Do you love video games? Of course, you do! Well now is your chance to catch-up on 10 unique video game facts which you might have not known to show off to your friends, or possibly needed in the next video game inspired trivia quiz you do on Buzzfeed!

1. The first video game in space

The first video game played in space was the Game Boy version of tetris. In 1993, Tetris traveled aboard a Soyuz TM-17 rocket to the MIR Space Station, where it was played by the Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr A. Serebrov. The game was sold at auction for $1220 later.

2. The first version of Minecraft was created in just six days

In 2009, the Swedish programmer, Markus Persson (also called “Notch”), set out to create a sandbox game which allows free and organic exploration in the virtual world. Initially, the game was called “Cave Game” before quickly being renamed “Minecraft”. The game was created in six days, from 10 May 2009 to 16 May 2009. The very first alpha version was released the next day!

3. Xbox was nearly called the DirectX Box

When the first Xbox was being discussed, Microsoft was going to name the console DirectX Box, named after the DirectX team. The console was initially going to be a silver X with a PC board inside and a hidden Windows OS. The name was eventually dropped to the name we know today, Xbox.

4. Fortnite had to remove a weapon as it was too powerful

The Fortnite creator, Epic, had to remove a ‘mythic’ weapon in 2018 called the Infinity Blade because it was too powerful. The item gave players unprecedented mobility, the ability to nearly one-hit any other opponent, and the ability to break down any player-built structure, all while restoring a significant chunk of the player’s health back with each kill. Let's hope Epic doesn't make the mistake again.

5. PlayStation 2 startup screen

If you have ever had, or even just played, a PlayStation 2 you might remember the seemingly random blocks and towers when turning on the console. Well, this actually represents your game progress. The more you play and save your game, the taller the blocks and towers appear. The towers represent the game, and the longer you play the taller they get. The blocks represent saved data.

6. The creepers, in Minecraft, began as a coding error

One of the most popular mobs in Minecraft, the creeper, actually started as a coding error. Persson didn’t actually design the monster but was actually set out to create a pig; However, he accidentally switched figures for desired height and length when inputting the code. The result is the mob we know and love.

7. World of Warcraft pandemic

In the MMORPG World of Warcraft, there was a virtual pandemic which began on September 13th 2005 and lasted for one week. It started by accident due to an oversight by the developers. The epidemic began with the introduction of the new raid Zul'Gurub and its end boss Hakkar the Soulflayer. When confronted and attacked, Hakkar would cast a hit point-draining and highly contagious debuff spell called "Corrupted Blood" on players. The spell, intended to last only seconds and function only within the new area of Zul'Gurub, soon spread across the virtual world by way of an oversight that allowed pets and minions to take the affliction out of its intended confines. This resulted in changes in normal gameplay for a while until the pandemic was able to be controlled by the developers.

8. Sonic the Hedgehog is inside all of us

A gene and protein that separates your right brain from the left, and determines you have two eyes is called sonic hedgehog. The name was not inspired by the video game but in fact a comic-book series. A British post-doc named Robert Riddle drew inspiration from a Sonic comic his 6-year-old daughter was reading. The gene appropriately has a spiky appearance. 

9. The Enderman language, in Minecraft, is actually English in reverse or pitched down

One of the most haunting Minecraft species is the Enderman. Their speech is nearly impossible to understand with the human ear, however, most of its speech is, in fact, English words and phrases played backwards or lowered in pitch. So next time you play Minecraft why not try to translate some!

10. Games that had a smell

The UK version of FIFA 2001 and Gran Turismo 2 shipped with “scratch and sniff” discs. If you scratched FIFA's disc, you would “smell the pitch”. Rubbing Gran Turismo 2’s disc would deliver the authentic smell of a “pit-stop”.

Reference:

• https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tetris-Game-boy-Boy/dp/B00002SVEO

• https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2018/02/09/13/st.jpg?w968

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Minecraft_cover.png

• https://qph.fs.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-d0a88777901b7a39c92fc6b14c3c7684

• https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/T4AztdWd7sDmeUFNf-QKJyXgj5U=/1400x1400/filters:format(png)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/13615729/Screen_Shot_2018_12_10_at_10.19.30_AM.png

• https://thumbs.gfycat.com/FlickeringWearyAmericankestrel-max-1mb.gif

• https://art.ngfiles.com/images/1114000/1114896_amenduhh_creeper.gif?f1576629556

• https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/91/WoW_Box_Art1.jpg/220px-WoW_Box_Art1.jpg

• https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/839428818017038727/

• https://gamepedia.cursecdn.com/minecraft_gamepedia/3/39/Enderman_Screaming.gif?version=26c249d6cc6e4e920614c2506b95bd13

• https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b4qjQjq7jVU/UAZ9OknI0yI/AAAAAAAAB6A/caQvv_11JYw/s1600/FIFA+2001.jpg

Author: Robert Nimmo