Games
Discover facts about games. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Games
Rocket League cars have no drivers
They’re hollow shells with no visible drivers, passengers, or steering wheels—just chasing a giant soccer ball around a neon stadium.
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Resident Evil 4 was rebuilt four times
The discarded versions included a supernatural take and an action-heavy one; another became Devil May Cry. The final redesign shifted the camera angle and…
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A playmat borrows the soft grip of rubber-backed fabric
A cloth surface lets cards slide and lift more easily, while a rubber backing grips the table and cushions pieces. Similar layered materials appear in mouse…
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A South Korean candidate used StarCraft to win votes
For his 2017 campaign, Moon Jae-in released custom StarCraft maps where players could mine minerals arranged to spell “Vote Number 1 Moon Jae-in.” He went on…
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Base trading creates standoffs where both bases burn
When defending becomes hopeless, players may race across the map to destroy the opponent’s base first, leaving both armies to ignore one another.
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The UNO rule that forbids stacking Draw Twos
The official rules say you must draw the cards and lose your turn; you can’t stack another Draw Two to pass the penalty along.
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Why a puzzle piece can fit in the wrong place
Puzzle pieces cut in repeated shapes can sometimes fit slots meant for a different part of the image, so a satisfying click doesn’t guarantee you’ve found the…
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Half-Life 2 built its ruined city from real photos
The developers used photos of real urban decay as wall textures, giving the game’s fictional city an unsettlingly realistic look.
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Sora translates quite literally to sky in Japanese
The name also symbolizes his boundless potential and connection to all things.
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A Galaga bug can gradually use up the enemies' ability to shoot
Under a particular setup involving the remaining diving bees, shots at the edge of the screen can corrupt the game's available shot slots. Repeating the…
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Why finding a game can take longer than playing it
Matchmaking queues can drag on, and if players drop out once a lobby forms, the wait can start all over again.
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Some musicians still own the rights to classic themes
Some composers retained the copyright to their iconic themes, so companies still have to pay them when old franchises are rereleased.
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Splatoon's squids solved a game-design problem
Nintendo's team wanted one form that could shoot ink and another that could disappear into it. A transforming character separated those actions while making…
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Monster Hunter requires players to physically cook raw meat
Stop at the wrong moment and the meat can burn into useless charcoal.
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Leon and the merchant share a voice in the original Resident Evil 4
Paul Mercier played both roles in the 2005 game, switching from Leon's American delivery to the merchant's rough accent. The two characters sound separate…
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The substitutes who fly across the world to sit out
Backup players on elite esports teams may travel internationally, battle jet lag, and spend an entire weekend in a green room without ever getting to play.
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Sinking the eight ball early causes an immediate loss
In eight-ball, pocketing the eight before clearing your other balls usually means an immediate loss—even if you were otherwise playing perfectly.
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Alan Wake features book pages narrated by the main character
He finds scattered pages from his own writing and reads them aloud, so the game’s narration comes directly from its brooding protagonist.
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Why paintballs need an artillery-style aim
Lightweight, unrifled paintballs lose speed to aerodynamic drag and drop sharply, so players aim high—even at a stationary target 30 yards away.
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The Game Boy Camera squeezed your face into four shades of gray
Released in 1998, the cartridge added a swiveling camera to a handheld designed for games. Its tiny monochrome pictures could be edited and printed with the…
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Even game bosses wait while you sort your inventory
In some games, even a world-ending boss waits while you rummage through your inventory in the arena.
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Throwing Pikmin into water can kill them
A Pikmin that can’t swim will panic and drown if thrown into water, making the game’s elemental weaknesses painfully clear.
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Why a craps table needs four employees
A boxperson, two dealers, and a stickperson manage the overlapping bets thrown across the felt.
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Go Fish is a memory game disguised as a guessing game
Every request tells the table something about the cards a player is collecting. Remember who asked for which rank, and later turns become informed guesses…
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