Games
Discover facts about games. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Games
The ultimatum game makes unfair money easy to refuse
One player proposes how to divide a sum; the other can accept it or reject it, leaving both with nothing. Experiments find that people often reject very…
Discover more
Marco Polo turns other players' voices into moving clues
The seeker closes their eyes and calls 'Marco'; the others answer 'Polo.' Each reply gives away a position, but the swimmers can move before the seeker…
Discover more
Balloon keep-up got a World Cup
Spain hosted the inaugural tournament in 2021, with competitors keeping a balloon airborne around furniture obstacles.
Discover more
Until Dawn turns a steady hand into a survival skill
Its Don't Move sequences ask players to hold the controller still while a character hides from danger. Motion controls make a physical twitch part of the…
Discover more
Why Valve never seems to make a third game
Valve's major franchises have never had a third numbered installment, leaving fans waiting and turning the pattern into a running joke.
Discover more
Celeste makes its strawberries optional—and tempting
Madeline's mountain climb explores anxiety and self-doubt while optional strawberries invite extra risks along the route. You can progress without collecting…
Discover more
STACKY FOR IPHONEA bigger world.
One discovery
at a time.
Keep discovering with Stacky. Interesting facts in an app that is always within reach.
Persona's cat really does send you to bed
The catlike Morgana lives in your backpack and repeatedly insists you go to bed, even when you’d rather keep playing.
Discover more
Resident Evil 5 makes you punch a boulder to save your partner
Near the finale, Chris Redfield has to move a huge rock inside a volcano so he can reach Sheva. The game turns that obstacle into a quick-time sequence of…
Discover more
The Heavy Rain glitch that won't let a father stop crying out
During a tragic scene, repeatedly pressing one prompt can make the father interrupt later cutscenes with panicked cries about his missing son.
Discover more
Batman developers hid a sequel behind a fake wall
In Batman: Arkham Asylum, a breakable wall in the warden’s office concealed plans for Arkham City. The room did not announce itself as an ordinary…
Discover more
The silent ape family hidden in Halo
In a jungle mission, developers tucked away a low-resolution family of unblinking ape-like figures holding a teddy bear. They have no role in the story; they…
Discover more
Control's missing scientist left a music video
Dr. Darling appears in a live-action performance of 'Dyna-mite,' dancing through a cover of the 1970s song. After hours of disturbing research footage, the…
Discover more
A video game lets players display stolen underwear
Instead of returning the leader's missing purple underwear, players can put it on display at the autumn festival and provoke an angry bribe.
Discover more
Why General Radahn uses gravity magic to ride
He mastered gravity magic so he could keep riding his beloved pony without crushing it.
Discover more
The Last of Us pauses the apocalypse for a giraffe
Joel and Ellie encounter giraffes wandering through Salt Lake City and stop to watch and feed one. After so much danger, the scene offers contact with an…
Discover more
Why Bloodborne makes you eat cosmic umbilical cords
Finding three pieces of cosmic birth tissue grants the insight needed to confront a moon deity and unlock the game’s true ending.
Discover more
Watch Dogs lets you pilot a giant street spider
In the game, the protagonist can pilot a giant, city-destroying robotic spider—a bizarre detour from its story of surveillance and urban crime.
Discover more
A Cyberpunk T-pose shows the character before the performance
An outstretched default pose belongs to the model's animation setup, not the citizen's intended behavior. When the correct animation fails to play, the…
Discover more
Roach's rooftop appearances became part of The Witcher's folklore
Players have encountered Geralt's mare in awkward places, including on buildings. Calling a companion into a complex landscape requires the game to pick a…
Discover more
Max Payne borrowed his writer's face
Sam Lake supplied the face of the original game's protagonist, giving its hard-boiled narration a very recognizable squint. A creative contributor became part…
Discover more
Fallout 76 makes nuclear fallout a crafting ingredient
After a nuclear strike, affected plants can yield raw flux used to make valuable crafting materials. The blast zone becomes a dangerous resource hunt. In this…
Discover more
Life Is Strange lets you care a plant to death
Max can water Lisa in the first two episodes. Watering once keeps the plant healthy; watering on both opportunities leaves it overwatered, while never…
Discover more
Claptrap was designed to be annoying
His pop-up messages, dancing, and smug text were deliberate design choices. The creators meant for the yellow robot to get on players’ nerves.
Discover more
In Yakuza games, bicycles become weapons
In the games, characters can grab chained mountain bikes and swing them like bats, smashing both the bikes and their enemies.
Discover more