Games
Discover facts about games. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Games
Ignored Nintendogs puppies can forget their names
After a few weeks without speaking to it through the device, a Nintendogs puppy may stop recognizing its name, so you have to teach it again.
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Space Invaders did not cause Japan’s coin shortage
The story that Space Invaders caused a national coin shortage is a myth. A drop in coin production coincided with the arcade game's growing popularity, but…
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Capcom began by manufacturing electronic distribution units
Its early commercial machines were a far cry from the fighting games and tournaments that later made Capcom famous.
Discover moreSolid Snake heavily mimics a famous movie character
Solid Snake's bandanna-wearing look and gruff, cynical persona were modeled on Kyle Reese from the Terminator films, including his affinity for trench coats.
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Rolling a seven is statistically inevitable in craps
With two dice, more combinations add up to seven than any other total, making it the most likely roll—not a certainty. Craps revolves around that probability.
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The Mario parody someone allegedly bought to keep unseen
Performer Ron Jeremy said Nintendo acquired distribution rights to the adult Super Hornio films to stop them circulating. The claim produced a peculiar…
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Halo Infinite's Grunt birthday party skull pops confetti
The skull turns each Grunt kill into a burst of confetti and children's cheers, deliberately puncturing the game's gritty tone.
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Tomb Raider features a protagonist raiding endangered ruins
Her expeditions are less careful excavation than action-movie smash-and-grab: she breaks into ancient sites and takes artifacts, leaving damage behind.
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Inverted controls turn looking up into pulling back
In an inverted vertical-camera setting, pulling the stick back tilts the view upward, like pulling back on an aircraft's controls. Other players expect the…
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Spin the bottle uses simple rotational inertia
A flick starts the spin, and the bottle's rotation—not anyone's choice—decides where it points when it stops.
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Namco is named after its founding president
Founder Masaya Nakamura named his company Nakamura Amusement Machine Manufacturing Company, later shortened to Namco.
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A game's 'Press Start' screen can identify who's playing
On systems with several controllers or profiles, that first input can tell the game which player is taking control. What looks like an extra barrier before…
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Why game currencies leave you with useless change
Games use premium currencies such as gems or points to make spending feel less like handing over real money. Because currency bundles rarely match item prices…
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Why game tables are covered in felt
Felt fibers create friction that slows pieces before they slide off the table. Without it, a small bump could send tokens skittering into hard-to-reach corners.
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Battleship's plastic fleet came after its pencil-and-paper battles
Versions used secret ship positions on grids long before Milton Bradley's 1967 plastic game. The commercial boards made it easy to record shots and hide your…
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Crossnumber grids rely strictly on integer equations
Instead of filling in words, solvers fill the grid with numbers by working out equations.
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Left 4 Dead began with developers fighting bots
While working on Counter-Strike: Source, developers discovered that fighting hordes of knife-wielding AI bots was fun. That idea led them to pivot from a…
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Sonic runs fast but cannot swim in shallow open water
In the games, Sonic can race through loops and up walls, but he can’t swim and sinks in water.
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Bowling balls once came in two wooden halves
A ball in the International Bowling Museum's collection is made from lignum vitae, a dense hardwood from the Caribbean and South America. Wooden pegs hold its…
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Pinball replay systems grant extra rounds to experts
A high score can trigger a loud internal knocker and add a free credit to the machine, giving skilled players another turn.
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Turn timers induce panic by giving exactly thirty seconds
With only 30 seconds to solve the problem, players can panic and make mistakes they might avoid with more time.
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Your game may render a whole 3D world before it starts
Some game menus render a full 3D level—with lighting, shadows, and models—while the camera pans across just one corner.
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Why Warhammer Orks can make beliefs come true
In the Warhammer 40,000 universe, Orks’ collective beliefs can alter reality: they think red vehicles go faster, and the lore lets that belief make it so.
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Why video game sidekicks can survive anything
Some games let companions absorb attacks that would badly injure the player, then recover after a brief pause. Your sidekick may survive a barrage of grenades…
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