Games
Discover facts about games. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Games
Why endlessly switching weapons does nothing
Cycling between a pistol and rifle may feel soothing during long walks through empty landscapes, but it offers no tactical advantage.
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How a Resident Evil prototype became Devil May Cry
Kamiya gave the Resident Evil protagonist magic, a sword, and the ability to juggle enemies in midair—too over-the-top for survival horror. The concept became…
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Why jacks demand split-second reflexes
You have to scoop up the scattered jacks between the ball's bounce and its return, leaving only a brief moment to sweep them up.
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Nintendo Labo peripherals were literal cardboard
Players folded flat cardboard sheets into functional add-ons, including steering wheels and robot suits.
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The bizarre vocabulary of competitive marbles
Players use terms such as “plunking,” “bombsies,” and “fudging” for specific marble impacts, giving the game its own jargon.
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Charades began as a written riddle game
Charades began as a written riddle game before shifting to physical pantomime, which made the riddles more lively as evening entertainment.
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An old fire helped stop London's Great Fire
In 1633, a blaze destroyed buildings on London Bridge and left a gap. When the Great Fire arrived in 1666, that missing stretch acted as a firebreak, stopping…
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Uno wild cards bypass matching color restrictions
A regular Wild card can be played regardless of the pile’s color and lets you choose the next color. A Wild Draw Four has an extra restriction: you can play…
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Genesis standard controller lacks top shoulder buttons
Without shoulder buttons, the controller relied on face inputs, limiting the commands available compared with its 16-bit rival. A major redesign eventually…
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Video games fake light beams with invisible dust
Volumetric lighting makes beams visible by simulating light scattering off particles in the air. The effect creates dramatic “god rays” but can strain a…
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Bunny hopping can turn a game's movement rules into a speed trick
In games that allow it, players chain jumps and directional inputs to preserve or build momentum that ordinary running loses. The details depend on the…
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Baccarat strictly limits the highest possible hand to nine
A hand totaling 15 counts as 5 because baccarat drops the tens digit from any total above nine.
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Xehanort’s name hides “No Heart”
“Xehanort” is an anagram of “No Heart” with an X added—a letter with its own significance in Kingdom Hearts lore.
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When Barbie outsold some of gaming's biggest hits
Barbie Riding Club sold more than a million copies on PC in 1998, outselling several better-known games of its era.
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Acrylic hobby paints dry entirely through water evaporation
As the water evaporates, acrylic particles fuse into a durable film, rather than hardening through the oxidation that dries oil paint.
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Why companies banned Doom from their networks
Because Doom was distributed as shareware, employees installed it on office computers and held networked deathmatches. Intel and other companies banned the…
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Fruit Ninja turned fruit-slicing into an obsession
Players swiped to slice flying fruit and dodge randomly tossed bombs. The quick rounds made it an easy fit for a bathroom break.
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Why Portal turned GLaDOS into a potato
Portal 2's writers wanted GLaDOS to team up with the player but knew players wouldn't trust her as a giant robotic ceiling monster. Turning her into a…
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Tensile strength of Manila rope strictly prevents snapping
Made from abaca fibers, Manila rope can withstand heavy pulls. In a tug-of-war, participants may get friction burns before the rope gives way.
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The Saturn’s second processor became a developer headache
Its engineering was so complex that many developers struggled to use the second processor, leaving much of its performance potential untapped.
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Official strategy guides printing terrible gameplay advice
Guides written from incomplete beta versions could give wrong stats or strategies—and sometimes send players down dead ends.
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Why a flat penny toss keeps falling short
A flat disc catches more air than an edge-on one, slowing it and making its flight less predictable.
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Aggressively scratching a virtual turntable to techno beats
DJ Hero gave players a spinning turntable peripheral: you rubbed the disc back and forth while hitting buttons, demanding real coordination and making bedroom…
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A shiny game token doesn't have to be solid precious metal
An inexpensive metal core can receive a thin plated finish, giving a token weight and shine without the cost of making the whole piece from that surface…
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