You probably stumbled across the title while scrolling through a late-night streaming menu or perhaps a dusty IMDB thread. It sounds like a line from a creepy playground rhyme, doesn't it? But the I Like to Play Games movie—officially released in 1995—is actually a very specific relic of a bygone era in Hollywood. We’re talking about the mid-90s boom of the "erotic thriller," a genre that lived and died on Blockbuster shelves and cable networks like Cinemax.
It's weird.
The movie stars Lisa Boyle, an actress who was essentially the face of this genre for a few years. If you grew up in that era, you might recognize her from small roles in massive hits like Bad Boys or The Nutty Professor, but here, she’s the lead. She plays a woman named Laurel who gets entangled in a high-stakes game of seduction and corporate power. It’s exactly what you’d expect, yet it carries this strange, nostalgic weight that keeps it popping up in search results decades later.
What actually happens in I Like to Play Games?
Let's get the plot straight because people often confuse it with other "game-centric" thrillers of the 90s like The Game or Wild Things. This isn't a massive David Fincher production. It’s a low-budget, high-tension story about Laurel, an executive who is talented but bored. She meets a mysterious, wealthy man named Michael (played by Ken Steadman), and they begin a psychological and physical "game" of cat and mouse.
The stakes? Mostly emotional and professional.
The movie tries hard to be a "thinking person's" thriller. It’s filled with dialogue that feels like it was written by someone who just finished reading a textbook on power dynamics. Does it work? Kinda. It’s definitely of its time. You have the saxophone-heavy soundtrack, the soft-focus lighting, and the ubiquitous 90s "tech" that looks like it belongs in a museum now.
But honestly, the reason people keep looking for the I Like to Play Games movie isn't just for the plot. It’s about the aesthetic. It represents a time when movies were made specifically for the "straight-to-video" market, creating a middle-class tier of cinema that simply doesn't exist anymore. Today, everything is either a $200 million Marvel spectacle or a $50,000 indie shot on an iPhone. This movie lived in that comfortable $2 million gap.
The cast and the 90s "B-Movie" ecosystem
Lisa Boyle was a powerhouse in this specific niche. She had this "girl next door" vibe but was frequently cast in these hyper-stylized, provocative roles. Her co-star, Ken Steadman, was a rising actor who actually had a pretty tragic story; he died just a year after this movie was released in a dune buggy accident while filming a TV show.
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That tragedy adds a bit of a somber layer to the film when you watch it now.
You also see some familiar faces in the supporting cast, like Johnny Williams. These were the "working actors" of the 90s. They were in everything. You might not know their names, but you definitely know their faces. They brought a level of professional competence to these low-budget scripts that made them watchable. Without that caliber of acting, these films would have been forgotten within a week.
Why the 90s erotic thriller genre died out
It’s an interesting shift in culture. In the 90s, movies like Basic Instinct made eroticism a mainstream box office draw. This paved the way for smaller films like the I Like to Play Games movie to find a massive audience on VHS rentals. People would go to the video store, look at the cover art, and take a chance.
Then the internet happened.
Suddenly, the "mystery" and the "thrill" that these movies provided were available for free at the click of a button. The "R-rated thriller" lost its market share. Studios realized they could make more money by making PG-13 action movies that could play in China and Europe. The middle-budget thriller was squeezed out of existence. Now, if you want this kind of story, you usually have to look at "Original Movies" on platforms like Tubi or Lifetime, but they lack that specific, grainy film stock look that made 90s movies feel so gritty.
Common misconceptions about the film
One of the biggest issues with searching for this film is the title itself. It’s incredibly generic.
- No, it’s not a horror movie. Despite the title sounding like something a masked killer would say, it’s a romantic thriller.
- It’s not related to Saw. I’ve seen forums where younger viewers think "I want to play a game" is a reference to this. It’s not. This predates Jigsaw by nearly a decade.
- There is a sequel. Surprisingly, there is a I Like to Play Games 2, released in 1998, but it features a different cast and lacks the "charm" (if you can call it that) of the original.
