Games
Discover facts about games. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Games
Why video game villains get weaker when they join you
The terrifying antagonist who just wiped the floor with you in a massive boss battle suddenly forgets how to fight the second they switch sides. Once they…
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Rust begins by waking up entirely naked on a beach
There is no gentle introduction to this brutal island environment. You open your eyes to find yourself completely unclothed, holding nothing but a single…
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Why video game mirrors often show nothing
You can have hyper-realistic water ripples and perfectly dynamic shadows, but looking into a standard mirror usually shows an empty room. Rendering a true…
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How L.A. Noire captured actors' facial movements
To make reading human emotion possible in an interrogation setting, developers put actors in dark rooms covered in specific cameras. They mapped every single…
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Why game characters never seem to walk
Nobody casually strolls through a digital world to take in the scenery. The second players gain control, they hold down the run button and constantly jump to…
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Why reloading can cost you unused bullets
If you fire two shots from a thirty-round clip and reload, those twenty-eight unused bullets do not fall to the ground. They magically dissolve and…
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Opening a reinforced steel safe takes one bobby pin
Centuries of advanced lock manufacturing mean absolutely nothing to a protagonist with a tiny piece of metal wire. Players can routinely bypass heavy security…
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Why gamers save three times
Trusting the auto-save feature is a luxury no veteran player possesses. After completing a difficult section, players will hit the manual save button, stare…
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Skip the dialogue, accept the terrible quest
Patience is a rare virtue when a digital farmer is complaining about his missing chickens. Players will frantically tap the confirmation button just to make…
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Why some gamers look up by pushing down
Pushing forward to look down feels completely unnatural to most modern humans, but a stubborn faction of veterans refuses to change. This habit was drilled…
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Why video game health packs stopped using the red cross
The actual, real-world International Committee of the Red Cross had to issue statements asking studios to stop using their emblem on health packs. Using the…
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Idle games are explicitly meant to play themselves
We have reached the point where actually interacting with software is considered too much work. These titles require you to click a few times to start a…
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DayZ is mostly jogging through empty forests
Billed as an intense zombie survival experience, the reality is far more tedious. Players spend roughly ninety percent of their time slowly running through…
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Big box PC titles from the nineties were mostly cardboard
Buying software used to mean carrying home a massive rectangular carton the size of a cereal box. Despite the massive packaging, the inside usually contained…
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The hit video game with no goals
One of the most successful digital products in history contains absolutely no plot, no missions, and no end goal. It is essentially just a blank room where…
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Watching thirty minutes of unskippable credits for nothing
After defeating the final boss, you are subjected to an incredibly long scroll of every single person who ever looked at the software. Because you fear…
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When game cases came with tiny illustrated books
Opening a fresh plastic case used to mean inhaling the smell of a fifty-page booklet. These miniature magazines contained character backstories, control…
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Visual novels barely qualify as interactive media
If you enjoy aggressively clicking a mouse to turn pages, this genre is perfect for you. There is virtually no running, jumping, or skill required. You simply…
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Hitman's homing briefcase started as a bug
What started as an unintended error became an official, highly requested feature. Throwing a piece of luggage at someone caused it to lock onto their head and…
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Why red barrels always seem ready to explode
If you see a bright red container in an industrial warehouse, it is not holding safe, mundane chemicals. It is essentially a highly volatile bomb waiting for…
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The video game where you can study real Japanese whiskey
If you ever want to learn the subtle tasting notes of obscure Japanese whiskey brands, this digital crime drama has you covered. While you could be out…
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Why keyboard enthusiasts grease their switches
Typing is no longer just hitting plastic squares; it is an acoustic art form. Obsessive typists will completely disassemble their input devices to…
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Why video game guards forget you in the bushes
Highly trained military mercenaries have the short-term memory of a goldfish. If you shoot someone in the leg and immediately crouch in some shrubbery, they…
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The Quake player who made WASD universal
Back in the classic era of early shooters, there was no standard way to walk around. A champion Quake tournament winner started using these four specific keys…
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