History GeniusBonus / VideoGames

* In ''VideoGame/DeBlob 2'', the intro text for the Soda Cannery level has one of the characters drinking Blanc Cola and remarking, "Yuck! What's in this? [[BiteTheWaxTadpole Waxed Tadpoles?"]]

* There are some aspects of the Greek era of the ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'' franchise that some Greek mythology and history buffs will appreciate. For instance, in ''VideoGame/GodOfWarIII'', right before their boss fight, Hercules references two of his 12 Labors, finding the Golden Apples of Hesperides and killing the Nemean Lion.

** This continues into the Norse era as well. For instance, those that know their Norse mythology will know that the reason the witch destroys Atreus' [[spoiler:mistletoe]] arrows is because [[spoiler:Baldur in the original Norse mythos was killed by a spear made of mistletoe, thus it stands to reason that the game's version of Baldur would share the same weakness]].

** On Hyde's final visit [[spoiler:in playthroughs where Lua and Baileys show up late because they canceled their wedding]], he mentions sado, or the philosophical way of having tea, as taught by [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sen_no_Rikyu Sen no Rikyū.]] Gala and the Barista don't know who Rikyu-sensei is, so Hyde tells them [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall (and by extension, the player)]] to go look him up.

** On Hyde's final visit [[spoiler:in playthroughs where Lua and Baileys show up late because they called off their engagement]], he mentions sado, or the philosophical way of having tea, as taught by [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sen_no_Rikyu Sen no Rikyū.]] Gala and the Barista don't know who Rikyu-sensei is, so Hyde tells them [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall (and by extension, the player)]] to go look him up.

** On Hyde's final visit [[spoiler:in playthroughs where Lua and Baileys don't show up because they called off their engagement]], he mentions sado, or the philosophical way of having tea, as taught by [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sen_no_Rikyu Sen no Rikyū.]] Gala and the Barista don't know who Rikyu-sensei is, so Hyde tells them [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall (and by extension, the player)]] to go look him up.

* In ''VideoGame/CoffeeTalk Episode 2: Hibiscus and Butterfly'', one of the new special drinks you can make is "299.792.458", whose name is the speed of light in meters per second.

** Starting with ''New Leaf'', dealing with the counterfeit paintings and sculptures Crazy Redd sells are a lot less frustrating if you're familiar with the artwork in question or can find a reference picture of the original art, because what he sells are recreations of real-world artwork and the fakes are slightly (or in some cases, blatantly) different from the original. For example, in ''New Leaf'' the fake Valiant Statue (based on Pythokritos' ''Nike of Samothrace'') has bat wings unlike the feathered wings of the original, and in ''New Horizons'' the fake version of the Wistful Painting (Vermeer's "Girl with a Pearl Earring") has a star-shaped earring instead of a round one.

* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' includes a banter in which Leliana is praising Wynne for doing good for its own sake rather than for show, and comparing her favorably to women in her homeland, who will make boasts such as "Today I washed the feet of forty lepers." This is a reference to a common practice in RealLife history; medieval women would wash the feet of lepers (considered unclean, the lowest of the low) as a means of showing their charity and humility.
** And in the ''Leliana's Song'' DLC, which tells the story of her [[spoiler: HeelFaithTurn]], there is a scene where she is escaping from jail. One of the fellow prisoners she rescues (who joins the party) is named [[MeaningfulName Silas]]. This is likely a reference to the Biblical apostle Paul, who, like Leliana, [[spoiler: got religion and repented of his previous life of sin]] and was imprisoned with his future helper Silas.

** The entire final battle against Kefka in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'' draws heavily upon inspiration from Creator/DanteAlighieri's ''Literature/TheDivineComedy.'' The first segment of [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/finalfantasy/images/f/fd/Tower_of_gods_ffvi_concept_art.jpg the Tower of Gods]] is set against a demonic visage of Kefka, submerged up to its waist into the ground, mirroring Satan's portrayal in ''The Divine Comedy'' as encased in ice up to his waist. The second segment is a group of humans, beasts and machinery, representing purgatory and its population of beings that were not virtuous enough to ascend into heaven, but also not wicked enough to go to hell. Third is an outright PietaPlagiarism with Kefka replacing [[UsefulNotes/Jesus the Saviour]], which of course represents heaven. Lastly is the fight against Kefka himself, who descends from up high and declares that he will destroy all life, all dreams and all hope, mirroring the moment when Dante meets with God in the grand finale of the book and God tells Dante the meaning of life.
*** Of particular note here is also the music, [[https://youtu.be/JbXVNKtmWnc "Dancing Mad"]], which not only incorporates several, very poignant leitmotifs from throughout the game, such as [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt "Catastrophy"]], [[BookEnds "Omen"]], [[ClimaxBoss "Battle to The Death"]] and, of course, [[AGodAmI "Kefka"]], but also draws inspiration from Music/JohannSebastianBach's "Toccata and Fugue in D minor" and Music/GeorgeFredericHandel's "Messiah." All in all, the music is just as much a part of Kefka's [[BadassBoast Badass]] and BlasphemousBoast as the visual imagery of the fight is.

* Classic example in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIII'', a series of levels labeled [[Film/TheCookTheThiefHisWifeAndHerLover "The Crook", "The Thieves", "The Wife" and "Her Lover"]].

* The ''VideoGame/HalfLife'' series is full of these, mainly regarding physics, and quantum mechanics in cosmology. This is where most people hear about Dark Energy and the Calabi-Yau Model for the first time.

* As with ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'', these jokes are all over the place in ''VideoGame/KingdomOfLoathing''.
** These include jokes about Creator/JRRTolkien's "Cellar door" idea, and a parody of the rats' song from the novel version of ''Literature/{{Coraline}}''.

