Games
Discover facts about games. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Games
What G-Man keeps inside his briefcase
Just in case interdimensional manipulation doesn't work out, it is always good to have a backup piece. The mysterious, suit-wearing entity who constantly…
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Why Mass Effect replaced asteroid mining with a scan
Space exploration sounds thrilling until you realize it's mostly just looking at rocks. In the original Mass Effect, developers wanted a highly immersive…
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Why casino chips are made to weigh 11.5 grams
You might think they are just plastic circles, but they are engineered with terrifying precision. The standard weight ensures they stack perfectly and feel…
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Jack of Clubs holds an object resembling a leaf
Instead of holding something majestic, this specific royal looks like he is aggressively brandishing a piece of foliage. It completely ruins the intimidating…
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Lightning's actual birth name is Claire Farron
Choosing an intimidating alias is crucial when fighting supernatural deities. The stern, pink-haired protagonist of Final Fantasy XIII abandoned her birth…
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Xbox Live once came in a box
You couldn't just sign up online like a normal person; you literally had to drive to a retail store and buy a massive cardboard box containing a headset and a…
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Why Gordon Freeman almost wielded a police baton
The weapon of choice for the thinking man's theoretical physicist was almost a standard-issue club. Valve ultimately decided a crowbar fit the "desperate…
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American roulette wheels feature an extra double zero
Just in case standard roulette wasn't draining your wallet fast enough, this variation tosses an extra zero into the mix. It serves no purpose other than…
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Resident Evil 4 bells trigger instant mob retreats
In the chaotic opening village encounter, surviving long enough prompts a distant bell to ring. Instantly, every hostile entity drops their weapons and…
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In Cribbage, an early win is called skunking
Humiliation is literally built into the terminology. If you manage to win the match before your opponent even passes the ninety-first hole on the pegboard,…
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Burnout Paradise has no pedestrians in its city
Despite being a sprawling metropolis filled with traffic, there is not a single person walking on the sidewalks anywhere. It is either a post-apocalyptic…
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Why billiards tables are covered in green felt
Because the game evolved from a lawn sport similar to croquet, players refused to let the grass aesthetic go. The iconic green felt remains an enduring…
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Zelda Breath of the Wild stasis heavily multiplies force
By freezing objects in time and rapidly striking them, players store massive amounts of kinetic energy. When time resumes, the physical object is violently…
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John Carmack built Mario 3 for Nintendo—and got rejected
Nintendo looking at a flawless, buttery-smooth PC port of their flagship game and saying 'nah' is a truly legendary bag fumble. Before making Doom, coding…
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BioShock's big ideas took a back seat to lightning and bees
A deeply intellectual critique of Ayn Rand’s Objectivism wrapped in the comforting shell of a first-person shooter. Creator Ken Levine built an elaborate…
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When boxing was illegal across most of America
Apparently, two men beating each other into a bloody pulp for entertainment used to be frowned upon by high society. Prizefighting was heavily associated with…
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In Super Meat Boy, your deaths stain the saws
Dying a hundred times on one level is frustrating, but at least this game leaves a morbid breadcrumb trail. Super Meat Boy features levels so punishing that…
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In Paperboy, newspapers go through windows
The morning route isn't about delivering news; it's about sheer property damage. Paperboy tasks you with riding a bicycle through a suburban neighborhood from…
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Scrabble tile Q is the only letter worth ten whole points
Holding a Q is a bizarre mix of incredible power and total terror. It carries the highest single value in the box, yet it is utterly useless unless you also…
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Halo 2's hardest mode was barely tested
Crunch time makes fools of us all. The highest difficulty setting in the famous sci-fi shooter was rushed out the door without proper balance testing,…
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The first color handheld was huge and power-hungry
Years before their rivals actually figured it out, this massive bulky machine offered a vibrant backlit display. Unfortunately, it was roughly the size of a…
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Why tug of war depends on your shoes
Despite all the grunting and bulging biceps, this classic rope-pulling ordeal is mostly decided by whose shoes have better traction. You could have the upper…
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Why video games cover the screen in jam when you're hurt
Taking physical damage immediately coats your eyeballs in a thick layer of strawberry preserves, which naturally fades away if you hide behind a rock.
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The famous nuclear Gandhi glitch never existed
The Mandela Effect hits the gaming community hard. For decades, players believed a 'stack underflow' bug in the original 1991 Civilization caused the peaceful…
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