Games
Discover facts about games. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Games
Nonograms were created by a Japanese graphics editor
When you stare at pixels all day, eventually you turn them into a grid-based nightmare for others. The creator merely wanted a fresh way to utilize skyscraper…
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Counting boards utilize deep hemispherical pits for scooping
The carved indentations strictly match the curvature of a human finger. This ergonomic geometry allows you to seamlessly scoop out tiny pieces, which is…
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How one review point can cost a studio its future
The line between corporate triumph and total studio bankruptcy is often a single numerical digit. Because massive publisher bonuses are regularly tied…
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The chess move that moves two pieces
In a system defined by strict, one-piece-per-turn rules, this single exception allows you to radically adjust your king and a rook simultaneously. It is the…
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The satellite switch that launched geocaching
Wandering into the woods to find Tupperware heavily relies on government clearance. The global outdoor stash-hunting craze started in the year 2000 on the…
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Xbox Series X exhausts blistering heat through the top
Operating like a dedicated miniature chimney, this monolithic black box forces an immense column of hot air straight up. It is so brutally effective at heat…
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Warhammer 40,000 began with leftover miniatures
Why invent a compelling narrative when you can just clear out warehouse stock? The grimdark future of the 41st millennium was originally slapped together…
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Mario Kart drivers slip on banana peels endlessly
High-speed motorsports are entirely governed by discarded fruit. Professional drivers traveling at blistering speeds will spin out uncontrollably simply…
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That tiny domino pin can topple your tower
That little metal bump is supposedly there to help pivot the tile on rough surfaces. In reality, its primary function is to act as a fulcrum that causes your…
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Gamers wipe sweaty palms on their jeans
Using your premium denim as a makeshift towel is a critical preparatory step before clutching a tight match. The sheer volume of palm sweat generated during…
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Why Kratos was designed to look terrifying
Because not every protagonist needs glorious hair and a charming smirk. The creator was utterly sick of pristine, noble knights saving the day, so he demanded…
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Why Crash Bandicoot was once called Sonic's Ass Game
Game developers are true lyrical poets. When Naughty Dog first pitched their revolutionary 3D platformer, they realized the third-person camera meant the…
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In GTA: San Andreas, twelve burgers can slow you down
You can literally force your hardened criminal protagonist to consume twelve extremely greasy burgers in a single sitting. If you do this often enough, he…
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Scrabble bans words containing hyphens or spaces
It does not matter how brilliant or widely accepted a multi-part phrase is. If it requires a dash or a gap to be legible, it is immediately illegal on the…
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Ubisoft's name comes from “ubiquity”
Because nothing screams 'we are watching you' quite like naming your entire business after the state of being everywhere at once. The founders wanted to…
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Non player characters glitch out and ruin cinematic moments
There is nothing quite like an incredibly emotional, tear-jerking digital cutscene being completely destroyed by a background character vibrating through a…
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The casino game that makes Macau the most money
Forget flashy slot machines and dramatic roulette spins. This incredibly simple card-drawing game accounts for the vast majority of casino profits in Asia,…
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Michael De Santa legally changed his last name
Witness protection is much easier when you just pick a name that sounds wealthy. The retired bank robber from GTA V originally lived his life under the…
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Why board-game pieces are called meeples
The tiny wooden humanoid figures you mercilessly command around cardboard maps have a surprisingly endearing origin. The term was coined by casually combining…
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The game publisher that offered to pay speeding fines
In a spectacular display of terrible judgment, they promised to reimburse any driver in the UK caught breaking the speed limit on their launch day. The…
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Splatoon characters transform into squids to swim in ink
Walking is far too slow for a colorful paint war. To traverse the brightly colored battlefields quickly, characters dive straight into puddles of their own…
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Virtual Boy paused every 15 minutes to stop nausea
This red-and-black monstrosity was supposed to revolutionize your living room but instead acted as a dedicated migraine generator. It literally came with an…
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Composers recreate lost music by ear
Losing your own masterpiece is a uniquely frustrating professional hurdle. Because digital backups were notoriously terrible decades ago, legendary composers…
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Tony Hawk titles scan actual professional skateboarders
Animating a kickflip by hand is apparently unacceptable. The wildly popular extreme sports franchise brought real athletes into studios covered in tiny…
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