It’s not uncommon nowadays to see our favourite musicians playing video games. Some even have their own twitch or YouTube channels dedicated to bringing their fans in on the action. In our ever-evolving quest to understand our favourite celebrities better, video games offer a unique insight into the minds and personalities of musicians.
It’s no wonder that musicians are often big fans of games and gaming. Video games have been proven to offer a broad range of mental and physical health benefits to players. They are excellent at aiding relaxation and stress relief and have also been shown to improve hand-eye coordination – a critical skill for many musicians.
Katy Perry – Final Fantasy
Katy Perry is legendary for putting out some of the biggest pop hits over the last few years. It would also appear that she’s also a big fan of the fantasy role-playing game Final Fantasy. In 2018, not only did she write a song for the immensely popular video game franchise, but she also stars as a playable character in Final Fantasy Brave Exvius.
Ariana Grande – Pokémon
Ariana Grande is another celebrity who loves gaming during her downtime. She’s spoken about her love of Pokémon, saying she once played a full 15 hours on her Nintendo Switch in a single day. She’s also confirmed she’s a Pokémon Go player, joining the blue Mystic team in 2016. Her passion for Pokémon is so serious that she’s even had a Pokémon tattooed onto her arm – the Evolution Starter Pokémon Eevee.
Eminem – Call Of Duty
Like Perry, Eminem has also written a song for his favourite game, Call of Duty. Released in 2013, Survival was used to promote Call of Duty: Ghosts. Aside from promoting Ghosts, Eminem has played Call of Duty: Black Ops and shown a long-standing love for the first-person shooter franchise.
Lady Gaga – Bayonetta
You might not automatically think of hack-and-slash gaming when you think of Lady Gaga, but this is exactly the type of game the pop megastar loves. In 2018 she tweeted her love of Bayonetta, having spent the entire Thanksgiving holiday playing until her hands hurt. She clearly loved the game so much that she’s even in talks with the makers about playing a part in the official Bayonetta movie.
Lemmy Kilmister – Slots
Lemmy was the Motörhead lead vocalist until his tragic death in 2016. A titan of the rock industry, Lemmy had many passions and is missed by fans across the globe. One of his lesser-known interests was his love of casino slots games, so much so that Motörhead got their own branded slots machine as a tribute to Lemmy and his love of the game. Anyone wanting to emulate their favourite heavy metal star can find some great options on PlayLive with explanations and advice on how to get started.
Jack Black – Brütal Legend
Jack Black is one half of the famous comedy-rock band Tenacious D, as well as being a Hollywood actor and comedian. He has also lent his voice and likeness to various games and has his own gaming YouTube channel. One of his most enduring and popular games is Brütal Legend, an action-adventure game in which Black provides the voice and face of the main character, Eddie Riggs.
Diplo – Fortnite
Fortnite is one of the biggest game releases in recent years, a battle royale style game in which players fight against one another to be the last one standing. Diplo is clearly a fan, having played several live in-game performances throughout the years.
Joni Mitchell – Poker
Joni Mitchell is definitely not the only celebrity musician who loves a game of poker, but she may be one of the most surprising. She started playing the card game casually in the 1970s and quickly developed a love of the game – along with an impressive poker face. She even references her love of poker in Song for Sharon, one of the many classic songs from this legendary singer-songwriter.
Jonathan Davis – The Legend Of Zelda
Jonathan Davis, the Korn frontman, is apparently a huge fan of the Legend of Zelda video game series. He’s loved the game since the release of 2002’s The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and is particularly attracted to the immersive world-building that goes into the game, as well as the artistic and intricate animation. Davis’s love of gaming isn’t limited to the Zelda series; he also enjoys the Silent Hill franchise and the classic Crash Bandicoot.
Final Thoughts
Learning more about your favourite musician’s gaming habits can teach you a lot about them as a person. Being a famous musician comes with a lot of stress and pressure, so it’s no wonder that many celebrities pick up their controllers and use video games as an escape and a way to kick back. You can find musician gamers in all genres of music, from the lightest pop to the heaviest metal.