** Another, though extremely subtle nod to Stanislavski (as well as playwright Anton Chekhov), can be found in the next-gen and PC versions of ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV''. When Michael consumes a [[MushroomSamba peyote plant]] and hallucinates that he's a seagull, one of the hallucination dialogues has him question to himself if this is a joke. Then he reminds himself that seagulls don't do jokes, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Seagull they do]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moscow_Art_Theatre_production_of_The_Seagull theatre]]. [[SophisticatedAsHell And shit.]]

** The ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' metaseries, which includes the ''Persona'' games, is also generally chock full of very obscure mythology references. The tameable/fusable "demons" include Greek and Roman gods, Judeo-Christian angels, both Eastern and Western dragons, Japanese mythological creatures and even Aztec deities.
*** Splitting Satan and Lucifer into separate figures is a particularly good example since Judaism and Christianity are very different traditions and even shared figures tend to be very differently characterized. Satan in Judaism is a divine Prosecutor working for God while Lucifer fills Christianity's Satan as tempter role created by combining the two. Confusing to people who are familar only with Christianity, but a neat bonus for people who are also familiar with Jewish views on the supernatural.

* In ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou'', the math jokes that [[GoodWithNumbers Sho Minamimoto]] makes vary from simple to comparatively advanced.
** To give a notable example: Level ''i'' Flare, which is lightly foreshadowed by the mentioning of imaginary numbers. The "Level x" spells in the ''Final Fantasy'' games hit all enemies whose level is divisible by the number placed in x. ''i'' is the square root of negative 1, and negative 1 is a square root of 1. In addition, ''i'' is the most basic imaginary number, meaning Level ''i'' Flare is a powerful attack that will hit more than a Level 1 Flare would.

** A lot of foreshadowing hints are given through characters' [[WeaponOfChoice signature firearms]], meaning lots of character details are hidden to players who aren't gun nuts. For instance, Meryl's use of a Desert Eagle and Ocelot's use of an SAA both riff off stereotypes in the Japanese gun {{Otaku}} community of fans of those guns (Meryl loves the image of being a soldier much more than she likes actually being a soldier, so goes for something AwesomeButImpractical; Ocelot uses a gun that nerds like and that you can do fun tricks with, as well as (as Liquid points out) it being a gun that tends to shoot bullets that stay in the body and kill slowly, which also reinforces his {{sadis|t}}m). EVA in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3'' handles her Mauser using a Chinese technique, and hers is (as she says) a Chinese copy, hinting at her actual backstory long before there's any reason most players will suspect it. Solid Snake's signature weapon is the SOCOM Mk. 23, a gun that in real life is known for being heavy and impractical, which makes his ability to handle it effortlessly into a glint of something superhuman about him.

** Exeggcute is a part Grass-type Pokémon that looks like a bundle of eggs. It's a often ignored Pokémon that has a very interesting concept. It's a VisualPun on a eggplant. It evolves into a coconut tree, and is hunted by Crabrawler. There is a very obscure species of crab in real-life that occasionally eats coconuts. Who at [=GameFreak=] actually set there and thought all this through?

** In another sidequest, Shepard will quote ''Literature/CrimeAndPunishment''.
** Several of the location names in the first game are references to the history of space travel, ranging from the commonplace to the obscure.
*** The Tereshkova system is named for Valentina Tereshkova, first woman and first civilian in space.
*** The Gagarin system is named for Yuri Gagarin, first man in space.
*** The Grissom system and Grissom Academy are named for an in-universe character named John Grissom, likely a reference to Gus Grissom/John Glenn, the second and third Americans in space.
*** The planet Benda is named for a minor planet in the solar system's asteroid belt.

* General Pepper from the ''VideoGame/StarFox'' series. Think about it. If you don't get it, here's another clue for you all: in the ''ComicStrip/StarFox'' comic in ''Magazine/NintendoPower'', Fara asks why Pepper didn't do something. His answer? "I was [[Music/TheBeatles only a sergeant then...]]"
* ''VideoGame/GhostReconFutureSoldier'' has similar - the Master Sergeant of your squad has the codename "Pepper".

* In ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou'', the math jokes that [[GoodWithNumbers Sho Minamimoto]] makes vary from simple to comparatively advanced.
** To give a notable example: Level ''i'' Flare, which is lightly foreshadowed by the mentioning of imaginary numbers. The "Level x" spells in the ''Final Fantasy'' games hit all enemies whose level is divisible by the number placed in x. ''i'' is the square root of negative 1, and negative 1 is a square root of 1. In addition, ''i'' is the most basic imaginary number, meaning Level ''i'' Flare is a powerful attack that will hit more than a Level 1 Flare would.
* As with ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'', these jokes are all over the place in ''VideoGame/KingdomOfLoathing''.
** These include jokes about Creator/JRRTolkien's "Cellar door" idea, and a parody of the rats' song from the novel version of ''Literature/{{Coraline}}''.

