Video games are dense creations. There are thousands of different doodads in Starbound, countless different micro-celebrities in Destiny and Final Fantasy XIV, and entire tomes of background lore in StarCraft, Halo, and The Witcher. The sheer amount of content demanded by games once inspired epic GameFAQs plain text walkthroughs entire megabytes in size. Today the army of dedicated game archivists have moved on to sprawling wikis, ensuring no tiny detail is forgotten. This is a wonderful outlet for any fan. I've lost entire days scrolling through the curated factoids on Wowpedia. I mean, where else am I going to read the pre-retcon history of the Draenei?
That being said, sometimes wiki editors go to truly outlandish lengths to document their favorite games. Sometimes they remember things that no human being was ever meant to recall. Sometimes they're literally forced to define the pendulum of quantum physics because a franchise decided to go down that rabbit hole. Sometimes, like in Disco Elysium, there needs to be a page just called, "Communists."
This list is a tribute to the weirder, funnier side of video game wikis. Where would we be without all these anonymous obsessives, who ensure that no trivia, no matter how broad or ancillary, goes to waste?
Did you know that the man in the pot from Getting Over It has a name? Did you know that his name is Diogenes, of all things? Sure enough, make your way to the Getting Over It wiki and you can read all the biographical details of the sledgehammer guardian. On that page, you can read that Diogenes bears a striking resemblance to Vin Diesel and Vladimir Putin, and that nobody knows how he fits his legs in that pot.
"Diogenes tends to be a silent character throughout the game," reads one passage. "However, when it comes to moments of pulling himself up onto ledges with a lot of force, you can often hear him grunting, and from time to time you can hear him mutter the word, 'No,' when falling."
Thanks for clearing that up!
Kralnor, a level 11 Orc Warlock, made an inscrutable post on the World of Warcraft forums back in the early days of the game's lifespan. "I dont like to stress the fact that the warlock rocks, but he jus does," it reads, in its original syntax. "So, for all you staff users out there, feel free to come in and post, my staff is a good one, but here is how it goes."
1. post message in the room
2. LOOK IT OVER
3. dont report anything, i might get in trouble 🙂
and 4. Have fun!!!
We still have so many questions. Why did staff users need their own dedicated forum thread? Why did Kralnor think he was going to get in trouble? What staff was he using anyway? Should I be offended that I'm more of a sword guy? These questions swirled into a maelstrom on the Warcraft boards until it was finally, mercifully, locked. But the legend of Kralnor remains. He was immortalized by Blizzard in the World of Warcraft Trading Card Game, and therefore his legacy lives on in the universe's corresponding wikia database.
Is there a better distillation for the cantankerous anarchy of Rust than its Wikia page for Raw Human Meat? According to the database, Raw Human Meat provides less regeneration stats than Cooked Human Meat, and it has the chance of giving you food poisoning. Cool! Thanks Rust! I am glad that even in one of the most hellish online player communities in the world, the wiki has the good sense to not recommend eating the flesh of your fellow man.
Look man, corporate cross-promotion might seem harmless at the time, but this is where it leads to. Halo, one of the most protected commodities in the industry, now has an entry on its wiki dedicated to a rancid cherry-citrus soft drink. Why? Because Microsoft had the gall to stick Master Chief on the bottles back in 2007, as hype for Halo 3 reached staggering heights. Mountain Dew is officially part of the Halo canon. This is a hell of your own making, Gates.
Similar to the Mountain Dew, but not quite as egregious: a couple years ago some eagle-eyed Terraria fans dug up an item called "Mysterious Package" from the Terraria inventory. On screen, this "mysterious package" looks conspicuously similar to an Amazon cardboard delivery box (it has the logo and everything!) and on use, the box summons a Prime Delivery drone. The Mysterious Package was never implemented into Terraria, so most fans have concluded that it was meant to serve some sort of Amazon promotional tie-in that never got off the ground.
Still, the idea that the Bezos estate is acknowledged within Terraria wiki makes a lot of sense. This is a game about mastering land, sea, and air until you're so resource-rich you no longer know what to do with yourself. Remind you of anyone?
