Games
Discover facts about games. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Games
The puzzle invented to entertain bored commuters
Hiding terms inside a meaningless grid of letters is a relatively modern form of optical torture. Created by an enterprising newspaper employee in the late…
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Thumb wrestling may have started as an office bet
Pinning an opponent's digit requires absolutely no athletic ability whatsoever. Legend states an advertising executive created the miniature grappling match…
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Augustus played an ancient version of bocce
Tossing spheres across the dirt to get close to a smaller sphere is an ancient obsession. Roman leaders engaged in this exact pastime to unwind between…
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Why Ghost in the Graveyard means screaming in the dark
Running aimlessly through a suburban lawn at midnight is a time-honored neighborhood tradition. One person hides while everyone else awkwardly stands near a…
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Why tag may have begun as an infection drill
Because living people are far too agile to make for good playtime companions. The origin involves dodging the touch of someone considered infected, making the…
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Petanque began with a player who couldn't walk
Standing completely still to throw a heavy metal sphere was born out of sheer laziness and arthritis. A French café owner modified existing rules so his aging…
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Indigenous lacrosse games once covered miles of wilderness
Using a net on a stick to hurl a sphere was never intended for manicured suburban prep schools. Indigenous tribes used sprawling miles of untamed wilderness…
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Arm wrestling began as a test of endurance
Slamming your opponent's wrist onto a table was once a legitimate test of tribal endurance. What started as a serious assessment of physical dominance quickly…
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Cricket began with shepherds defending sheep pens
Standing in a field for five consecutive days has incredibly humble pastoral origins. Workers used their wooden crooks to swat away rocks tossed by bored…
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Ancient Romans played a movable version of tic-tac-toe
Three in a row has always been the ultimate cure for boredom. Found etched into the walls of ancient ruins, Terni Lapilli required players to move three…
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Bobbing for apples once predicted marriage
Shoving your face into a freezing bucket of water was never meant to be just a festive autumn activity. Ancient traditions believed the first person to…
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Did Marco Polo bring the piñata to Europe
Beating a paper animal with a stick until it gives you sugar is a globally beloved act of destruction. Marco Polo allegedly saw figures filled with seeds…
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How farmers' bags became a racing game
Stepping into a burlap bag and desperately hopping across a field is an agricultural tradition. Workers took the leftover packaging from their grueling labor…
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Volleyball was invented as a gentler sport
Running continuously up and down a hardwood floor proved entirely too strenuous for older businessmen. A clever instructor threw a net up and instructed…
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How actors can become digital puppets
By allowing a studio to map every pore on their face, an actor surrenders their likeness to the digital void forever. These high-resolution scans mean their…
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Motion capture actors perform scenes on empty stages
It takes immense theatrical talent to deliver a dramatic monologue to a tennis ball on a stick. Performers acting out cinematic sequences do so in sterile,…
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Why movie snow crunches like cornstarch
The crisp, satisfying crunch of boots stomping through fresh powder is completely fake. Sound teams simply fill leather pouches with baking cornstarch and…
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Digital tournament teams possess terrifying mascots
Organizations desperate for brand identity often create the most horrifying physical costumes imaginable. These massive foam monstrosities roam the crowd at…
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Why TV turned rice balls into jelly donuts
Because localizers assume Western children will suffer a mental breakdown if they see foreign food. Editors notoriously painted over traditional Asian snacks…
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The artists who make game menus readable
You might not care about the font used for your inventory, but a team of highly stressed artists certainly does. Studios dedicate specific interface experts…
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The wet-towel trick behind movie body impacts
Creating the sickening thud of a body hitting the pavement does not require a stuntman. Sound engineers simply soak large bath towels in water and violently…
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How disappointed fans rewrite entire endings
When a highly anticipated story concludes with a massive letdown, the community simply rejects reality. Furious fans have banded together to write,…
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German translations break original lip sync animations
The German language is beautifully precise, which means it takes entirely too many syllables to say simple phrases. When a digital character is animated to…
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How esports players can end up with collapsed lungs
Spontaneous pneumothorax is a terrifyingly common affliction among extremely thin, tall individuals who sit hunched over keyboards all day. Multiple top-tier…
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