* ''[[VideoGame/PennyArcadeAdventures Penny Arcade Adventures: On The Rain-Slick Precipice Of Darkness: Episode One]]'' has the first robot you meet ask you "01100110 01110101 0110001101101011?" "01100110 01110101 0110001101101011!". 01100110 01110101 0110001101101011 is binary for "Fuck". [[BlackComedyRape The robots want to rape you]]. It doesn't really help that they're also called "Fruit ''Fuckers''"...
* The opening of ''VideoGame/Persona3'' is full of philosophy, including a whole paragraph of Descartes that gets flashed on screen [[UnreadablyFastText for a couple seconds]]. The PSP remake prefers Nietzsche, and it throws in some complex math too.
** The ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' metaseries, which includes the ''Persona'' games, is also generally chock full of very obscure mythology references. The tameable/fusable "demons" include Greek and Roman gods, Judeo-Christian angels, both Eastern and Western dragons, Japanese mythological creatures and even Aztec deities.
*** Splitting Satan and Lucifer into separate figures is a particularly good example since Judaism and Christianity are very different traditions and even shared figures tend to be very differently characterized. Satan in Judaism is a divine Prosecutor working for God while Lucifer fills Christianity's Satan as tempter role created by combining the two. Confusing to people who are familar only with Christianity, but a neat bonus for people who are also familiar with Jewish views on the supernatural.
** The entire ''Persona'' series is rooted in Jungian psychology, mainly the titular Personae and the Shadows the characters fight regularly. ''VideoGame/Persona4'' also utilizes some Nietzsche in its underlying themes as well, both in the stereotypical NietzscheWannabe sense and Nietzsche's actual philosophy.
** In ''Persona 4'', [[spoiler: Izanami]] may come right out of left field when introduced as the ultimate mastermind behind the game's events, unless you know that [[spoiler: Izanami is the wife of Izanagi - the Protagonist's initial persona - in Myth/JapaneseMythology. In fact, the TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon is named after the Japanese underworld where Izanagi went to see Izanami after she died.]]
** Certain games in the series like to focus on a particular mythology or religion, offering little moments like these to people who know a lot about them. ''Persona 3'' has Greek mythology, ''Persona 4'' has Japanese mythology, and the ''VideoGame/DigitalDevilSaga'' duology focused on Hindu mythology and Buddhism.
** One of the recurring, and best, healing items in the series is 'Soma'. The word originates from Hindu mythology and is thought to be the drink of the gods.
* Dmitri and Jorge of ''VideoGame/BackyardSports'' throw in a lot of references to computer programming.
* ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClankUpYourArsenal'' contains a pair of of planetoids named 'Obani Gemini'. Both planetoids have their own name - one is 'Castor', the other is 'Pollux'. Castor and Pollux are the two main stars of the Gemini constellation. And when TheDragon tries to create an artificial third planetoid, she names it 'Obani Draco', after a huge constellation (the fact that she and the constellation are ''TheDragon'' is a coincidence).
* ''[[VideoGame/{{Tribes}} Starsiege: Tribes]]'' and its sequel ''Tribes 2'' featured a number of maps with obscure names that would seem meaningless to most people, but brilliant to those who know something about archaeology (Skara Brae), meteorology (Katabatic), history (Masada), metallurgy (Recalescence), et cetera.
* ''VideoGame/TheNeverhood'' has a few bizarre jokes that only make sense if you've read Literature/TheBible.
** "Hang me from a tree by my hoop and we can play Absalom!"
** And then there's that one story in the Hall of Records that parodies Gnosticism...
** Well, the entire Hall of Records is a parody of the Old Testament.
* In ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'', The Sniper has an apricot air freshener. The "apricot" is a real-world sniper slang for the medulla oblongata, a popular "sweet spot" to aim for. The team has confirmed this was an intentional reference.
** Likewise only those that play a lot of [=FPSes=] are likely to get the fact he drives a camper.
** In the "Meet the Spy" trailer, one of the many [[CrazyPrepared signs on the board]] at the beginning reads "defenestrated". Defenestration is the act of being thrown out of a window, [[spoiler:which actually happens to the Sniper later on.]]
** Another example from "Meet the Sniper". The line "be polite, be efficient, have a plan to kill everyone you meet" is a popular quote amongst [[SemperFi United States Marine Corps]] soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
* ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' is so chock full of references to other things that even the smartest player is bound to miss on a few. On the websites that collect data about the game, discussions about new items frequently flare up concerning whether or not the name of an item or an NPC references something or not.
--> I can't wait till this quest is done and I can look for another [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alias Garibaldi artifact]].
* Everywhere in ''Franchise/TouhouProject'', especially in the spellcards and music. By far the most famous is the title of [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic U.N. Owen Was Her?]], referencing the Creator/AgathaChristie story ''And Then There Were None'', in which the characters are invited by someone calling themselves U.N. Owen (i.e. Unknown).
** The boss to whom the aforementioned song belongs also has her second to last spell card named ''Secret Barrage "And Then Will There Be None?"''. The same boss also has some other spell cards with terms such as ''Starbow Break'' and ''Catadioptric''.
** The Komeiji sisters have many of these: their costumes are negati or specifying tempo for movements as ves of one another, Koishi's theme sounds the same [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4BWUjPebmE played backward or forward]], and many of Koishi's spell cards have Psychology related themes such like ''Instinct "Release of the Id"'', ''Suppression "Super-ego"'', ''Subconscious "Rorschach in Danmaku"'' and of course, the one that Dr. Freud would be proud of ''Rekindled "The Embers of Love"'', which is basically a barrage of {{danmaku}} phalluses. And yes, MOST of the attack patterns used by these bosses and others do reflect the meaning in their names. Also, from the wiki:
-->Koishi's musical theme, ''Hartmann's Youkai Girl'', may refer to [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Robert_Eduard_von_Hartmann Eduard von Hartmann]] (whose most famous work is entitled ''The Philosophy of the Unconscious'') or [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinz_Hartmann Heinz Hartmann]] (as many of Koishi's spellcards seem to make references to [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ego_psychology ego psychology]].)
** There are quite a few of these in the ''Shoot the Bullet'' spellcard names too including RealityWarper and BarrierMaiden Yukari Yakumo having a card based upon the [[http://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Shoot_the_Bullet/Spell_Cards/Level_Ex boundary between wave and particle]] ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wsoxeHhVMo which does indeed resemble the boundary between wave and particle]]). [[http://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Shoot_the_Bullet/Spell_Cards You can check out all the card names here]] and all all the genius references added by the good contributors of Touhou Wiki.
** The plot of ''Ten Desires'' heavily references religious conflicts during the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asuka_period Asuka period]] of Japan. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soga_clan This]] is the family of the Stage 5 midboss, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mononobe_clan this]] is the family of the Stage 5 boss, and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Shōtoku this]] [[HistoricalDomainCharacter is the Stage 6 boss]]. [[GenderFlip Sort of]].
** The lore of the Outside World claims the extinction of supernatural creatures are to be blamed on Outside World's humans' gradual rejection of supernatural because of their increasing knowledge of science. It's outright stated in the exposition by the characters of the future that the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Unified_Theory Grand Unified Theory]] will be completed and humanity will base the explanations of miracle on [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_everything Theory of Everything]]. Then, why people who are the closest scions of future humanity like Yumemi and Renko are chasing after supernatural despite being genius scientists and specializing in physics? One of the rejection against Grand Unifed Theory is [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gödel%27s_incompleteness_theorems Incompleteness Theorem]] which basically claims there are things that just can't be proven true or false because of the variable's lack of measuring scale. Supernatural existence is dwelling in this paradox, as faith is the substence the supernatural feeds on as faith can't be measured by laws of physics for being its direct opposite. Stephen Hawkins is one of Gödel's supporters. Hawkins is explicitly said as Yumemi and Renko's idol.