I know this is PC Gamer, and therefore this isn't the place to wax poetic about ancillary Nintendo characters. But no list of weird video game Wikia entries can be complete without paying homage to Mario's Time Machinea scarcely remembered Super Nintendo game where the Tiny Plumber Who Rides Dinosaurs takes a trip through Actual Human History. In one scene, Mario runs into the revolutionary abolitionist Frederick Douglass, you know, the former slave, for a brief history lesson in the racial justice movement of the 18th century. Because of this, Frederick Douglass is forever a part of the Mario multiverse.
You already know what I'm thinking: PUT FREDERICK IN SMASH.
One of the main advantages of indie game development is that you can put pretty much whatever you want into the product you're making, forcing any customers in your wake to deal with your vision. Case in point: Guppy, the name of the cat that belongs to The Binding of Isaac's creator Edmund McMillan. Isaac can transform into Guppy by collecting the right suite of items, which mandates that Guppy will permanently immortalized in the game's Wiki. When I die, don't bury me, just turn me into a really good buff in a roguelike.
One more weird Nintendo exception. In the early days of the development of Ocarina of Time, Nintendo used assets from Star Fox to test some of the enemies. Those assets were left in the game's code, and with the proper Gameshark finangling, you can absolutely summon a Star Fox-style Arwing in Kokiri Forest. Watch as it scours the skies! Chuck a boomerang at it, if you'd like! The Zelda Wiki, as uncompromising as it often is, is forced to take the Arwing at face value.
"The Arwing relies on a hit-and-run tactic that involves flying toward Link to attack and falling back at great speed. It can fly at varying altitudes and can even venture underwater unhindered. Unlike most enemies encountered in the game, the Arwing has no fade-in routine and will remain active and visible on-screen even when it is very far away from Link."
Good advice for the next time Link finds himself in space.
You can go down this rabbit hole with plenty of other Star Wars properties, but like, just look at the description of the human race on the Knights of the Old Republic wiki. It will seriously start to make you wonder how, exactly, earthlings enforced hegemony over what's supposed to be a galaxy far, far away.
"Since humans are the most common sentient species, they are often considered to be a standard or average to which the biology, psychology, and culture of other species are compared."
Literally, even in the dead of space, human-first nationalism reigns unchecked. I reject this premise entirely. Luke Skywalker is an alien.
Herobrine has no pupils and the default skin. He appears in your Minecraft seeds late at night and haunts you until you uninstall.
None of that is true, but due to Minecraft's extreme popularity and incredibly young fanbase, the legend of "Herobrine" managed to pierce the veil between creepypasta and canon. Because of that, Herobrine is the proud occupant of his very own Minecraft Wiki page, so he may terrorize future generations of builders for years to come.
See the article here:
10 of the weirdest gaming wiki pages - PC Gamer
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- The application of three-axis low energy spectroscopy in quantum physics research - Phys.Org [Last Updated On: May 3rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 3rd, 2017]
- Scientists 'BREED' Schrodinger's Cat in massive quantum physics breakthrough - Express.co.uk [Last Updated On: May 3rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 3rd, 2017]
- Quantum Physics: Are Entangled Particles Connected Via An Undetected Dimension? - Forbes [Last Updated On: May 3rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 3rd, 2017]
- The World Of Quantum Physics: EVERYTHING Is Energy : In5D ... [Last Updated On: May 3rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 3rd, 2017]
- Introduction to quantum mechanics - Wikipedia [Last Updated On: May 3rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 3rd, 2017]
- A general election, like quantum physics, is a thing of waves and particles - The Tablet [Last Updated On: May 4th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 4th, 2017]
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- Quantum Entanglement Persists Even Under High Accelerations ... - International Business Times [Last Updated On: May 11th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 11th, 2017]
- Quantum Entanglement Persists Even Under High Accelerations, Experiments Reveal - International Business Times [Last Updated On: May 11th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 11th, 2017]
- Quantum - Wikipedia [Last Updated On: May 11th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 11th, 2017]
- Unbreakable quantum entanglement - Phys.Org [Last Updated On: May 11th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 11th, 2017]
- Physics may bring faster solutions for tough computational problems - Phys.Org [Last Updated On: May 14th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 14th, 2017]
