Based on the title of this thread, i want to know what are your limitations if you can mention media like music, videos, games, etc. What i want is for my character to think of let's say Gangnam Style or that he say a video of that somewhere in the story plot. Am i able to mention real life media in my story?
You can mention that the character listens to a particular band or song, but you can't use the lyrics of the song without permission of the copyright owner. You can also have the characters like or dislike or discuss or watch a movie or television show, or play a video game. One downside of this, however, is that it dates your piece. It takes a while to write and edit your piece, and if it's something you want published, it can take years. By that time, songs, video games or movies have typically come and gone. If your story takes place in a particular year, that's fine. But if it's supposed to kind of take place "now," or sometime close to when the reader is reading the story (or you don't want it to be, say obviously 2004, but want it to be more like 'sometime in the first decade of the 21st century), mentioning a popular song or game can work against you.
I like it when writers create their on references within the story. It is a bit more work but it will make your piece a little more timeless because you can describe and create whatever you want the reader to understand about the reference and even make it apply to your story all the more.