* In ''VideoGame/ScarfaceTheWorldIsYours'', Tony Montana survives the opening shootout at his mansion, but he is forced to give up his fortune to law enforcement. The amount of money he loses is $65,884,703 - the exact worldwide box office total of the original movie.
* In ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'', this and BilingualBonus crop up occassionally in the names of mecha and their attacks. This is only notable because almost all of the games are [[NoExportForYou Japan-exclusive]], making this the primary method of figuring out [[SpellMyNameWithAnS the correct way to say the names]]. One notable example is the "Ley Buster" attack, which was called "Ray Buster" until fans made the connection between [[LeyLine Ley Lines]] and another character's "Akashic Buster" attack.
* The Subject 16 puzzles in ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII'' contain all sorts of references, typically about various cultures' versions of TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt. The "radar" puzzles in particular will contain hidden text, often in binary or other languages, that further expands on what Subject 16 is trying to tell you.

* In one of the sidequests in ''VideoGame/{{Mass Effect|1}}'' you are sent to eliminate a rogue VI, which is an advanced computer intelligence that doesn't have the self-awareness to become true AI. [[spoiler: When you destroy the VI, it sends out a signal that your helmet displays as binary. It translates as "help", so the people who translate it know the VI actually did become self-aware]].

* ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', in one of [[MemeticMutation Shepard's favorite shops on the Citadel,]] charming the clerk results in Shepard saying:

* ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss'' uses the modal scales as well, though not as explicitly. Tear is a "Locrian" Sergeant and Van is a "Dorian" General. It's easy to assume these are indications of the hierarchy in Daath, especially when you consider who's at the top - ''Ion,'' who's named after the first modal scale.
** There are other music bonuses in ''Abyss'' on top of that. In ''VideoGame/TalesSeries'' games you're normally limited to carrying around fifteen of each healing item. In ''Abyss'' it's extended to sixteen. Why? In everyday life, we like things rounded into fives and tens. But in music, it's (usually) simplest when things are in four - 4/4 time, for example. So the game rounds it to a multiple of four instead of a multiple of five. Another one occurs when you open the menu and realize it's decorated with musical staves.
** You also get bonuses for having knowledge of the Kabbalah - that's where the names Sephiroth, Qliphoth, Daath, Keterburg, St. Binah, Grand Chokmah, Hod and Malkuth originate from. It's especially fun when they give places a double meaning. "Keter", the term from which Keterburg originates, represents the divine will of the God to create - [[spoiler: appropriate, since Keterburg is where Jade decided to play God and create the first replica.]]
** And there's a little literary one - you can find a Vorpal Sword in the same area in which you encounter an enemy called the "Jabberwocky."

* The ''VideoGame/{{Thief}}'' series has a few of these:
** In the first game, a Hammerite text quotes [[Music/PeterPaulAndMary Peter Paul and Mary's]] song "If I Had a Hammer".
** ''Thief: Gold'' features a mission with several obscure nods to Andrew Lloyd Webber's ''Theatre/ThePhantomOfTheOpera''. First, the protagonist encounters a man named Raoul living in the [[ElaborateUndergroundBase caverns under the opera house]] (albeit in the musical, Raoul is not the one who resides there, but the Phantom's real name - Erik - is not mentioned in the musical). Further allusions include a ballet dancer named Christine being mocked for her lower-class upbringing (the protagonist of the musical, Christine, was orphaned and raised in the opera house) and a haughty soprano storming out of a rehearsal telling the manager to "find a new leading lady" (a central plot point in the musical).
** The phrase "Bunch of taffers in this city" is used in multiple missions in ''Thief 2''. Since "taffer" is the [[UnusualEuphemism all purpose curse word]] in the series, and the city is always referred to as [[CityWithNoName "The City"]], this hearkens strongly to the oft-repeated "Bunch of savages in this town" line from ''Film/{{Clerks}}''.
** Also in the second installment, there is a book titled [[Literature/AliceInWonderland "Hunting of the Frumious Bandersnatch"]].
* The graphics for bard songs in ''ForsakenWorld'' use correct musical notation. (For those who aren't musically inclined, the description lists the notes in text.)

* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'':
** The entire final battle against Kefka in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'' draws heavily upon inspiration from Creator/DanteAlighieri's ''Literature/TheDivineComedy.'' The first segment of [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/finalfantasy/images/f/fd/Tower_of_gods_ffvi_concept_art.jpg the Tower of Gods]] is set against a demonic visage of Kefka, submerged up to its waist into the ground, mirroring Satan's portrayal in ''The Divine Comedy'' as encased in ice up to his waist. The second segment is a group of humans, beasts and machinery, representing purgatory and its population of beings that were not virtuous enough to ascend into heaven, but also not wicked enough to go to hell. Third is an outright PietaPlagiarism with Kefka replacing [[UsefulNotes/Jesus the Saviour]], which of course represents heaven. Lastly is the fight against Kefka himself, who descends from up high and declares that he will destroy all life, all dreams and all hope, mirroring the moment when Dante meets with God in the grand finale of the book and God tells Dante the meaning of life.
*** Of particular note here is also the music, [[https://youtu.be/JbXVNKtmWnc "Dancing Mad"]], which not only incorporates several, very poignant leitmotifs from throughout the game, such as [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt "Catastrophy"]], [[BookEnds "Omen"]], [[ClimaxBoss "Battle to The Death"]] and, of course, [[AGodAmI "Kefka"]], but also draws inspiration from Music/JohannSebastianBach's "Toccata and Fugue in D minor" and Music/GeorgeFredericHandel's "Messiah." All in all, the music is just as much a part of Kefka's [[BadassBoast Badass]] and BlasphemousBoast as the visual imagery of the fight is.
** Barret in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' optimistically compares the wire leading to the upper plate to a 'golden shiny wire of hope', and Cloud fails to get the analogy. Barret's actually referencing a famous Japanese literary work called "The Spider's Thread" where Buddha extends a golden spider thread down to Hell so that a single sinner who showed a single act of mercy can climb up to Paradise. This adds a lot of RuleOfSymbolism and some HiddenDepths for Barret (the indication being that he's more well-read than Cloud).
** The equations featured during Sephiroth's Supernova attack cutscene in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' aren't just for show, and actually involve advanced physics based on the planetary attraction forces of the Sun, Earth, and the area of a circle, implying the asteroid in the cutscene is moving in only two dimensions. Also featured in the sequence is [[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/Ptolemaicsystem-small.png a diagram of the Ptolemaic model of the Solar System]], depicting the seven celestial spheres.[[note]]The Earth at the centre (as this is an example of a [[EarthIsTheCenterOfTheUniverse geocentric model]]), followed by the Moon, Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.[[/note]]
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX'':
*** The music for one of the nastier dungeons uses a slowed-down version of the opening of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dies_irae "Dies irae,"]] the best-known of Gregorian chants, as its bass line. Since it's an ominous chant about the Day of Judgment, it's rather appropriate.
*** Some secondary villains on the first disk are called The Black Waltzes. Zidane guesses there are only three of them because of the name. The Waltz is performed at three beats to the measure.
* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' includes a banter in which Leliana is praising Wynne for doing good for its own sake rather than for show, and comparing her favorably to women in her homeland, who will make boasts such as "Today I washed the feet of forty lepers." This is a reference to a common practice in RealLife history; medieval women would wash the feet of lepers (considered unclean, the lowest of the low) as a means of showing their charity and humility.
** And in the ''Leliana's Song'' DLC, which tells the story of her [[spoiler: HeelFaithTurn]], there is a scene where she is escaping from jail. One of the fellow prisoners she rescues (who joins the party) is named [[MeaningfulName Silas]]. This is likely a reference to the Biblical apostle Paul, who, like Leliana, [[spoiler: got religion and repented of his previous life of sin]] and was imprisoned with his future helper Silas.
* In ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' series, the most obvious nod is to a certain Celtic goddess of horses. However, one can drive oneself mad with what appear to be this, such as noting that the Koroks in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'' look suspiciously similar to how kodama are depicted in ''Princess Mononoke''. Also, in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'', the description for the male and female golden snails ends with "it might actually be a [opposite gender]" in small text. This is a reference to the fact that real-life snails are {{hermaphrodite}}s.
* ''VideoGame/SilentHillHomecoming'' has an unusual one. The original series was developed in Japan, and has lots of forgivable errors regarding American culture. ''Homecoming'' was developed in the United States by American studio Creator/DoubleHelixGames, and the devs [[ShownTheirWork did their work]] regarding background details about the US Army. If you understand American military culture at all, and you remember that the devs were American and had done their homework, you have a good chance to guess TheReveal right about the time you finished the tutorial level. [[spoiler: There's ''no possible way'' Alex can be mistaken for anything except someone trying to impersonate an American soldier, even if it is because of a psychiatric disorder. He was never trained to fight in any way but Alex believes he's an experienced veteran regardless, so the game's combat is clumsy and awkward to reflect that he has actually no idea how to fight]].
* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'':
** The recurring in-game book, [[http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/N%27Gasta!_Kvata!_Kvakis! "N'Gasta! Kvata! Kvakis!"]], first appearing in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'' often confuses players by being complete gibberish. If you know [[UsefulNotes/EsperantoTheUniversalLanguage Esperanto]], it's a simple cipher with certain letter sequences swapped for others. Once deciphered, the text either [[BreakingTheFourthWall breaks the fourth wall]], or it's an ancient Sload necromage magazine article that highlights some of the issues between print and Internet-based magazine versions, like image copyrights. In fact the topics and mannerisms are written in a way very familiar for those who lived during the internet era of Bulletin Boards. Say whatever criticism you may have about the Sloads, but for them, the UsefulNotes/EternalSeptember never came.
** For the literary player, finding a copy of the recurring book ''Palla'' will induce either [[{{Squick}} grimaces of shock]] or [[BrokenBase squeals of delight]] when they recognize it as a corruption of Vladimir Nabokov's ''Literature/{{Lolita}}''
** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'':
*** Sabre Cats have bodies more similar to bears than cats, with many a player probably thinking this was some fantasy take on saber-toothed cats. Well, the genus ''Smilodon'' had bear-like bodies stockier than modern day cats, with the most accepted theory being that it was an adaptation to take down large prey such as mammoths. [[FridgeBrilliance Mammoths also live in Skyrim]].
*** [[GiantSpider Frostbite Spiders]]: One wonders why they deal regular poison damage, instead of frost damage. Well, you know what happens when you get a severe enough case of frostbite? [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necrosis Necrosis]]. You know what else causes necrosis? [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loxoscelism Brown recluse venom]].
* All over the place in ''VideoGame/{{Marathon}}'', which contains numerous references to philosophy and mythology (the name "Durandal" was not picked out of a hat). Many of the terminals also contain gibberish characters... some of which are actually hex values that contain meaningful messages if one knows how to decipher them. The developers even went so far as to hide the code for an ''entire multiplayer level'' in two terminals that, to the average user, contained nothing but a long string of nonsense.
* In one mission in ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare 2'', a corkboard in a terrorist safehouse holds a diagram of the chemical structure of RDX, a military-grade high explosive.
** While gamers are an audience expected to understand a lot of military jargon, ''Modern Warfare'' basically requires the player to sit down with a book of U.S Military code phrases to get a full idea as to what is going on around them. "Oscar Mike" is just the start. For instance, anyone familiar with the phrase "Broken Arrow" will undoubtedly have an additional OhCrap moment at the start of "Wolverines!", whereas the rest will probably wonder [[Film/BrokenArrow1996 what the hell that Christian Slater movie has to do with a Russian invasion]].
** During the Chernobyl mission's sniping section in ''Call of Duty 4'', [[ColdSniper Captain MacMillan]] tells the player to compensate for the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coriolis_effect Coriolis effect]].
** In the ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare3'' mission "Blood Brothers," Soap and Yuri escape a bomb by leaping out of a window in Prague. That is to say they were [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defenestrations_of_Prague defenestrated in Prague]].
* ''Dungeon Overlord'':
