Games
Discover facts about games. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Games
How Oregon Trail made dysentery a classroom lesson
By making dysentery a threat to the party, the game turned a classroom activity into a memorable lesson in how deadly disease could be on the trail.
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Wordle began as a small daily ritual for its creator and his partner
Josh Wardle built the puzzle for Palak Shah, who enjoyed word games. It spread beyond their home through friends and then a much larger online audience. The…
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Why fairground hammers are so hard to hit
A heavy sledgehammer can weigh more than a toddler, and untrained players often miss the center plate.
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An escape-room prop can hide a sensor and a lock
A book or other object can trigger a switch or sensor when placed correctly, while an electrically controlled lock releases somewhere else. The convincing…
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Escape rooms brought a video-game idea into real life
In 2007, Japan's SCRAP staged its first Real Escape Game, turning puzzle-solving into a shared physical event. Instead of clicking objects on a screen,…
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Military training used laser hits that could take a soldier out of the exercise
The US Army's MILES system paired weapon-mounted emitters with sensors that registered hits. A hit triggered an alarm and disabled the participant's simulated…
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Truth or Dare began with a financial penalty
The medieval game was called “Questions and Commands”: refuse to answer or obey, and you had to pay a fine.
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Why Wipeout keeps its water and mud near freezing
Producers keep the water and mud near freezing to intensify contestants’ physical reactions as they tackle the course.
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Some airsoft pellets start with plant-based plastic
Biodegradable BBs can use PLA, a plastic made from plant-derived sugars, including corn. They still have to be smooth, round, and consistent enough to pass…
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Old tilt sensors relied on toxic liquid mercury
When a device tilted or shook, liquid mercury sloshed against an electrode to detect the movement.
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Mad Libs began with an adjective asked out of context
Leonard Stern needed an adjective while writing in 1953. Roger Price supplied suggestions before knowing what they would describe, producing the mismatch that…
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New York treated pinball like a crime for 34 years
The city banned it in 1942 amid fears about gambling and corruption. In 1976, player Roger Sharpe demonstrated controlled shots to officials, helping make the…
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Eating rotten flesh prevents immediate virtual starvation
Rotten meat briefly poisons your character, but it still halts the starvation mechanic.
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Before the toy, Twenty Questions was a radio hit
The yes-or-no guessing game was a national radio hit before it became a handheld electronic toy, captivating millions of listeners.
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In an escape room, a plain instruction can look like another puzzle
Once players expect hidden codes everywhere, they can overcomplicate an ordinary sign or obvious control. The game's setting changes the question from what an…
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Capture the flag was in early Scout manuals
Baden-Powell described flag-raiding games in which patrols scouted defenses and tried to carry away flags. Winning required observation and cooperation as…
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Silly String was almost a medical product
It was designed as a spray-on cast for broken bones, but the formula proved better at coating upholstery than treating injuries.
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Minecraft obsidian punishes you for mining by hand
Punching obsidian takes over four minutes, and the block shatters without dropping anything.
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Charades began as aristocratic literary riddles
The French aristocracy originally played it as a parlor game, using poetic riddles to hint at words before the acting-out version.
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Paintball began by marking trees and cattle
Loggers and cattle ranchers used paintball markers to tag distant trees and animals before someone turned the guns on people.
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Your RollerCoaster Tycoon cleaner might be busy mowing
In the first game, handymen can mow grass as well as empty bins and clear paths. Leave every task enabled and a worker may tend the lawn while a less…
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When photobooths were arcade attractions
In the early 20th century, photobooths were mechanical novelties, displayed alongside coin-operated fortune tellers because automated photography amazed crowds.
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Hot Potato made a timer into the enemy at a party
Players pass an object around a circle, trying not to hold it when the signal ends. Manufactured versions added their own timing mechanism, including the…
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How carnival workers guess your weight
They estimate from visible proportions such as wrist thickness and shoulder width, then account for clothing.
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