Sacrifice|in vain]]. When they are shocked:

{{quote| '''Rawne:''' I'm not playing around because ''they're'' not playing around.}}

** In ''His Last Command'', when Gaunt orders Ludd to leave him, and Ludd objects that his orders were to stay with him at all times, Gaunt answers that that was fine when it was just a game, but it wasn't a game any more.

* In CS Goto's ''[[Dawn of War|Blood Ravens]]'' novel ''Dawn of War: Ascension'', Gabriel threatens an eldar to try to get a translation from him, informing him that it was not a game.

* In ''[[Percy Jackson and The Olympians]]'', Percy rebukes Nico for not taking a game of capture-the-flag seriously, pointing out that they had real weapons that could really hurt: this is serious.

* In Jim Butcher's ''[[Dresden Files]]'' novel ''Summer Knight'', Ebneazer, trying to get Harry to meet with the senior members, tells him this is not a game; later, the Summer Lady asks whether he thinks it a joke or game.

* Walter Jon Williams' appropriately titled ''This Is Not a Game'', about an [[Alternate Reality Game]] producer using her forums and players to get her out of a burning Jakarta, has the forum admins constantly reminding the players that this one is Not a Game.

* Subverted in ''The [[Black Jewels]] Trilogy'', in that to the Sadist, it ''is'' a game. Near the end of the series, when Daemon's not quite as cold-hearted to everything, the phrase he (and other characters) use to tell themselves they've got to keep going is, "Play the game," or keep the deception against the Big Bads going. Similarly, when witnessing an Arcerian execution, one character says, "He [the huge intelligent tiger] is ''playing'' with him [the man to be executed]." Another character replies, in a grim, low voice, "He's playing, but it isn't a game. This is an Arcerian execution." The tiger then proceeds to precisely, brutally, mercilessly murder the man by batting him around as he would a toy. Considering said tiger weighs in at around 800 pounds, the man lasts about a minute before being gutted and left to die as everyone else watchs. In case you're feeling even the slightest bit sorry for the guy, the reason for the execution was {{spoiler|several (like, twenty plus) counts of rape, including gang raping the village's Priestess, murdering a whole village, and betraying his race, cause, and Jewel.}} Don't read that unless you have a strong stomach or you don't visualize things as you read them.

* In [[Terry Pratchett]]'s ''[[Only You Can Save Mankind]]'', the Captain criticizes humanity for thinking all of life as a game. Later, during a class discussion of the war (Iraq, then ongoing), Johnny hears someone asking whether they think the pilots treat it like a game, when they could be killed at any time, and saying that people turn everything into games and it's not games. Then he realizes it was him.

 

== Web Comics ==

{{quote| '''O-Chul:''' This isn't the dungeon. In a war, people on the winning side still die.}}

* In ''A Distant Soil'', [http://adistantsoil.com/2009/01/17/01172009/ Jason warns Liana of that].

* In ''[[Alien Dice]]'', when Chel says something like "This is only a game." to Lexx, he screams "I am playing for my life!"

** "[http://megatokyo.com/strip/1336 Miho, this kid needs help! This isn't a game anymore!]<br />"I'm not playing a game!"<br />"'''Yes you are! Everything is a game to you!'''"<br />"Have you ever won anything that isn't a game?"

* In ''[[Endstone]]'', Cole declares "[http://endstone.net/2009/06/05/issue-1-page-20/ No more jokes, no more games]" -- before she [[Mind Rape|Mind Rapes]] a man who had been a benefactor to her.