** On the Mission screen, a Warlock is teaching a goblin about the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_ratio golden ratio]].
** The illustrations for Primordial Elements contain [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platonic_solid Platonic Solids]] corresponding to the element in question.
* ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilRevelations''. Ever read the ''Literature/TheDivineComedy''? Play this game and count the references. It may take a while.
** ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' also exhibits this and to an insane degree. Every playable main character barring Nero [[ShoutOutThemeNaming is named after a character from the work]] (your first hint is that the protagonist is named Dante), and even Nero was originally going to be named Rodin in honor of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auguste_Rodin the man who sculpted]] ''[[HellGate The Gates of Hell]]'' after scenes from Dante's ''Inferno''. The various demons, key items, and even some of the locales come from a myriad of mythological sources and demonology. The BigBad of ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry2'' was named [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arius Arius,]] several enemy types in ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry3DantesAwakening'' found their namesakes in the SevenDeadlySins, and once ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry4'' [[FauxSymbolism kicked the Christian symbolism into overdrive]], we even had prominent human characters named after [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_(music) the Ordinary of Mass.]] Creator/{{Capcom}} seems to like this in their more supernatural series. See also: ''VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}}'', ''VideoGame/ChaosLegion''...
* ''VideoGame/DiabloII'': The first game featured a type of high-level demonic enemy called the Balrog. That is, there were several {{palette swap}}ped variants, and the most powerful ones were called Balrogs, but the type they all belonged to was also called Balrogs. That's just an obvious Creator/JRRTolkien reference. But in the next game, while some enemies are still called Balrogs, the broader type they belong to is now "Megademon". Since "bal" in [[ConstructedLanguage Sindarin]] means something like "might" (Quenya: "vala", cf. the Valar, Tolkien's "gods"), and "rog" means demon, "Megademon" is a stylistically odd but direct translation of "Balrog".
* ''VideoGame/TheSimsMedieval'': in a quest you get the screenshot of a tablet with writing in Runes. The transliterated message is: nom donuts are so good like them lots
* ''VideoGame/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' on XBOX contains a plot where The Master takes over Angel's body. David Boreanaz; who plays Angel, cameoed as The Master in the season two premier after the character was killed off.
* Similar to a reference further down, ''VideoGame/ProfessorLayton'' happens to have a colleague called Dr. Avogadro. Not only is the latter named after a famous Italian physicist, but the name sounds similar to "Abogado", which means lawyer in Spanish and Filipino.
* It's never mentioned or noticed by any of the characters in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil2'', but Ada Wong [[http://images.wikia.com/residentevil/images/a/a5/RE2_AdaFirstAppearance.png fires her weapon]] on a 45 degree angle and uses the edge of the slide to aim. This is actually a tactic used by Chinese Special Forces, and it basically screams out loud [[spoiler: that she's a spy]] to anyone playing the game who knew it.
* Similar to the above example, Bruce [=McGivern's=] awkward way of carrying a handgun in ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvilGunSurvivor Resident Evil: Dead Aim]]'' is a real life technique. It's used in two kinds of situations: when one is alone and could easily be ambushed from behind as it allows one to cover their rear very quickly, and when one is going to be carrying the weapon for a long time as it keeps one's arms from getting tired. Both are situations Bruce is in.
* In ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil5'', the player encounters [[DemonicSpiders Reapers]], which are mutant cockroaches with praying mantis-like arms. These mutated arms are likely a reference to the fact that cockroaches and mantises are--as unlikely as it seems--evolutionary relatives.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Dominions}} 3'', each playable nation is based on real-world mythology and history. Many unit and commander types, and almost all national hero units, are based on specific people. The game is still fun if you don't know the references, but there are a lot of historical in-jokes and tie-ins to get.
* In ''VideoGame/DeBlob 2'', the intro text for the Soda Cannery level has one of the characters drinking Blanc Cola and remarking, "Yuck! What's in this? [[BiteTheWaxTadpole Waxed Tadpoles?"]]
* ''[[VideoGame/RaySeries RayStorm]]'' is actually a reference to the Roman Empire and its fall. For starters, the bosses are named after enemies of the Roman Empire and are even fought in the places where said enemies came from. [[http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=44444 This]] gives more insight to the story.
* In ''VideoGame/MegaMan8'', Search Man's two-headed design is nothing but a silly quirk to a casual player, but it's actually a nod to the fact that snipers usually work in pairs in real life: One shooter and one spotter.
* The combined form of Bit and Byte in VideoGame/MegaManX3 is known as Godkarmachine O Inary, which is basically a big old mish-mash of Shinto and Buddhist references. Bit and Byte's Japanese names (Vajurila FF and Mandarela BB) are also Buddhist references.
* In ''VideoGame/MetroLastLight'', protagonist Artyom visits an underground theatre that has survived through the nuclear fallout, and his friend Pavel jokingly refers to him as [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantin_Stanislavski Stanislavski]]. To deconstruct the reference, the developers of a video game about 21st century nuclear war [[SmallReferencePools expect you to catch a reference about a 19th century theatre director]] responsible for MethodActing.
** Another, though extremely subtle nod to Stanislavski (as well as playwright Anton Chekhov), can be found in the next-gen and PC versions of ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV''. When Michael consumes a [[MushroomSamba peyote plant]] and hallucinates that he's a seagull, one of the hallucination dialogues has him question to himself if this is a joke. Then he reminds himself that seagulls don't do jokes, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Seagull they do]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moscow_Art_Theatre_production_of_The_Seagull theatre]]. [[SophisticatedAsHell And shit.]]
* While the species of most of your neighbors in ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'' are fairly easy to recognize, Dr. Shrunk (an NPC who first appeared in ''Wild World'' to teach you new expressions) is actually a fairly obscure species of salamander, the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axolotl axolotl]]. Similarly, Luna (the lady who runs the Dream Suite in ''New Leaf'') is a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tapir tapir]]; this ''also'' references the mythological {{youkai}} ''baku'', which resemble tapirs and are said to feed on dreams.
** Starting with ''New Leaf'', dealing with the counterfeit paintings and sculptures Crazy Redd sells are a lot less frustrating if you're familiar with the artwork in question or can find a reference picture of the original art, because what he sells are recreations of real-world artwork and the fakes are slightly (or in some cases, blatantly) different from the original. For example, in ''New Leaf'' the fake Valiant Statue (based on Pythokritos' ''Nike of Samothrace'') has bat wings unlike the feathered wings of the original, and in ''New Horizons'' the fake version of the Wistful Painting (Vermeer's "Girl with a Pearl Earring") has a star-shaped earring instead of a round one.
** Crazy Redd himself is an example, being named after a demon from ''Literature/TheDivineComedy'', Rubicante (literally translating to "Crazy Red", more figuratively to "Red-faced Terror"). Rubicante is a grafter, someone who acquires money through unfair or illegal means, [[HonestJohnsDealership much as Redd is known to do]].
* In ''Jet Set Go'' the award for performing forty dance steps in the Galapagos is called "Do the Darwin."
* One of the Adjab Dunes puzzles in ''VideoGame/ScribblenautsUnlimited'' is a reference to Zeno of Elea's "Achilles and the Tortoise" paradox.
* One early puzzle in ''VideoGame/HiddenExpedition 6: Smithsonian Hope Diamond'' involves putting the correct heads on a collection of "American Legend" bobblehead dolls. Alongside such better-known figures as Washington, Lincoln and Eleanor Roosevelt, we have one [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harriet_Quimby Harriet Quimby]].

