From final boss battles to the dangers of open-world bloat, TV and film can learn a lot from video games

In this week's newsletter: Stranger Things' climactic showdown is the latest pop culture spectacle to feel like its been ported straight from a console. The industries' reciprocally influential relationship can be to everyone's gain Don't get Pushing Buttons delivered to your inbox? I t had begun to feel like an endurance test by the end, but nonetheless, like the sucker I am, I watched the Stranger Things finale last week. Because approximately 80% of the final season comprised twentysomething "teenagers" explaining things to each other while using random 1980s objects to illustrate convoluted plans and plot points, my expectations were not high. After an interminable hour, finally, something fun happens, as the not-kids arm themselves with machine guns and molotovs and face off against a monstrously gigantic demon-crab.