- UBC researchers propose answer to fundamental space problem - CBC.ca [Last Updated On: May 17th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 17th, 2017]
- Quantum Biology and the Frog Prince - ScienceBlog.com (blog) [Last Updated On: May 18th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 18th, 2017]
- The Marriage Of Einstein's Theory Of Relativity And Quantum Physics Depends On The Pull Of Gravity - Forbes [Last Updated On: May 18th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 18th, 2017]
- New Research May Reconcile General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics - Futurism [Last Updated On: May 18th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 18th, 2017]
- The Bizarre Quantum Test That Could Keep Your Data Secure - WIRED [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2017]
- Testing quantum field theory in a quantum simulator - Phys.org - Phys.Org [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2017]
- A classic quantum test could reveal the limits of the human mind - New Scientist [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2017]
- Teleportation Could Be Possible Using Quantum Physics - Futurism - Futurism [Last Updated On: May 22nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 22nd, 2017]
- Nobel winner to talk cats, computers and quantum physics - AroundtheO [Last Updated On: May 23rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 23rd, 2017]
- Could Ant-Man Beat Superman With Quantum Physics? - Heroic Hollywood (blog) [Last Updated On: May 26th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 26th, 2017]
- Physicists Discover Geometry Underlying Particle Physics [Last Updated On: May 26th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 26th, 2017]
- Home - Center for Quantum Activism [Last Updated On: May 26th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 26th, 2017]
- Physics - Wikipedia [Last Updated On: May 26th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 26th, 2017]
- What Quantum Physics Can Tell Us about the Afterlife ... [Last Updated On: May 26th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 26th, 2017]
- A Quantum Physicist Explains How Ant-Man Can Beat Superman - Inverse [Last Updated On: May 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 28th, 2017]
- Academic Journal: Quantum Physics Is 'Oppressive' to Marginalized People - National Review [Last Updated On: May 30th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 30th, 2017]
- University of Arizona Scholar Creates a Feminist Brand of Physics to ... - Breitbart News [Last Updated On: June 1st, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 1st, 2017]
- Feminist Launches 'Intersectional Quantum Physics' to End Newton's 'Oppression' - PJ Media [Last Updated On: June 1st, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 1st, 2017]
- In atomic propellers, quantum phenomena can mimic everyday ... - Phys.Org [Last Updated On: June 1st, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 1st, 2017]
- Quantum physics is oppressive - Patheos - Patheos (blog) [Last Updated On: June 5th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 5th, 2017]
- It's widely abused as a buzzword. But can quantum mechanics explain how we think? - National Post [Last Updated On: June 5th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 5th, 2017]
- Quantum Physics and Love are Super Weird and Confusing, but This Play Makes Sense of Them Both - LA Magazine [Last Updated On: June 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 6th, 2017]
- One step closer to the quantum internet by distillation - Phys.Org [Last Updated On: June 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 7th, 2017]
- Solving systems of linear equations with quantum mechanics - Phys.Org [Last Updated On: June 10th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 10th, 2017]
- Neural networks take on quantum entanglement - Phys.Org [Last Updated On: June 14th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 14th, 2017]
- Chinese satellite breaks a quantum physics record, beams entangled photons from space to Earth - Los Angeles Times [Last Updated On: June 15th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 15th, 2017]
- Cybersecurity Attacks Are a Global Threat. Chinese Scientists Have the Answer: Quantum Mechanics - Newsweek [Last Updated On: June 16th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 16th, 2017]
- New Quantum-Entanglement Record Could Spur Hack-Proof Communications - Yahoo News [Last Updated On: June 18th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 18th, 2017]
- What Is Quantum Mechanics? - livescience.com [Last Updated On: June 18th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 18th, 2017]
- China sets new record for quantum entanglement en route to build new communication network - NEWS.com.au [Last Updated On: June 19th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 19th, 2017]
- Physicists Demonstrate Record Breaking Long-Distance Quantum Entanglement in Space - Futurism [Last Updated On: June 21st, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 21st, 2017]