* For a low budget Indie game ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys'' and its sequel has quite a few. Freddy himself is a shout out to the Muppet creator, and his signature jingle is about a person whose job is to face beings who can and will kill him. [[spoiler:One of them is clever foreshadowing of the sequel's status as a prequel. 100.50 for 30 hours of work is how much one actually would get for a minimum wage job in 1987...]]
* On a nautical map in ''Mishap 2: An Intentional Haunting'' one of the coastal areas is called the Abyss of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspidochelone Aspidochelone]], while a minor ghost you can capture during chapter three is called Petey [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plecostomus Plecostomus]].
* ''VideoGame/NoMansSky'''s stars have a "Spectral Type" that's based on the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stellar_classification Morgan-Keenan Method]] of stellar classification.
* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsInTheSky'', a particular character has a pet gyrfalcon. Only people knowledgeable in falconry and/or medieval history will understand the symbolism of this: [[spoiler:gyrfalcons were traditionally given to kings. Or, in this case, a princess in disguise.]] Rarely is foreshadowing so subtle.
* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsOfColdSteel'': Doubling with MeaningfulName, the Noble alliance calling their airship ''The Pantagruel''. While Pantagruel could also refer to a musical ensemble, it is also the title of a [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gargantua_and_Pantagruel collection of extremely vulgar and obscene books]]. And Pantagruelism is pretty much synonymous to Hedonism- a fitting name then, in reference to the Noble Alliance’s attitude. Fittingly enough, [[spoiler:Class VII raids the second half of the pair, the Gargantua battleship in ''Cold Steel IV''.]]
* ''VideoGame/KanColle'' has tonnes of little details on the shipgirls that make reference to the history of their namesakes.
** Those smoking holes in the flight decks of Akagi, Kaga, Souryuu, and Hiryuu in their medium damage art is reflecting the lethal bombing they received in the disasterous Battle of Midway.
** Roma's medium damage art shows her second turret has only a fiery mount remains. The damage she received from German bombers in Malta ignite her magazine and blow her entire turret sky high.
** Tama and Kiso are prefering artic camo on their riggings, marking their service in the Northern sea and their paint scheme. The same with other girls with camo in their persons like Zuikaku, Haruna, and Ushio.
** Oboro's crab is pointing to a just-so story among the IJN sailors that the ship's funnel was often invested by crustaceans. So does Bismarck with a certain black cat.
** Yamato's Kai art has her kneesock written with the IJN slogan, "No man can oppose the Emperor". A flag written with that slogan was raised on Yamato when she sailed to her suicide mission in Okinawa.
** Kashima's beret has two flags on it. In navy's flag signal, the flags means "I'm doing exercise. Please make way". Kashima is a training cruiser.
** The Takao-class heavy cruisers and the Kongou-class fast battleships share a voice actress because one of the Takaos, Maya, was mistaken for a Kongou-class by the American submarine that sunk her.
** Despite what the fanon likes to say, Ryuujou is actually boastful that she's flat-chested as it makes her silhouette distinct. Ryuujou is the only carrier that didn't have an island, which makes her overstructure purely a flight deck. This, indeed, makes her silhouette distinct as her flight deck makes her entirely flat at the top compares to even other carriers which have their command towers on their overstructures.
* ''VideoGame/ParasiteEve2'': If you actually know what "Neoteny" means, a bit more of what the cult is trying to do makes sense. Well, as much sense as the intentions of a cult usually make. Neoteny is a term referring to an "adult" lifeform, showing traits from a younger form (the classic example being the axolotl; a species of salamander which retains the fins and gills which most other species of salamander lose after growing out of their larval stage). So basically, the cult is trying to "revert" humanity into more primitive forms in order to "reboot" humanities evolutionary process (somewhat ironic, given some researchers argue that a lot of the traits that set humans apart from other primates are neotenous).
* The codes contained in the readme file to ''VideoGame/SpookysJumpScareMansion'' which allow you to skip to a particular room are written in binary. Luckily, the same file also contains an URL to decode these codes. [[AdvancingWallOfDoom Specimen 7]], the area leading up to it, and the cat's CrypticConversation is simply full of MindScrew, but it starts to make sense once you realize it's all references to [[UsefulNotes/CarlJung Jungian psychology]].
* In ''VideoGame/{{Outlast}}'' [[spoiler:Dr. Wernicke]] has the painting ''Prometheus'' in his cell. Like Prometheus, [[spoiler:Wernicke]] brought forbidden knowledge to humanity and was punished with imprisonment.
* One of the side quests in ''Legend of the Void 2'' is called "[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planck_constant Planck's Constant]]."
* In ''VideoGame/DivinityOriginalSin'', on first meeting Thelyron, the healer of Cyseal, he mentions two of his past successes: curing the "unslakable thirst" of one Countess Arata by adding "a pinch of ''Atropa belladonna''" to her morning tea, and discovering that "a single application of a tincture of ''Cicuta douglasii''" can halt aging itself. Both plants are better known under their common names: Deadly Nightshade and Water Hemlock, respectively. And yes, they ''technically'' would cure thirst and stop aging...

