{{Use American English|date=January 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2013}} {{Infobox Simpsons episode | image = Margegamer.gif | image_size = 200 | caption = Homer showing [[Ronaldo (Brazilian footballer)|Ronaldo]] a [[Misconduct (football)|red card]] (in some promotional images, Ronaldo appears with a [[Real Madrid]] uniform, rather than the [[Brazil national football team|Brazil national soccer team]] one). | season = 18 | episode = 17 | director = [[Bob Anderson (director)|Bob Anderson]] | writer = [[J. Stewart Burns]] | production = JABF10 | airdate = {{Start date|2007|04|22}} | guests = * [[Ronaldo (Brazilian footballer)|Ronaldo]] as himself {{small|(credited as Ronaldo Luis Nazário de Lima)}} * [[Marcia Wallace]] as [[Edna Krabappel]] | blackboard = | couch_gag = A copy of ''The Springfield Shopper'' spins into frame. The headline reads, “COUCH GAG THRILLS NATION” with a photo of the Simpsons on the couch | commentary = * [[Al Jean]] * J. Stewart Burns * [[Matt Selman]] * [[Joel H. Cohen]] * [[Jeff Westbrook]] * [[Tom Gammill]] * [[Max Pross]] * [[Yeardley Smith]] | prev = [[Homerazzi]] | next = [[The Boys of Bummer]] }}
"'''Marge Gamer'''" is the seventeenth episode of the [[The Simpsons season 18|eighteenth season]] of the American animated television series ''[[The Simpsons]]''. It originally aired on the [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox network]] in the United States on April 22, 2007. The episode was written by [[J. Stewart Burns]] and directed by [[Bob Anderson (director)|Bob Anderson]].
In this episode, Marge joins Bart in playing an online role-playing game while Homer becomes a referee for Lisa's soccer games. It featured a guest appearance from Brazilian [[Association football|soccer]] player [[Ronaldo (Brazilian footballer)|Ronaldo]]. The episode received negative reviews.
==Plot== [[Marge Simpson|Marge]] is embarrassed at a Parent-Teacher Association meeting because she does not have an email address. She agrees to get one and learns to browse the internet. Bored with no new email, she repeatedly hits the refresh button causing new advertising banners to appear. An advertisement for a massively [[Massively multiplayer online role-playing game|multiplayer online role-playing game]] called ''Earthland Realms'' catches her attention. Marge clicks on it and creates a character for the game. She quickly learns how to play, exploring the local town when she meets the characters of other Springfield residents who are also playing the game. Soon, she is dragged into hiding with everyone else as a powerful and deadly character named "The Shadow Knight" appears. He kills [[Principal Skinner]]'s character, a sentient reptilian turkey, before Apu begins eating the roasted remains. Disgusted, Marge stops playing. Walking past [[Bart Simpson|Bart]]'s bedroom, she discovers that Bart is the Shadow Knight, yet is pleased about how well he is doing in the game.
With this knowledge, Marge goes to the Shadow Knight's castle and meets Bart, fussing over and embarrassing him. Later, when Marge runs into [[List of recurring The Simpsons characters#Jimbo Jones|Jimbo]], [[List of recurring The Simpsons characters#Dolph Starbeam|Dolph]] and [[List of recurring The Simpsons characters#Kearney Zzyzwicz|Kearney]] while exploring, Bart rescues her. Returning to his castle with her, Bart discovers that Marge replaced the contents of his trophy room with a [[Hello Kitty]] expansion pack. Enraged, Bart smashes the decorations and accidentally kills Marge's character in the process, massively disappointing her, and causing her to act coldly to him. Meanwhile, [[Homer Simpson|Homer]] takes [[Lisa Simpson|Lisa]] to her soccer game and agrees to referee the match. His subpar skills frustrate Lisa, so Homer learns the rules of soccer and becomes a better referee. While playing, Lisa trips trying to steal the ball from another player. Homer calls a foul and gives the ball to Lisa. She takes advantage of the situation and pretends to be fouled again so Homer can grant her another penalty kick. When Homer's decision is challenged, [[Ronaldo (Brazilian footballer)|Ronaldo]] appears and confirms that Lisa is a [[Diving (association football)|flopper]]. Homer gives Lisa a [[Fouls and misconduct (association football)#Yellow card (caution)|yellow card]]. Angered, Lisa rips up the yellow card, causing Homer to give her a [[Fouls and misconduct (association football)#Red card (dismissal)|red card]] and eject her from the game.
Homer returns home with an angry Lisa from the soccer game. Homer and Bart go to Moe's Tavern where [[Moe Szyslak|Moe]] gives them advice. Homer gives Lisa a DVD documentary about soccer riots and player fights, which horrifies her. Lisa realizes she was at fault and apologizes to Homer. Meanwhile, Bart uses his character's abilities to transfer health to his mother's character, costing him two-thirds of his life force. Having heard that he is weakened, the other players storm his castle and graphically kill the Shadow Knight, celebrating by propping his limbless body upright and dancing around it like a [[maypole]], using his innards as ribbons. Rather than continuing, Bart instead opts to go outside and play soccer with the rest of his family, barring Marge, who changes her character to a warrior and avenges her son by eliminating all those who participated in killing him, starting with Moe's character, who wonders why he's paying $14.95 a month to play the game.