- Viewpoint: A Roadmap for a Scalable Topological Quantum Computer - Physics [Last Updated On: June 22nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 22nd, 2017]
- How Schrdinger's Cat Helps Explain the New Findings About the Quantum Zeno Effect - Futurism [Last Updated On: June 22nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 22nd, 2017]
- BMW and Volkswagen Try to Beat Apple and Google at Their Own Game - New York Times [Last Updated On: June 23rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 23rd, 2017]
- How quantum physics could revolutionize casinos and betting if you can understand it - Casinopedia [Last Updated On: June 23rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 23rd, 2017]
- Quantum thermometer or optical refrigerator? - Phys.org - Phys.Org [Last Updated On: June 23rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 23rd, 2017]
- Atomic imperfections move quantum communication network closer ... - Phys.Org [Last Updated On: June 24th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 24th, 2017]
- DoE Launches Chicago Quantum Exchange - HPCwire (blog) [Last Updated On: June 26th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 26th, 2017]
- Google to Achieve "Supremacy" in Quantum Computing by the End of 2017 - Big Think [Last Updated On: June 26th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 26th, 2017]
- Physicists settle debate over how exotic quantum particles form - Phys.Org [Last Updated On: June 27th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 27th, 2017]
- Physicists make quantum leap in understanding life's nanoscale machinery - Phys.Org [Last Updated On: June 27th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 27th, 2017]
- How quantum trickery can scramble cause and effect - Nature.com [Last Updated On: June 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 28th, 2017]
- Berkeley Lab Intern Finds Her Way in Particle Physics | Berkeley Lab - Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory [Last Updated On: June 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 28th, 2017]
- Quantum Physics News - Phys.org - News and Articles on ... [Last Updated On: June 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 28th, 2017]
- Quantum computers are about to get real - Science News Magazine [Last Updated On: June 29th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 29th, 2017]
- Physics4Kids.com: Modern Physics: Quantum Mechanics [Last Updated On: June 29th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 29th, 2017]
- Payments Innovation - A Quantum World Of Payments - Finextra (blog) [Last Updated On: June 30th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 30th, 2017]
- Why can't quantum theory and relativity get along? - Brantford Expositor [Last Updated On: June 30th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 30th, 2017]
- New method could enable more stable and scalable quantum computing, physicists report - Phys.Org [Last Updated On: June 30th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 30th, 2017]
- Telecommunications, Meet Quantum Physics - Electronics360 [Last Updated On: June 30th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 30th, 2017]
- How young is too young to talk to kids about science? Never, says one quantum physicist - ABC Local [Last Updated On: July 9th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 9th, 2017]
- Supercool breakthrough brings new quantum benchmark - Phys.org - Phys.Org [Last Updated On: July 9th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 9th, 2017]
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- Quantum Physics Provide Evidence that the Future Influences the Past - Edgy Labs (blog) [Last Updated On: July 9th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 9th, 2017]
- This quantum theory predicts that the future might be influencing the ... - ScienceAlert [Last Updated On: July 9th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 9th, 2017]
- Physicists May Have Discovered One of the Missing Pieces of Quantum Theory - Futurism [Last Updated On: July 9th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 9th, 2017]
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- A New Quantum Theory Predicts That the Future Could Be Influencing the Past - Big Think [Last Updated On: July 14th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 14th, 2017]
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- Scientists teleport particle into space in major breakthrough for quantum physics - The Independent [Last Updated On: July 14th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 14th, 2017]
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- Quantum mechanics inside Earth's core - Phys.org - Phys.Org [Last Updated On: July 17th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 17th, 2017]
- Making a quantum leap in space research - Shanghai Daily (subscription) [Last Updated On: August 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 6th, 2017]
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