The FRIENDS Star Who Was So Addicted to Fallout He Had to Get Injections for Playing the Game Too Much

There’s no doubt that Matthew Perry had a fantastic acting career, as he was featured in one of the most-watched and beloved television shows of all time, Friends. The show had incredibly long legs, thanks to streaming platforms such as Netflix, allowing it to stay relevant among today’s generation.

While Matthew Perry is known for his acting skills, you might not know that he was also an avid gamer! The actor always had a passion for games, and one of his favorite titles of all time was Bethesda’s Fallout. Perry was such a big fan of the Fallout franchise that, at one point, he even injured his hands from excessively playing the game! 

The Fallout franchise is one of Bethesda’s long-running and most popular game series, even rivaling the legendary Elder Scrolls. With the debut of the critically acclaimed Amazon live-action adaption, many fans are flocking back to the games. These titles, old and more recent ones, have garnered acclaim from gamers, critics, and even celebrities such as Matthew Perry!

Despite the issues that Fallout 3 may have, Matthew Perry’s love for Bethesda’s award-winning title remained consistent. In an episode of the Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2009, Perry talked about the game’s post-apocalyptic setting and how it instantly caught his attention. The actor enjoyed “running around and killing things.”

 

“I played a video game so often that I injured my hand so severely that I had to go to a hand doctor and get injections in my hand because I loved this video game so much.” He then went on to joke, saying, “I’m not affiliated with this game at all, I just love it and so but I signed it so it looks like I created the game.”

In the episode, he further explained his unconditional love for Fallout 3 before pulling out a signed copy of the game from the bag and giving it to DeGeneres.

Perry’s enthusiasm for the Fallout games became so well-known that the developers had to make sure he was somehow part of the franchise, which ended up happening with Fallout: New Vegas.

After stating his love for Fallout 3, Perry would go on to voice one of the main villains in Fallout: New Vegas. In the game, his character, Benny, is shown as a smooth-talking, well-dressed, and power-hungry man who eliminates the protagonist at the start of the game and kicks off the story’s events in motion. You can encounter Perry’s character several times later in the game, but how you deal with him ultimately comes to your own choices. Fans loved his wacky take on the character, and his voice was among the prime reasons why fans picked up the game.

Even today, millions of gamers consider New Vegas to be peak Bethesda, and we are sure Perry was happy with the reception of his favorite video gaming franchise once again. He was also in the behind-the-scenes video for Fallout: New Vegas, where he talked about his enthusiasm for Fallout again and said that it’s “smarter” than anything he’s ever played before.

Unfortunately, Perry isn’t with us anymore, but he will be forever remembered for all his incredible contributions to the world of cinema and gaming.