Games
Discover facts about games. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Games
Chopped makes the mystery ingredient impossible to ignore
Chefs must incorporate the basket's ingredients into their dishes. The creative problem is turning an awkward combination into a meal rather than simply…
Discover more
Red light green light demands absolute physical immobility
When the caller turns around, players have to freeze instantly; the challenge is stopping their momentum without tipping over.
Discover more
Deal or No Deal puts a price on escaping uncertainty
Average the prizes still hidden in the cases and you get their expected value. The banker's offer gives the contestant a different proposition: a definite sum…
Discover more
Why the craps stickman moves every die
Casino rules give the stickman sole responsibility for moving the dice with a long hook, keeping players from handling them during the game.
Discover more
Cup stacking is a real competitive sport
A world governing body sets rules for how quickly competitors stack and unstack plastic cups.
Discover more
Why slot machines replaced coins with paper tickets
Paper tickets are easier for casinos to handle than piles of coins, but they replaced the loud clatter that once made a jackpot unmistakable.
Discover more
STACKY FOR IPHONEA bigger world.
One discovery
at a time.
Keep discovering with Stacky. Interesting facts in an app that is always within reach.
A Hell's Kitchen dinner is also a television appearance
For filmed seasons, the production recruits dinner guests to participate in the restaurant setting rather than simply filling tables through ordinary…
Discover more
Why Simon Says turns a simple game into a trap
Players must obey only commands that begin with “Simon Says”; the trick is to act quickly without missing that cue.
Discover more
Keno's jackpot tells you less than its full payout table
A winning combination can promise a large prize while being extremely unlikely. The expected return depends on all possible matches and their payouts, not…
Discover more
Vanna White's puzzleboard learned to follow her gesture
Wheel of Fortune's 2022 board upgrade replaced the earlier touch-based setup with tracking that detects her movement at the screen. The familiar reveal stayed…
Discover more
A lottery's advertised jackpot isn't the cash option
A headline jackpot commonly adds up a series of future payments. Taking cash means receiving a smaller amount now rather than waiting for those installments,…
Discover more
The game that rewards disobeying its narrator
The fun comes from ignoring a calm, authoritative British narrator’s directions and seeing what happens when you do the opposite.
Discover more
Why digital cars still need oil changes
Some car games simulate oil changes closely enough that skipping them can hurt a virtual car's performance—even though its supercars exist only as code.
Discover more
Pac-Man ate billions in arcade quarters
By 1990, Pac-Man cabinets had generated more than $3.5 billion in quarters.
Discover more
Wii Sports reached millions of homes inside the console box
Bundling the game with the Wii in many markets gave Nintendo's motion controls an immediately playable demonstration. Its lifetime sales total includes those…
Discover more
Table tennis began as a Victorian dinner game
Victorian hosts improvised the game on dining tables, batting a champagne cork back and forth with cigar-box lids. Some called it “Wiff-Waff.”
Discover more
Hangman began with a fascination with executions
The game dates to the 19th century, when public executions drew crowds. Early versions turned that grim spectacle into a word puzzle.
Discover more
Crosswords were once called a threat to society
In the 1920s, major publications such as The New York Times condemned crosswords as a sinful waste of time that undermined productivity. They later began…
Discover more
Red Light, Green Light makes stopping the difficult move
Running toward a goal is easy to understand; instantly suppressing that movement when the signal changes is the challenge. Players must listen or watch while…
Discover more
Minecraft's map is bigger than Earth's surface
Its playable area spans more than four billion square kilometers of digital terrain.
Discover more
Japan played a frog–slug–snake version of rock-paper-scissors
In mushi-ken, hand gestures stand for three animals in a circular contest: frog beats slug, slug beats snake, and snake beats frog. No choice wins against…
Discover more
Hacky Sack's early filling could sprout when it got wet
John Stalberger and Mike Marshall developed their footbag game in Oregon in the 1970s, experimenting with different coverings and fillings. Seeds made a poor…
Discover more
How severe dieting can make reality-show contestants lose hair
A severe calorie deficit can cause hair loss as the body conserves energy by reducing functions it considers nonessential.
Discover more
Jeopardy hides height-adjustable platforms behind the contestants' podiums
The risers make contestants of different heights appear at a similar level. The show says this reduces repeated camera adjustments and keeps the shot…
Discover more