The Simpsons has had an enduring and often bewildering love affair with video games, spanning multiple decades and numerous collaborations.
Fortnite's latest tie-in with the show has once again injected new life into its ailing online shooter, providing fresh audience numbers and revenue for the game. The Fortnite island has been transformed into a miniature Springfield, complete with beloved characters, locations, and Easter eggs galore. From Homer at Moe's Tavern to Bart at Kwik-E-Mart, players can indulge in these pop culture mashups.
However, this is not the first time that The Simpsons has dipped its toes into the world of gaming. In 1991, Acclaim released Bart vs Space Mutants, a side-scrolling platformer where Bart must defeat extraterrestrial invaders by completing frustrating pixel-perfect jumps and fighting bosses including Nelson and Sideshow Bob.
Despite receiving mediocre reviews, the game sold over one million copies, inspiring a rash of Bart-focused games such as Bart vs The World and Bart's House of Weirdness. This interplay made perfect sense; Bart is, after all, a huge video game fan in the show's early days, representing the target demographic for the contemporary games industry.
Throughout its history, The Simpsons has continued to satirise video games, poking fun at characters like Flanders' penchant for Billy Graham's Bible Blaster and his kids' love for it. Games are also used as a useful pop cultural tool for mocking the characters themselves, such as the favourite game of Flanders kids being an evangelical preach-'em-up.
The best early Simpsons game would arguably be 2003's much-loved Simpsons Hit & Run, a glorious Homer-fronted pastiche of Grand Theft Auto. Here you can drive around town visiting Android's Dungeon, Krusty Burger and the Legitimate Businessman's Social Club, while carrying out missions to prevent another alien plot.
The collaboration with Fortnite highlights how The Simpsons has continued to survive as a cultural icon, despite its decline as a must-watch TV phenomenon. The combination of slapstick, parody and social commentary aligns with the scrambled self-aware narratives of video games, where crazed violence often intercuts with gooey sentimentality and knockabout laughs.
Some argue that it's difficult for developers to create interesting games without conflict or competition, but others view video game violence as a failure of imagination. Brie Code has proposed that games might move towards a different modality: tend-and-befriend.
There are many non-violent games out there, such as Animal Crossing and ThinkyGames' curated list of blockbusters. Resources like Common Sense Media and Steam's non-violent entertainment curation page also provide family-friendly options.
Fortnite's latest tie-in with the show has once again injected new life into its ailing online shooter, providing fresh audience numbers and revenue for the game. The Fortnite island has been transformed into a miniature Springfield, complete with beloved characters, locations, and Easter eggs galore. From Homer at Moe's Tavern to Bart at Kwik-E-Mart, players can indulge in these pop culture mashups.
However, this is not the first time that The Simpsons has dipped its toes into the world of gaming. In 1991, Acclaim released Bart vs Space Mutants, a side-scrolling platformer where Bart must defeat extraterrestrial invaders by completing frustrating pixel-perfect jumps and fighting bosses including Nelson and Sideshow Bob.
Despite receiving mediocre reviews, the game sold over one million copies, inspiring a rash of Bart-focused games such as Bart vs The World and Bart's House of Weirdness. This interplay made perfect sense; Bart is, after all, a huge video game fan in the show's early days, representing the target demographic for the contemporary games industry.
Throughout its history, The Simpsons has continued to satirise video games, poking fun at characters like Flanders' penchant for Billy Graham's Bible Blaster and his kids' love for it. Games are also used as a useful pop cultural tool for mocking the characters themselves, such as the favourite game of Flanders kids being an evangelical preach-'em-up.
The best early Simpsons game would arguably be 2003's much-loved Simpsons Hit & Run, a glorious Homer-fronted pastiche of Grand Theft Auto. Here you can drive around town visiting Android's Dungeon, Krusty Burger and the Legitimate Businessman's Social Club, while carrying out missions to prevent another alien plot.
The collaboration with Fortnite highlights how The Simpsons has continued to survive as a cultural icon, despite its decline as a must-watch TV phenomenon. The combination of slapstick, parody and social commentary aligns with the scrambled self-aware narratives of video games, where crazed violence often intercuts with gooey sentimentality and knockabout laughs.
Some argue that it's difficult for developers to create interesting games without conflict or competition, but others view video game violence as a failure of imagination. Brie Code has proposed that games might move towards a different modality: tend-and-befriend.
There are many non-violent games out there, such as Animal Crossing and ThinkyGames' curated list of blockbusters. Resources like Common Sense Media and Steam's non-violent entertainment curation page also provide family-friendly options.
fortnite collab is fire 
cant believe theyre bringing simpsons characters to the game again 
bart vs space mutants was so weird but still kinda fun 
2003s simpsons hit & run is still one of the best games ever 
and yeah who needs violence in games when u can have tender moments between animals 
like animal crossing or stardew valley 
that game was so much fun! i think what makes simpsons games special is how they poke fun at video games themselves, like flanders' obsession with billy graham's bible blaster 
... but on the other hand, it's kinda lazy to rely on existing IPs to boost sales 
... wait, no, that's not true! It's awesome that they're bringing new life to an old game and making it fun for a whole new audience 
... unless you think it's just rehashing old ideas, in which case... y'know what? I'm gonna disagree with myself now 
. It blended this crazy cartoon world with GTA gameplay – pure genius! As for the controversy around video games and violence, I'm not sure where the line gets drawn 
. Some devs do go too far with the gore and whatnot. But others make awesome games that are all about exploration, building, and friendship (Tend-and-befriend vibes).
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! I'm all about the new Springfield island in Fortnite, it's literally so detailed 
meanwhile, let's talk stats 
the average age of gamers playing fortnite is 22-25 yrs old 
what about their demographics? 
and btw did u know that gaming has become a $300 bil industry in 2024 
. I love how they've taken Springfield and turned it into this whole mini-world within Fortnite. It's like, totally ridiculous but also kind of brilliant?
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. And that's something we could all learn from, even if it is a bit cheesy at times 
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. It's not too hard to make games that are fun for the whole family without resorting to crazy violence or conflict 
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. And who knows, maybe we'll see some more wholesome games come out of that 