Video games used to be a simple pastime at the arcade, something you would enjoy, but definitely not spend hours on. Some people decided to try and find out what the computers can really do and we’ve come a long way from a few lines and dots in the 50s and 60s, followed by a few pixels in the 70s, pixelated, but recognizable characters and real stories in the 80s, and so on, until we reached VR simulators that feel real and games keep competing to be more and more engaging and visually stunning.
Video game history is certainly an interesting one, but for the sake of keeping our readers engaged and invested, we’ve decided to come up with a list of video game trivia we think you will enjoy.
Corrupted Blood Pandemic
World of Warcraft is one of the most popular MMO RPGs that has been around for a while. In the game, you choose your race and class, go on missions, and take on either the Alliance or the Horde in raids, depending on which faction you belong to.
In 2005, there was a spell called Corrupted Blood that was a simple debuff cast by a raid boss. The spell had the effect of jumping from one player to the next, but also, surprisingly, on their pets and minions. Because of this, the spell left the area for which it was intended and the virtual world was faced with a pandemic. The spell would kill off low-level player characters and seriously hinder the rest.
It was spread by players both accidentally and on purpose. The funny thing is – it spread around like an actual disease and, in 2007, an epidemiologist called Ran D. Balicer published a paper noting the similarities between the game and real-world diseases. This prompted the creation of computer models to see how the diseases would spread and how the people would react.
First Game in Space
Now, with so many handheld consoles, tablets, and phones, it is relatively easy for astronauts aboard the ISS to be gamers with a little bit of variety. In 1993, however, there were few things you could play anywhere. Aboard the MIR Space Station, Aleksandr A. Serebrov played Tetris, on a Gameboy, no less.
The Most Famous Hedgehog
When scientists make or discover something, they get to name it. Sometimes, they use this opportunity to honor other scientists and great people of the past. Other times, animals, mountains, and technological advances are named after gods and mythical creatures. And then, there are nerdy scientists with a weird sense of humor.
There are certain genes that see to our shape and functionality. They are called hedgehog genes. Robert Riddle was a postdoc whose wife came home one day with a magazine with an ad for a Sonic the Hedgehog game. The result is that we now have a gene for our development called Sonic hedgehog.
Zelda by Any Other Name
The late actor and comedian Robin Williams named his daughter Zelda after the princess in the Legend of Zelda series. But where did the game Zelda get her name? Shigeru Miyamoto admired the famous novelist, painter, and flapper Zelda Fitzgerald. She was beautiful, smart, and popular, so Myamoto decided to borrow her name for the character.