In the film "Pixels", the aliens use the video footage found in a NASA space probe (containing images from July 1982's 'World Arcade Championships') to design an invasion fleet.
However, we also see...
So how and why did the invasion fleet contain games and references from after 1982?
Because in the world of Pixels, they DID exist in 1982.
According to the script of Pixels, the opening scene (set in 1982) has the main characters (as 13 year olds) go the arcade near them, which shows us that in the world of *Pixels, some of the games in question exist before they were released in the real world.
Excerpt from the script (bolded parts mine, [snip] used to indicate I have removed extraneous material);
EXT. SUBURBS, DELAWARE, SUMMER OF 1982 - DAY
Our hero, SAM BRENNER, 13, rides his bike through the suburbs.
[snip]
WILL COOPER, age 13, is mowing his lawn.
[snip]
INT. ARCADE - DAY
Its like going into another world. All the classic games are lined up: PAC MAN, DONKEY KONG, CENTIPEDE, SPACE INVADERS, GALAGA, Q-BERT, PAPERBOY, ASTEROIDS, BREAKOUT.
Being as Paperboy exists in 1982 in Pixels when it wasn't released until 1985 in real life, and Q-Bert wasn't released until October in 1982 yet it exists in the Summer of 1982 here, it seems safe to assume that in the world of Pixels, all the games mentioned did exist in 1982.
Either that, or no-one did their homework. You choose.
According to the film's writers, the aliens had access to other probes (launched after 1982) which contained later game and TV references.
Q. It’s really cool looking. Were there any like guidelines for what defines the era of videogames you were gonna tackle in this? Like is Mario too far down the timeline or–?
Chris Columbus: Not with specific games, but the set pieces. The videogames that are the set pieces did exist in ’82. Some of the games, there are a couple of videogames, I don’t wanna spoil it for anybody, they have cameos. That maybe were either a little late, you know, [ones that] might have been a little later. But we assume that the Earth has been sending time capsules up into outer space and the aliens have seen all of the time capsules of videogames.
Historical accuracy was something the filmmakers considered and ultimately rejected in favour of the rule of funny.
Mike Ryan: So, the aliens received a tape from 1982. But then they reference things that happened after ’82, like Max Headroom. Is that just a concession you have to make in a movie for a joke?
Chris Columbus: It’s funny you mention Max Headroom. We debated about that a long time because we did have to cheat slightly because he’s not 1982. But, again, it’s such an interesting way to go and it’s funny and it’s great. And I thought, well, some people will — you, particularly – will get that it’s not 1982. And I think the Madonna clip might be ’84.
MR: I’m probably being nitpicky.
CC: But the great thing is with what you’re touching on, we did have internal disputes for days, sometimes weeks, about stuff. When we did the Breakout scene in India for instance, we found out as we were designing the scene that it was a later version of Breakout we were designing. So, Sandler was furious.
MR: Really?
CC: Oh yeah, he was furious. He’s like, “We can’t do this. It has to be the ’82 version.”
MR: Was he mad about Max Headroom, too?
CC: We talked about Headroom a long time. He wasn’t angry about it, we just had a discussion about, “Do you think we will be able to get away with it?” And I said, “I think 95 percent to 97 percent of the audience won’t know it’s not 1982.”
