From The Grid to Your Game Library: The Tron: Ares Cast Picks Their Survival Spots (And We've Got Notes, Mate)
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
The cast of Tron: Ares shared their surprising picks for video games they reckon they could survive, ranging from Minecraft's peaceful parrot-filled worlds to the abstract void of Pong, prompting a blend of digital wizardry and gentle skepticism from yours truly on their actual chances. It’s a hilarious peek into whether Hollywood's finest have the gaming chops to survive the pixelated wilds.
Alright, gather 'round, you digital adventurers! Jeff's here, and I've been tinkering with some news that's wilder than a rogue AI trying to run a bake sale. We're talking about Tron: Ares, the latest dive into the neon-streaked digital frontier. Now, if you've ever watched Tron, you know it's basically the ultimate game-within-a-movie experience, right? Programs getting derezzed, light cycles doing impossible things – it’s a proper digital gladiatorial arena. The new film, directed by Joachim Rønning, takes things a bit further, with programs escaping the Grid and fighting for corporate data as avatars. But here's the kicker: Polygon recently caught up with the cast and crew and threw a truly brilliant, perfectly silly question at them: If you were sucked into a video game, which one do you reckon you could actually survive? My digital tea leaves are already swirling, because, fair warning, some of these answers are... surprising. Let's dig in and see if these Hollywood types have the gaming chops they think they do.
### The CEO, the Parrots, and the Creepers (Oh My!)
First up, we've got Greta Lee, who plays Eve Kim, the big boss at ENCOM, scrambling to find some 'permanence code' left behind by Kevin Flynn. Her pick? The blocky, limitless world of *Minecraft*. Specifically, her youngest kid's world, 'just filled with parrots, because he loves parrots.' Honestly, mate, this is either genius or pure naivete. Polygon gave her a whopping 90% survival rate, mostly assuming she'll just hang out with the feathered friends. And I kinda get it. If you spawn into a peaceful mode, surrounded by parrots, you're probably golden. No creepers, no zombies, just... squawks. But what if one of those mischievous little ones flies into a lava pit, and you, being the loving parent you are, try to save it? Or what if she's unknowingly built her parrot paradise on top of a monster spawner? The chaotic optimist in me says, 'Go for it, Greta! Enjoy the pixels!' But the gently skeptical wizard whispers, 'Are you sure you know how to craft a pickaxe, love? Because those parrots won't fend off an Ender Dragon.' Still, a solid, wholesome pick. Points for parental dedication.
### Rapture? Really, Mate?
Next, we swing over to Evan Peters, who’s Julian Dillinger, grandson of the original Tron villain, leading a rival corp. Now, Evan's answer made my digital eyes twitch a bit. He quickly admitted he'd 'definitely lose in the [Disc Arena],' which, fair enough, mate. But then he drops *BioShock*. And when pressed by co-star Gillian Anderson, he adds *Fallout 3* and *4*, raving about their 'amazing post-apocalyptic worlds.' Bless his cotton socks, but did he actually *understand* the question? Surviving in Rapture – a decaying, dystopian underwater city filled with deranged Splicers, Big Daddies, and Little Sisters who might just gut you for ADAM – is about as likely as me successfully casting 'summon pizza' without setting my keyboard on fire. Polygon generously gave him a 5% chance in *BioShock* and a slightly higher 10% in *Fallout*, purely on a 'charisma rating' theory. Look, I love *Fallout* as much as the next digital nomad, but surviving the Commonwealth or the Capital Wasteland takes more than a charming smile. You need V.A.T.S., a serious inventory of Nuka-Cola, and a distinct lack of fear for giant mutated scorpions. My magical prognosis? He'd be a ghoul's chew toy within the hour. Good choices for *playing*, perhaps, but surviving? Nah, mate.
