Being the leader of the free world does come with its own set of perks, like being included in video games, for instance. Presidents have played a vital role in video games since the early days, where their prestige, leadership and knack for getting kidnapped often had them interacting with players in a number of ways.
While numerous fictional presidents have appeared in gaming over the years (including the star of this gem), for Presidents Day we decided to take a look at the most prominent times when real presidents appeared in digital form to help lead, congratulate, talk to or be rescued by gamers everywhere.
It's a smorgasbord of sports titles, shooters and action games both old and new, proving that presidents, regardless of what they are doing or how they appear, never go out of style.
Read on for 10 of the best presidential cameos in the history of video games, starting with the classic Bad Dudes.
Ronald Reagan - Bad Dudes vs. DragonNinja (1988)
"Are you a bad enough dude to rescue President Ronnie?" It's one of the most classic (and completely absurd) lines in video gaming, and it all led players on a quest that ends in one of gaming's first presidential cameos. Technically, President Ronnie in Bad Dudes is not Ronald Reagan, but one look at the character is all you need to figure out that they are basically one and the same. He's also in a strangely good mood upon being rescued from the evil ninjas, but maybe he's just really looking forward to that burger.
George Washington and Thomas Jefferson - Day of the Tentacle (1993)
This Lucasarts classic is a tale of time travel gone wrong, as three friends are plunged into both the future and past in an effort to stop the world domination plans of an evil creature named Purple Tentacle. One of the before-mentioned friends arrives in the early days of the U.S., meeting up with President George Washington and soon-to-be President Thomas Jefferson as they are busy writing up the U.S. Constitution.
Bill Clinton - NBA Jam (1993)
One of the best presidential cameos might soon become an even better one.This is the only entry on the list that not only includes a president, but a potential future president as well. Both Bill and Hillary Clinton are playable in the classic arcade sports title, and not half bad too boot.
Barack Obama - Madden 11 (2010)
President Barack Obama appeared in the 22nd installment of the Madden franchise. How do you find this cameo? All you have to do is win the Super Bowl, where your players will then meet with the president outside of the White House. No big deal!
George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama - NBA Jam (2010)
It seems like the original NBA Jam created something of a tradition, for when the franchise saw a long-awaited reboot in 2010, EA crammed even more presidents into the game than before. Two more, to be exact, as Obama and Clinton team up to take on Bush and former vice president Dick Cheney in a b-ball game for the ages. Whoever is writing Space Jam 2, take notes. At least one former president needs to make an appearance.
Barack Obama, Again - NBA 2K11 (2010)
What is up with presidents and basketball? In yet another sport game appearance, Obama appears to congratulate the team who won it all. If you want to meet the president, all you have to do is win the NBA finals in the game.
John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon - Call of Duty: Black Ops (2010)
Perhaps one of the most entertaining presidential cameos of all time came in Treyarch's first entry in its now-legendary Call of Duty: Black Ops series. Upon completing the game, players are treated to what appears to be a humorous post-credits scene, in which President John F. Kennedy, future President Richard Nixon, Cuban dictator Fidel Castro and U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara are discussing how to move forward after the Cuban Missile Crisis. Suddenly, zombies burst forth from the walls, leading JFK to break into his secret gun stash and lead his team against the undead menace, with players then taking control. Players could then choose to replay the zombie map anytime they wanted. The banter between characters as they mow down zombie after zombie is solid gold. This, without a doubt, is the best way to celebrate Presidents Day.
George Washington And Abraham Lincoln - Conduit 2 (2011)
Explaining the plot of Conduit 2 is perhaps an impossible task, but it all revolves around alien conspiracy theories that creep their way into the highest levels of government. At the end of the game, just as the player has defeated the last boss, a cutscene plays that shows two mysterious figures wearing sci-fi supersoldier armor stepping out of a portal. The two men are none other than George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, who have traveled through time to help take the fight to the oncoming alien menace. Conduit 3, unfortunately, never saw the light of day, meaning this presidential cliffhanger will remain unresolved.
Abraham Lincoln - Codename S.T.E.A.M. (2015)
Before Conduit 2 and Codename S.T.E.A.M., you may have associated Abraham Lincoln with his turn as a vampire hunter, thanks to the somewhat well-known book and film. That, however, would be inaccurate. As both this game and the one above it show, Lincoln was actually dedicated to defeating the ever-present alien menace. Lincoln leads a strike team of antialien fighters in this recent Nintendo strategy game, and ocassionally pilots a massive mech modeled after himself to win the day. As Lincoln is more of a main character than a cameo in Codename S.T.E.A.M., including it on the list is bending the rules a bit. Oh well. The fact that Wil Wheaton provides the voice for this alien-blasting president makes the entire idea that much better.
Ronald Reagan - Reagan Gorbachev (2016)
This one isn't really a cameo since Ronald Reagan is the star of this top-down shooter, but it's simply too great a concept not to mention here. Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev are being held by radical militants. The only way out is for the two to team up to take the terrorists down, by any means necessary. We don't recall President Reagan being fond of Japanese katanas, but that seems to be his weapon of choice here. He could definitely do worse.
