24 years later...

That thing I am cradling there is a hand-held video game from 1982 called Galaxian. (It still works!) I have probably only touched or seen it maybe two or three times in the past, say, 23, 24 years. Recently while cleaning out and consolidating my apartment I found this packed deep in a box and it intrigued me, so I put some batteries in it and brought it out of hibernation.

A few days later I rented the movie "Doom". As the movie began I was intrigued by my cute, childhood video game there on the coffee table and started to play a round. What happened next was ultra-spooky. After a moment I hear the noises of the game suddenly become a little louder and I look up at the tv: one of the soldiers in "Doom" is playing with - yes - the very same game I had in my hands, Galaxian!

My jaw just dropped.

What are the chances? Like I said, haven't seen this thing for eons. Just did an ebay search - nothing. And it was certainly not as popular as a rubix cube or pet rock. Yet a writer, director, or somebody on a movie set remembered it and put it in a movie as an obscure pop culture reference. An attribution very, very few people would get, nevermind somebody playing with it nearly 24 years later.

Synergy.