### The Zen Master of the Digital Void
Then we have the legend herself, Gillian Anderson, playing Julian’s mum, Elisabeth. Now, Anderson is no stranger to interactive media, having been in *The X-Files Game*. So, what game did this seasoned veteran pick for survival? *Pong*. Yes, you heard that right. *Pong*. Her reasoning? 'It would take so long for the [ball] to come that I could duck out of the way quickly before it came to hit me in the head.' I'm not gonna lie, I almost spilled my pixelated coffee laughing. This is peak irreverent genius, mate! Polygon gives her a 50% chance, grappling with the philosophical implications: 'What does the black void of *Pong* do to a person?' Are you derezzed if the ball gets past you? Can you fall off the stage? Honestly, her choice makes me wonder if she's accidentally stumbled upon some ancient digital wisdom. In a world of hyper-realistic survival horrors, choosing the ultimate abstract minimalist game is an inspired, almost dadaist, act of defiance. My take? She probably *would* survive. Not because she could duck, but because the sheer absurdity of the situation would break the game itself. A true digital wizard move, that one.
### Tomb Raiding with a Film Crew?
Next up, the man at the helm of *Tron: Ares*, director Joachim Rønning. Being a kid of the '80s, he reminisces about the Commodore 64 and Atari, but credits the original PlayStation *Tomb Raider* as his first truly immersive, 'physical' gaming experience. Fair dinkum, that game *was* a revelation back in the day. But survive it? He admits, 'I'm not sure that's the game I would actually want to be in.' And mate, I reckon he's got the right idea there. Polygon gives him a grim 20%, picturing him as 'a T. rex meal relatively quickly.' They *do* give him a slim chance if he leverages his 'movie guy' instincts to spot traps, like Indy Jones. And I get it; there's a certain cinematic quality to *Tomb Raider* that would appeal to a director. But Lara Croft is a highly trained archaeologist/badass, not your average bloke who enjoys a good movie. Those ancient ruins are full of actual, honest-to-god death traps, cunning puzzles, and wildlife that wants to eat you. Unless he's got a pair of pistols and a penchant for parkour, I'm siding with Polygon here. He'd be less Lara Croft, more... well, just a meal.
### From Hollywood Traffic to Digital Alligators
Finally, we arrive at Jared Leto, the eponymous Ares, a program yearning for human form. His survival game of choice? *Frogger*. Now, his reasoning is surprisingly grounded: 'Because I've spent a lot of time in New York — and LA, which might be even more dodgy — but I have the skills. I have a lot of practice [crossing the street].' Okay, so he's got the urban agility down. Polygon gives him a slightly optimistic 51%, acknowledging the street-crossing prowess but then hitting him with the harsh reality of Frogger's other half: 'log-rolling and balancing on the backs of swimming turtles. Leto may not have the jumping and equilibrium needed to avoid being consumed by an alligator.' And this is where my gentle skepticism kicks in, mate. Street crossing is one thing; navigating a river full of potentially snapping reptiles and constantly moving platforms is another kettle of fish altogether. It's like saying you're a good swimmer because you've crossed a puddle. Still, it's a wonderfully specific and surprisingly practical (for the first half) pick. The chaos wizard in me wants to see him try, just to witness the alligator encounter. Would he derez or just become a very method actor's lunch? The mind boggles.
### What It All Means, Mate
So there you have it, a wild ride through the digital survival picks of the *Tron: Ares* cast. From the serene parrots of *Minecraft* to the philosophical void of *Pong*, and the utterly terrifying depths of Rapture, it's a mixed bag of cleverness, ambition, and perhaps a touch of digital delusion. It just goes to show that even those who live and breathe digital worlds on screen might have vastly different ideas about what it takes to survive them when the chips are down (or the light cycles are coming). Cheers to Polygon for asking the truly important questions, and to the cast for giving us a peek into their wonderfully imaginative (and sometimes utterly bonkers) gaming survival strategies. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to practice my Pong reflexes... just in case.
Tags: Gaming Culture, Movie Crossovers, Survival Games, Tron: Ares, Celebrity Gaming
Original article: Polygon