House of Cards protagonist Frank Underwood is a fan of video games, and his hobby doesn't take a backseat in the recently premiered third season. Earlier in the series, Underwood--played by Kevin Spacey--expresses his delight in seeing a PlayStation Vita in a moment that felt a lot like paid product placement. Later, he's seen playing Call of Duty against other people. online (After Spacey starred in Advanced Warfare, there was some talk of having him play it on the show.) Now, in the third season, he's spending time on an iPad playing the critically acclaimed Monument Valley. And lest you think the appearance was paid for, developer Ustwo has denied that is the case, stating on Twitter, "People have been asking, so we can confirm that MV appearing on House of Cards wasn't paid product placement, just a cool collaboration." That isn't the extent of the video game talk in season three. As Polygon reports, a video game reviewer--the fictional Thomas Yates--is hired to write Underwood's biography during the course of the show, and the subject of his reviews come up. Underwood notes that he "tend[s] to play shoot 'em ups" while shying away from indie games. However, Yates' review of Monument Valley prompts Underwood to give it a try, which is why we see him playing it--and it's why he wants Yates (whom he deems a good writer) to pen his biography. Underwood is also later exposed to The Stanley Parable, another game that doesn't fit in the shooter category. Season three of House of Cards is available for streaming now through Netflix.
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