The film is often lumped in with "softcore" cinema, and while it definitely leans into its TV-MA rating, it’s structured more like a traditional noir. There’s a mystery, a betrayal, and a resolution that leaves you feeling a bit cynical about human nature.
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Where can you even watch it today?
Finding the I Like to Play Games movie in 2026 is actually harder than you’d think. It’s rarely on the big platforms like Netflix or Max. Instead, you have to dig into the "bottom-shelf" of streaming.
- Tubi and Pluto TV: These are your best bets. They specialize in licensing old catalogs from defunct production companies.
- Physical Media: Collectors still hunt for the original VHS or the early 2000s DVD releases. Some of these DVDs have become weirdly expensive on eBay because they’re out of print.
- YouTube: Sometimes, copyright holders are lax, and you can find full versions uploaded by enthusiasts of 90s cinema, though the quality is usually terrible—480p at best.
Why it still matters (or why we still search for it)
There is a growing movement of "Neo-Noir" and 90s appreciation. People are tired of the sanitized, CGI-heavy films of today. There’s something tactile about a movie like this. You can see the real locations, the real sweat, and the real (often questionable) fashion choices of 1995.
It’s a time capsule.
Watching the I Like to Play Games movie is like visiting a mall that was closed in 1997 and perfectly preserved. It tells us what people were afraid of back then (mostly corporate espionage and being "found out") and what they found alluring. It’s not a masterpiece. It’s not going to win any "greatest of all time" awards. But it’s an authentic piece of entertainment history that served a specific purpose for a specific audience.
The technical side of the production
If you look closely at the cinematography, it’s actually better than it has any right to be. The director, Bobby Jean Leonard, knew how to work with a limited budget. They used a lot of practical lighting—lamps, neon signs, streetlights—to create a "mood" that covered up the fact that they didn't have expensive sets.
The editing is fast-paced. It keeps the tension high even when the dialogue gets a little bit cheesy. It’s a masterclass in "efficient filmmaking." Every shot has to count because they didn't have the film stock to do 50 takes of a single scene. That "one-take" energy gives the performances a raw edge that you don't see in modern, over-rehearsed productions.
The "Game" as a metaphor
The central theme of the movie is the "game" played between the two leads. In the 90s, this was a huge trope—the idea that modern life was so boring that wealthy people had to invent dangerous psychological games to feel alive. You see this in Indecent Proposal, you see it in Disclosure.
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The I Like to Play Games movie takes this to a more intimate level. It asks: How much of yourself are you willing to lose to win someone else's approval? Laurel starts as a woman in control, but by the end, she realizes she’s just a piece on someone else's board. It’s a cynical view of relationships, but one that resonated in the "greed is good" hangover of the mid-90s.
Actionable insights for fans of the genre
If you’re someone who enjoys rediscovering these lost gems, there are a few things you should do to get the most out of the experience.
First, don't go in expecting a modern thriller. You have to adjust your "internal clock" to the 90s. The pacing is slower. The reveals are more subtle. Second, look for the "Director’s Cut" if you can find it on physical media. The TV edits of these films often butcher the pacing to fit in commercial breaks, which ruins the build-up of tension.
Finally, if you like this movie, check out other films from the same era produced by companies like Republic Pictures or Prism Entertainment. They had a very specific "house style" that is incredibly consistent.
The I Like to Play Games movie is a fascinating footnote in film history. It reminds us that cinema isn't just about the "big" movies that everyone remembers; it’s also about the small, weird, and evocative films that filled the shelves of our local video stores and kept us entertained on a Friday night when we had nothing else to do.
To explore this further, start by searching for the film on ad-supported streaming platforms or checking specialty film databases like Letterboxd, where a small but dedicated community of 90s thriller fans keeps the discussion alive. You can also track down Lisa Boyle’s filmography to see how this movie fits into the broader "erotic thriller" trend that dominated the decade.