The movie has developed a cult following, with movie-themed retro gaming tournaments hosted across the country. Luke Edwards, Fred Savage, and Jenny Lewis have made appearances at these events.
Beau Bridges and Christian Slater both admitted they had little to no interest in video games when they were cast. They played during filming, and became fans.
The dinosaurs in the film are a real-life tourist attraction at what was once the Wheel Inn Restaurant in Cabazon, CA, near Palm Springs. They also appeared in Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985) and in the music video for Night Ranger: Sing Me Away (1983).
Participating theaters distributed issues of "Pocket Power," a pocket-sized version of "Nintendo Power" magazine.
After several rejections, the producers got permission to shoot in a Reno casino when they let a state official's kids meet Fred Savage, who was also starring on The Wonder Years (1988) at the time. The state official's kids were filmed as extras, but according to the special edition Blu-ray commentary, their scenes were cut.
Tobey Maguire: Lucas' friend on the far left, with the mullet, just after the three finalists for Video Armageddon are announced. This was his first film appearance.