==Production== Brazilian soccer player [[Ronaldo (Brazilian footballer)|Ronaldo]] appeared as himself.<ref>{{cite web|date=July 19, 2013|title=Sports Figures on The Simpsons|url=https://www.si.com/extra-mustard/2013/07/19/sports-figures-simpsons|website=[[Sports Illustrated]]|access-date=August 19, 2024|archive-date=May 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230507232957/https://www.si.com/extra-mustard/2013/07/19/sports-figures-simpsons|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Cultural references== The game ''Earthland Realms'' is a parody of 2000s massively multiplayer online role-playing games, combining elements of ''[[EverQuest]]'' and ''[[World of Warcraft]]''.<ref>{{cite web|first=Jesse|last=Schedeen|date=January 13, 2015|title=The Simpsons' Funniest Video Game Parodies|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2015/01/13/the-simpsons-funniest-video-game-parodies|website=[[IGN]]|access-date=August 19, 2024|archive-date=August 20, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240820070845/https://www.ign.com/articles/2015/01/13/the-simpsons-funniest-video-game-parodies|url-status=live}}</ref> Apu cheers for the parent characters while watching the 2002 film ''[[Bend It Like Beckham]]''.<ref name="Canning"/>
==Reception== ===Viewing figures=== The episode earned a 2.3 rating and was watched by 6.46 million viewers, which was the 53rd most-watched show that week.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] Medianet|date=April 24, 2007|url=http://abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispDNR.aspx?id=042407_06|title=Weekly Program Rankings (Apr. 16-22)|access-date=June 10, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100528005657/http://abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispDNR.aspx?id=042407_06|archive-date=May 28, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref>
===Critical response=== Adam Finley of ''[[TV Squad]]'' felt "the Homer/Lisa story might have worked better as the main plot, but even that segment of the episode was hindered by a terrible guest voice in soccer player Ronaldo". He also said, "I hate it when non-actors do guest voices on ''The Simpsons''" and "bad voice acting becomes much more of a distraction".<ref name="TVSquad">{{cite news | first=Adam|last=Finley|title = Marge Gamer| website = [[TV Squad]] | date = April 24, 2007 | url = http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/04/24/the-simpsons-marge-gamer/| accessdate=March 10, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070526053434/http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/04/24/the-simpsons-marge-gamer/|archive-date=May 26, 2007}}</ref>
Robert Canning of ''[[IGN]]'' gave the episode a 4.5 of out 10. He thought the episode contained a random sequence of events with an unrelated subplot that did not begin until the second act. He was also bothered that the video game animation style did not differ from the normal animation.<ref name="Canning">{{Cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2007/04/23/the-simpsons-marge-gamer-review|title=The Simpsons: "Marge Gamer" Review|last=Canning|first=Robert|date=2007-04-23|website=[[IGN]]|language=en-US|access-date=2016-11-19|archive-date=November 19, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161119122004/http://www.ign.com/articles/2007/04/23/the-simpsons-marge-gamer-review|url-status=live}}</ref>
Colin Jacobson of ''DVD Movie Guide'' thought the story of Marge using the internet was "clever" but the role-playing game parody was "gimmicky".<ref>{{cite web|first=Colin|last=Jacobson|date=December 19, 2017|title=The Simpsons: The Complete Eighteenth Season (2006-07)|url=http://www.dvdmg.com/simpsonss18.shtml|website=DVD Movie Guide|access-date=August 19, 2024|archive-date=September 30, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230930224657/http://www.dvdmg.com/simpsonss18.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref>
In 2007, Simon Crerar of ''[[The Times]]'' listed Ronaldo's performance as one of the thirty-three funniest cameos in the history of the show.<ref name="Crerar">{{cite news|last=Crerar |first=Simon|title=The 33 funniest Simpsons cameos ever|url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article2021776.ece|accessdate=2010-08-09|newspaper=[[The Times]]|date=July 5, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091005132549/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article2021776.ece|archive-date=October 5, 2009}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{wikiquote|The_Simpsons/Season_18#Marge_Gamer|"Marge Gamer"}} {{portal|The Simpsons}} * {{IMDb episode|0988495}} * [http://www.earthlandrealms.com Earthland Realms]
{{The Simpsons episodes|18}}
[[Category:2007 American television episodes]] [[Category:The Simpsons season 18 episodes]] [[Category:Association football animation]] [[Category:Television episodes about video games]] [[Category:Fiction about massively multiplayer online role-playing games]] [[Category:Television episodes written by J. Stewart Burns]] [[Category:Television episodes directed by Bob Anderson (director)]]