It’s mostly ‘80s nostalgia in the video for The Fjords’ “All In”—until the kid pulls out his NES Zapper and starts blowing people away.
The first sign that something’s not right in the video comes as the young boy lays out an arsenal of fake Nintendo Entertainment System cartridges.
The Massacre? Fireball? Rocket? I’ve not played any of these. And Knifes instead of Knives? That one must be from Capcom.
Crafting an impromptu NES backpack and holstering his normally harmless light gun, the heads off on a journey to...get a hot dog? I think? Coming upon a band of ruffians in the middle of nowhere, he slots The Massacre, enters a very familiar code on his controller and goes to work.
That really tense moment towards the end loses something once you realize the kid has 30 lives.
The song, like the video, escalates quickly, from a quiet purr to an avalanche of sound. I’ve listened to it several times now, and I’m still not sure I like it. I’ll give it a few more listens. This wouldn’t have happened if the band were called The Fnords.
Meanwhile, in the YouTube comments—and thanks to Chris for sharing this with us by the way—the argument over whether or not the video is suggesting video games cause violent behavior in children rages on. I’d like to think the creators were just poking fun at the notion—I can’t see someone savvy enough to include a close-up shot of the Konami code in the video getting all “Fuck video games!”
Whatever the case, I could really go for a hot dog.