I too think about this very often and because i'm a nerd who does nerd things, I had to look into it. Scroll now if you don't want rambling fan-theories or nerdy-ness about arcade games.. (this is a very long post)
Everyone knows this is Konami code. Legendary. Sure, it is used in modern games now as a ref but this was a time back when modern games weren't really a thing AND they are in an arcade setting so it is only normal to get it from a Konami game or one of the rare projects that wasn't Konami with the code in it.
The code first appeared in 1986 with the release of Gradius, this game.
It was a loophole to help testers for when the game was too difficult. It wasn't meant to be kept in the game but they left it in because removing it could expose glitches or bugs.
After this, since the code was so useful, they started putting it in every Konami game for testing purposes. It got more popular as Contra came out, since it was notoriously difficult.
The code is in about/over 100 Konami games. How to find where Turbo learned it from? Well, that is very hard. But we have to find what possible Konami games were in the arcade and what games were closest to his console before and after it was unplugged. People he would know or trust. Or maybe people he knew he could get information from/listen in on.
Many sources say that the movie is set in 2012. Thirty years back would make 1982, when the arcade would first open. Gradius nor Contra was made yet and neither was Roadblasters for Turbo's iconic story which means that it had been at least five years before Turbo 'went Turbo' since Roadblasters was made in 87'. Roadblasters is an Atari game. Not Konami, not that he would have the time to learn the code there anyway so that rules it out. Also we know that Turbo only learned to/about code after he became homeless. Anything before, he had no reason to so it wouldn't make sense and the code wasn't even created yet.
Consoles next to Turbotime. They got the years for these games shockingly correct, I mean it was made by a group who loved arcade games. Space Invaders, Asteroids, and Pac-Man are all shown near the console for the first year and they were all made before 82'. Good on you movie. This also rules them out since the code hadn't appeared yet. As for other years, nothing moved until Turbotime had gone. Here is a list of what was put next to Fix-It-Felix Jr. when Turbotime had been removed and what was near them from 1987 to 2012. I'll also rule out what is and isn't Konami plus the years they were published.
Battlezone - Atari - 1980
Frogger - Konami + Sega - 1981
Street Fighter - Capcom - 1987
-Blue and Green game (Can't read name)- ???
Street Fighter II - Capcom - 1991
Food Fight - General Computer Corp + Atari - 1983
Centipede - Atari - 1981
Agent X - Atari - 1983
Fatal Assault - Not a real game, possible reference to Assault (1988) released by Namco/Atari
Tapper - Bally Midway - 1984
Star Wars - Atari- 1983
Unknown Seated racing game (Possible 3D, looks like Rush Line?) - Doesn't appear to be a real game
Unknown game (Blue console) - ???
TMNT Game - 1989 - Konami
Unknown 3D game - ???
District (Shooter) - Also leaning to Fictional
A Sonic game - Sega, i don't think the year matters atp
Hoop Jamz - also not real
Wak-A-Mole - 1970s
Unknown Console (with communist hammer and sickle on it and what looks to possibly be chinese at the top and english at the bottom)
---- Racing (Motorcycle game) - unsure
Virtua Cop (I think?) - 1994 - Sega
Sugar Rush (Obviously) - Plugged in in 1997, Turbo took advantage before anyone else could which means learning it afterward wouldn't mean anything.
Another Shooter - aaaa
DDR X2 - now it really doesn't matter
and Hero's Duty - why did i put this on the list
These are by FAR the closest games, the ones all plugged in closest, and the ones I can see clearly. Here are a few lit up shots of the arcade though the years so you know I'm not making this up.
As we can tell, there are VERY little Konami branded games near them at all, excluding the ones I can't read/ones on the other sides. Even then, the only game that actually has that code is the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game, which is honestly super funny, when you think about it.
Though, we run into another problem. The Konami code is meant for NES/SNES Controllers or specific cabinet layouts. Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, BA, Start or Select. For TMNT, it is just a joystick and two buttons which is good but no visible start or select option. In fact, they are under the desk of the cabinet where the quarter slots are. Now this doesn't rule out the possibility entirely but I think that since the Konami code was so popular for cheating with games on your NES or SNES (Or Gameboy) that the arcade characters heard it from some players/kids first and passed on the knowledge. Now, TMNT is RIGHT NEXT to Tapper and is eventually replaced by Sugar Rush. Can we see where this is going?
TMNT would've been one of the first to know about the cheat code since no other visible Konami games were in the arcade that were created after 1987 other than TMNT. Since TMNT was right next to Tappers cabinet we can assume they'd go there to have some root beer after closing time and just talk. Turbo would probably be there hiding or trying to drown his sorrows after being homeless and most likely heard about the code while drinking which is probably why it is a Tappers napkin.
Writing it down, this could've possibly sparked his idea to learn how to code (Cheat CODE) in the first place so he could take over a game and CHEAT.
He just needed an opportunity, it was too risky to reprogram a game people had already played. This feels like the most logical and real possibility for this movie specifically because of the logistics. Especially because when they said that Turbo hid in GCS (Game Central Station) they didn't say when or how long after he went homeless. He very well could've just been lamenting being homeless before getting the brilliant idea to hack into a game and take it over once figuring out it was a possible solution to his issue. I could also be dead wrong but it seems a little too much to be a coincidence.
Thanks for reading my insane ramblings. <3
