Games
Discover facts about games. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Games
Bowser was supposed to be an ox
His creator intended an ox, but colleagues mistook the sketch for a turtle—so Bowser became a fire-breathing reptile.
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In Zelda, attacking chickens brings terrifying revenge
Hit a chicken too many times and an unstoppable flock descends; the birds can't be killed or driven off.
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Marsupials shatter wooden crates by spinning aggressively
In Crash Bandicoot, the marsupial hero spins into wooden crates to smash them and deflect explosives, wearing little more than sneakers and denim shorts.
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Doom gave its hero a revenge story about a rabbit
The original Doom ends with the discovery that the marine's pet rabbit, Daisy, has been killed. After all the demons and carnage, the game makes the invasion…
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Animal Crossing lets a neighbor ask permission to leave
In New Horizons, a villager considering a move can ask the player whether to stay. That makes departure a conversation rather than a guaranteed result of…
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Why basketball rims break away
Dunking and hanging on the rim could make it snap, sometimes shattering the tempered-glass backboard. Breakaway rims bend under pressure to help prevent that…
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Yelling a random word warns pedestrians of flying objects
Golfers shout “Fore!” to warn people when a ball is headed their way, giving bystanders a chance to get out of its path.
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Innocent orange creatures wander blindly into oblivion
They aren't actively chasing the player; they just patrol back and forth, making them more like hapless pedestrians than villains.
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Soccer's second yellow becomes a red
A player cautioned twice in the same match is sent off: the referee shows another yellow card, then the red. The first warning stays relevant even after the…
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Snorlax turns a sleeping animal into a locked door
In the original Pokémon games, a sleeping Snorlax blocks your route until you obtain the Poké Flute. The obstacle looks like a creature with its own life, but…
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Zelda lets Link carry two servings of emergency milk
In Ocarina of Time, Lon Lon Milk restores five hearts per drink, with two drinks in a bottle. That makes the bottle both a container and a small reserve of…
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Doom's BFG began with a very blunt name
The initials stand for Big Fucking Gun, a name used in development material. It fits the weapon's role: a spectacular escalation beyond the ordinary arsenal.…
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Doom rewards running diagonally with extra speed
In the original game, combining forward movement with sideways movement produces faster travel than running straight ahead. Players call it straferunning and…
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Diddy Kong's name became the title of a surprisingly ambitious racer
Diddy Kong Racing mixed kart races with hovercraft, airplanes, exploration, and boss challenges. The vehicle changed how you read the same landscape: a…
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Why Sonic's villain keeps escaping on foot
The joke is the mismatch: Sonic is billed as the fastest living thing, but the round-bodied villain somehow jogs away after each encounter.
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The leaf that turns Mario into a flying raccoon
A brown leaf gives Mario raccoon ears and a tail; wagging the tail lets him hover over pits.
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Why golf bunkers began as sheep shelters
Coastal sheep dug sandy hollows to shelter from the wind; golf course designers later recreated those depressions as hazards.
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In games, chainsaws can turn monsters into ammunition
In some games, a chainsaw kill makes monsters burst into usable shotgun shells and rockets, turning a melee weapon into a grisly ammo refill.
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Why game demons can look like angry tomatoes
Their bright-red, round bodies and huge mouths make these floating demons look more like angry tomatoes than monsters. They hover toward you and spit…
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Pikachu made refusing the Poké Ball part of its character
From the beginning of the anime, Ash’s Pikachu prefers traveling outside its ball. That keeps the partner visible beside Ash—reacting, arguing, and joining…
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How a two-tailed fox flies like a helicopter
In the games, Tails spins his two tails like a rotor to lift himself into the air.
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Animal Crossing's snowmen grade the body you built them
Roll two snowballs together and their relative sizes determine how the finished snowperson reacts. A poorly proportioned head can earn a complaint from…
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In The Sims 3, the Grim Reaper can finish work and stay to watch TV
After a death, he sometimes remains on the lot and behaves like a visitor rather than immediately disappearing. The same figure who just arrived for a fatal…
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Nervous throwers consume massive wads of sticky bubblegum
Pitchers chew large wads of bubble gum to keep their mouths moist under pressure, sometimes blowing bubbles on camera.
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