Sometimes the use of games like poker and chess in television and film are not as random as you might think.
Rather, the inclusion of main characters engaging in games is as important to the story as the main plotline itself. Usage of games is a clever storytelling technique to give the viewer an opportunity to learn about the characters while picking up important background information.
A few examples of how games in television and film were vital components to the storyline include chess in the X-Men movies, roulette in To Catch A Thief, and poker in Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Chess in X-Men
Marvel’s comic book franchise has spawned seven films since X-Men was released by Fox in 2000, with many scenes featuring characters playing chess.
In a few of the films, two of the main characters are specifically spotted around a chess board: Charles Xavier a.k.a. Professor X (Patrick Stewart) and Magneto (Ian McKellen). Both Professor X and Magneto are friends and adversaries. Their complicated and strained relationship dates back several decades. Both are academics in their own right, but they have contrasting personalities and divergent life philosophies.
The differences in chess strategy between Professor X and Magneto are not throwaway beats. Rather, they are important in understanding the overall philosophy of each character. Professor X plays chess much like how he teaches. He is a true educator and wants to give his pupils the best possible education, but they must first figure out who they are as a person before they can start saving the world. Professor X wants mutants working together with humans in a peaceful coexistence.
On the other hand, Magneto’s personality and chess game is a reflection of his adversarial relationship with the world. Magneto’s world is very black and white and there’s only one goal: total dominance. Magneto wants the mutants to dominate and rule the human race, unlike Professor X who seeks out a peaceful coexistence.
Roulette in To Catch a Thief
Alfred Hitchcock is most known for his work in the thriller Psycho. However, many film enthusiasts overlook one of his best films – To Catch a Thief. The 1955 Paramount Pictures film starred Cary Grant and Grace Kelly and was shot on location on the French Riviera. Grant plays an ex-jewel thief who is trying to help solve a rash of burglaries on the Cote d’Azur.
Since the film takes place on the French Riviera, there is of course a casino scene. At the time in Europe, roulette was the most popular game that the casinos offered, and it is historically a common game used in casino scenes in movies and books due to the suspense, uncertainty and sense of luxury that the wheel offers. Therefore, it’s no surprise that the roulette wheel plays a role in a pivotal scene in To Catch A Thief. It’s also one of the funniest moments of the film when Grant accidentally losses a chip down the front of a woman’s dress. Grace Kelly and her mother, wealthy Americans on holiday in the South of France, happened to be gambling at the same roulette table. They take notice of Grant and eventually befriend him.
The chance meeting at the roulette table sets forth a chain of events as Grant tries to figure out who is the actual gem thief.
Poker in Star Trek: The New Generation
Poker was often used on Star Trek: The New Generation as a storytelling device. More often than not, the lessons learned at the poker table affected the crew in real life, and vice versa. Poker, as a theme, was featured in several memorable episodes.
In TNG, the senior staff on the Enterprise had a weekly poker game. They invited Captain Picard to join them, but he always politely refused. These weekly games were featured in several episodes over the course of the show’s history.
In the second season (S2E09), poker is a key element to the episode “Measure of the Man.” Data, the ship’s android, is playing poker with the crew after learning the rules. He quickly discovers that the game described in the rules bears little resemblance to the game they actually play every week. In one hand, Data folds to what he perceived was a stronger hand from Commander Riker. It turns out Riker was only bluffing and had a far weaker hand than he projected. Data finally understands the human element to poker (and the concept of bluffing) instead of relying on basic mathematical strategy.
In the third season (S3E08), poker comes into play in the episode “The Price.” Several races are vying for control of a wormhole, which might be the only stable one in the galaxy. During tense negotiations, Commander Riker relies on his poker skills to figure out which adversary he needs to worry about the most.
In conclusion, games like poker, roulette, and chess have played an important part in helping directors tell their story in film and television, whether it’s an Alfred Hitchcock film, Star Trek or X-Men.