Games
Discover facts about games. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Games
In Boggle, finding the obvious word can earn you nothing
Players search the same shaken grid of sixteen letter cubes, but words found by more than one player are crossed out. A perfectly valid answer can therefore…
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Dead Space hides its interface in the game world
Ammo counts appear on the weapons, while the health meter runs along the protagonist's spine, leaving the screen clear of clutter.
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A ping-pong paddle's colors reveal the player's trick
Different rubbers can produce different spin, so an opponent needs to see which face struck the ball. International rules require contrasting approved colors,…
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Dark Souls treasure chests can give themselves away by breathing
A mimic resembles a chest until you inspect the subtle movement—or open it and meet the teeth. The chain beside it provides another visual clue. A game about…
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EA hired people to protest the game it was selling
At E3 in 2009, staged religious protesters drew attention to Dante’s Inferno. The apparent backlash was part of the promotion, but real Christian commentators…
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Twenty-sided dice are perfectly mapped icosahedrons
Its 20 identical equilateral-triangle faces make it a regular icosahedron, the classic shape of a 20-sided die.
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Hiding and searching push people toward different places
In a virtual hide-and-seek experiment, people hiding objects favored different locations from people searching for them. Hiders tended to spread choices…
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Game composers sometimes write themes before seeing the game
They may get only a two-paragraph concept document and a rough sketch, then have to imagine the game's eventual emotional tone.
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A repeated lyric can turn a song into a party-game clock
The Roxanne drinking game assigns repeated phrases in the Police song as cues for different players. Its structure comes from the recording rather than dice…
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Finding simple keys is a global scavenger hunt
In some games, even a key to a nearby shop can be hidden in a monster-filled abyss three towns away.
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Some Master Systems hid a game for players with no cartridge
On compatible early models, holding Up and both controller buttons at startup revealed Snail Maze. The little game was built into the console's own software.…
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D&D's armor class was borrowed from naval battles
D&D adapted its armor class system from naval war games, where similar ratings measured how difficult a battleship was to hit.
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The terrifying survival horror masterpiece Resident Evil was actually supposed to be a modern remake of what weird media?
The terrifying survival horror masterpiece Resident Evil was actually supposed to be a modern remake of what weird media?
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Why did acquiring the rights to the original Tetris almost trigger an international political crisis in the 1980s?
Why did acquiring the rights to the original Tetris almost trigger an international political crisis in the 1980s?
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In 1995, Bill Gates personally filmed a video holding a shotgun to promote Windows. What deeply embarrassed Microsoft?
In 1995, Bill Gates personally filmed a video holding a shotgun to promote Windows. What deeply embarrassed Microsoft?
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For decades, the peaceful leader Gandhi was notorious in Civilization for launching nuclear bombs. What caused this?
For decades, the peaceful leader Gandhi was notorious in Civilization for launching nuclear bombs. What caused this?
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Animal Crossing is a wholesome escape, but the creator actually designed it to cope with a very depressing life event. What?
Animal Crossing is a wholesome escape, but the creator actually designed it to cope with a very depressing life event. What?
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The mathematical layout of Scrabble wasn't created by a linguist, but by someone desperate for cash. Who invented it?
The mathematical layout of Scrabble wasn't created by a linguist, but by someone desperate for cash. Who invented it?
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Space Invaders accidentally pioneered one of the most important mechanics in gaming history because of bad hardware.
Space Invaders accidentally pioneered one of the most important mechanics in gaming history because of bad hardware.
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In the year 2000, the Japanese government actually placed strict export limits on the PlayStation 2 for a wild reason.
In the year 2000, the Japanese government actually placed strict export limits on the PlayStation 2 for a wild reason.
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Animal Crossing's real-time clock isn't just a gimmick. The creator designed it to solve a depressing modern problem.
Animal Crossing's real-time clock isn't just a gimmick. The creator designed it to solve a depressing modern problem.
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The ability to chain attacks into massive 'combos' in modern fighting games wasn't an intentional design choice.
The ability to chain attacks into massive 'combos' in modern fighting games wasn't an intentional design choice.
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The supposedly paranormal Ouija board wasn't invented by mystics or cultists, but by someone entirely unexpected.
The supposedly paranormal Ouija board wasn't invented by mystics or cultists, but by someone entirely unexpected.
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Dungeons & Dragons popularized the 'Lawful Good to Chaotic Evil' system, but where did the creators steal it from?
Dungeons & Dragons popularized the 'Lawful Good to Chaotic Evil' system, but where did the creators steal it from?
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