Games
Discover facts about games. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Games
Unskippable cinematics severely ruin replay value
If a game won’t let you skip a cinematic, button-mashing won’t spare you from sitting through the same long scene on every replay.
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Smurfing constantly ruins low-rank multiplayer matchmaking
Smurfing means experienced players use new accounts to face less-skilled opponents, like an elite athlete entering a toddler league.
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Why game ammo always fits your gun
Games generate ammunition to match the weapon you’re carrying, even if it’s an obscure or customized firearm.
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Why heavy machine guns look so fast to reload in games
The reload animation speeds through ejecting the ammunition belt and feeding in a fresh one, making a lengthy mechanical process look nearly instant.
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Why video game escorts walk so slowly
Escort missions can turn a simple walk into a stutter-step: you have to match a character’s slow pace, even in the middle of a warzone.
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A recoilless weapon sends momentum out the back
Firing the projectile forward is balanced partly by expelling gas or another countermass rearward. That reduces the recoil transferred to the launcher. The…
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Minecraft lets a single water block rescue an enormous fall
Under the game's rules, landing in water can cancel fall damage even when the pool is only one block deep. Players turn that into water-bucket saves and tiny…
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Why video game guards forget you so quickly
Many game guards are programmed to search briefly—sometimes for just 30 seconds—then return to their patrol if they find nothing.
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Why video games let you heal with food from a barrel
Video games often treat food found in barrels as instant healing, even if it’s an unwrapped roast chicken in a dusty container.
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Skipping a tutorial can mean skipping a game's unwritten language
A flashing object, colored attack, or unfamiliar button prompt only helps once you know what it means. Tutorials let you make that connection in a low-stakes…
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Can a rifle really fire accurately from the hip
In a game, a rifle can seem to hit the center of the screen even when held at waist height, without aiming through the scope.
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Why your teammate's flashbang hurts most
A teammate’s poorly timed flashbang can blind you before the opposing team even gets a chance.
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Glowing weak spots dictate exactly where to shoot foes
The enemy's vulnerable organs are marked with bright colors, turning the weak spot into a giant neon bullseye.
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Leaving applications running inflates playtime metrics
Playtime counters can keep climbing while an application sits open, so 900 of those 1,000 hours might have passed while you cooked dinner or took a nap.
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In some games, fast travel makes cars pointless
Vehicles can feel pointless once map-based fast travel lets players teleport across the map.
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A stamina bar turns running away into a decision
In games with limited stamina, sprinting spends a resource that may also be needed for dodging or attacking. Escape at full speed and you can arrive at the…
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The pain of losing hours of unsaved game progress
A power outage can erase hours of game progress, forcing you to repeat the same grind from scratch.
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A video-game parry is a timing test dressed as physics
Some combat systems let a small weapon interrupt a much larger attack if the player acts in the right window. The reward comes from reading the animation and…
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Why a boss's weapon gets weaker when you pick it up
The game sharply reduces the sword's damage once it becomes loot: the weapon that killed you in one hit suddenly does far less in your hands.
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Spamming the interact key collects nearby loot instantly
A single button can collect nearby items straight into your inventory, skipping the slow process of picking them up one by one.
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The impossible multitasking of video-game heroes
A game hero can uncork, drink from, and toss aside a vial while blocking an axe swing—a feat that would demand absurd coordination in real life.
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KanJam bins require exactly twenty-one points to win
A standard win takes exactly 21 points: score 22 and your total drops back, while a throw through the front slot wins immediately.
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Curling ice is covered in tiny frozen bumps
Curling ice is sprayed with water that freezes into tiny bumps called pebble. The texture helps the stones glide instead of sticking to the ice.
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Bop It's inventor wanted the player to become the spectacle
Dan Klitsner describes the design principle as animating the person rather than merely the toy. Spoken commands make someone react, move, hesitate, and…
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