Games
Discover facts about games. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Games
Sega Dreamcast came with a fishing rod controller
Nothing screams high-octane digital entertainment like violently reeling in a virtual bass. Sega genuinely manufactured and shipped an expensive plastic…
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Brawls happening under the floor are totally fake
Any time a bitter rivalry spills underneath the ring apron, you are watching pure geographical deceit. Performers routinely use the hidden space to quietly…
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Two Japanese inventors created nonograms independently
Great minds think of incredibly tedious grid logic simultaneously. The beloved picture-logic puzzles were miraculously invented by two separate Japanese…
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Hangman wasn't always about a gallows
Before society decided to add public execution to a simple spelling challenge, the Victorians kept it painfully tame. It originated as a harmless pencil…
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Why shipping boxes need thick cardboard
Companies do not use thick cardboard to make it feel premium; they use it so the bottom box does not crush under the weight of an entire shipping pallet…
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Bloodborne rewards you for hitting back when hurt
While most games encourage you to retreat when injured, Bloodborne specifically programmed its mechanics to make you rabid. The 'rally' system allows players…
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Why Mario Kart lets opponents catch up
Ever wonder why you can drive flawlessly for three laps, completely dusting the competition, only for a giant turtle in a tiny car to suddenly blast past you…
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Nintendo sixty-four was delayed heavily before launch
Promising a revolution in three-dimensional graphics, the company pushed the release date back so many times it became an industry-wide joke. By the time it…
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Pac-Man navigates a dark maze while consuming tiny dots
The peak of entertainment involves eating pills in the dark. Our hungry hero runs aimlessly through a glowing blue labyrinth, devouring floating pellets until…
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Why losing to a beginner hurts so much
Watching a default-skinned absolute beginner accidentally eliminate you triggers a profound existential crisis. All those hours spent mastering advanced…
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How characters change outfits in a split second
Swapping out a heavy suit of plate armor for a tuxedo happens instantly, right in the middle of a crowded street.
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East permanently starts as dealer in traditional Mahjong
The cardinal directions actually dictate the rigid flow of play. Sitting in the East position grants you the power of the first move, ensuring the game…
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NBA 2K games display individual drops of sweat on foreheads
Because the true pinnacle of graphical fidelity is making sure you can see a tiny bead of moisture slowly drip down a point guard's face in high definition.…
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Social deduction games reward pathological lying
Titles like Mafia rely completely on your ability to look your closest friends in the eye and casually deceive them without blinking. It is incredible how…
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In some games, hitting every wall pays off
If a brick looks even slightly discolored, you are morally obligated to strike it with your weapon. This relentless vandalism is often rewarded with secret…
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Monopoly prints billions in fake money every year
The global output of absolutely worthless pastel paper far exceeds the production of actual currency. Over thirty billion dollars in fake cash is printed each…
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Twister was almost called Pretzel
You were dangerously close to asking your friends to "play Pretzel" on a Friday night. The inventors loved the name, but Milton Bradley's lawyers panicked…
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Tetris blocks have a surprisingly formal name
Instead of calling them 'the straight line' or 'the annoying squiggly one,' these falling blocks actually possess a legitimate geometric classification. They…
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Guitar Hero almost featured a musical helicopter
Sometimes the initial idea is so aggressively bad that you just have to respect the pivot. Harmonix originally considered a game where players manipulated a…
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Hidden letter grids rely on intense timer stress
Staring at scrambled letters is only enjoyable if you add a deeply stressful ticking clock. This shaking cube challenge was invented by the exact same…
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Delivering pizzas in a yellow taxi while ignoring traffic
If you want a good tip, you better drive your car off a literal parking garage. Crazy Taxi completely threw out the rulebook for safe driving, rewarding…
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Discarded equine footwear replaced solid iron rings
Throwing heavy U-shaped metal at a stake is the result of ancient military budget cuts. The practice started exclusively because Roman soldiers could not…
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Tessellation puzzles have absolutely no fixed borders
By utilizing repeating geometric shapes, these puzzles can technically expand infinitely in any direction. They offer no corner pieces and no frame of…
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Why friendly fire doesn't hurt your allies
You can happily launch a tactical strike directly onto your allies, and they will simply shrug off the blast without so much as a scorched eyebrow.
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