* In ''Cake Mania 4: Main Street'' when Jack reopens the Burger Barn he waxes enthusiastic.
-->'''Jack:''' Oh man! This is gonna be so great. Not like the time I opened that bakery in the aquarium.[[labelnote:note]]Which actually happened in ''Cake Mania 2''.[[/labelnote]] Or the tanning salon on that oil rig. Or the ice cream stand in [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wasilla,_Alaska Wasilla]].
* Most of the [[RelationShipValues Support Conversations]] involving Miriel in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' are about actual scientific phenomena. The most obvious exception being of course the RunningGag of Kellam lacking presence to the point of being [[TheNondescript invisible to others]].
** In her supports with Vaike, she realises the psychological and physiological effects of a {{Kiai}}.
** Her supports with Stahl are about muscle memory.
** Her supports with Laurent are about studies on fire and reference the relationship between the heat of the flame and its color, as well as various metallic powders burning with different colors. It also ends up with Laurent putting all that in practice by making fireworks.
** Her supports with Lon'qu start by referencing how the moonlight is actually reflecting sunlight.
** Her supports with Ricken starts with an experiment on electrolysis.
* Certain mechanical items in the game series ''[[VideoGame/TheRoomMobileGame The Room]]'' carry Classical or biblical references. The designer of these pieces obviously believes SmartPeopleKnowLatin.
** The clock in the first game carries the motto "Non est ad astra mollis e terris via", which translates to "There is no easy way from the earth to the stars." [[spoiler:The very last puzzle has you operating a model of the solar system to make use of the Null, with surprising results.]]
** The drum table in the epilogue to the first game carries a Talisman Company label, which includes a reference to Job 38:17: "Have the gates of Death been shown to you? Have you seen the gates of the deepest darkness?". Later in ''The Room Two'', [[spoiler:you have to conduct a SpookySeance and explore the lab of a scientist who attempted to revive his sister from the dead using the Null. He was partly successful.]]
** In ''The Room 3'' there's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment when you lift the first pyramid out of it's box. Directly under is a small plaque reading "Elpis." Elpis was the God of Hope, who chose to remain in Pandora's box after all the horrors had escaped. Yes, the very first puzzle in the game has you opening Pandora's box.
** Also in the third game: the tokens you put in the fortune teller booth read: "Acta Probita Exitus," which translates to "The end justifies the means." [[spoiler:Later you discover that Maggie Cox's ''soul'' was imprisoned in the mechanical fortune teller body inside the booth.]]
* The first ''VideoGame/MaxPayne'' game is filled with references, mostly to Norse mythology.
** The nightclub "Ragna Rock" is a pretty clear reference to Ragnarok, the final battle between the gods.
** The game takes place during a terrible snow storm, referencing the Fimbulwinter, the storm that precedes Ragnarok.
** The plot starts with Alex Balder getting betrayed and shot by his partner. The Norse god Balder is killed when mistletoe is shot into his chest, an event that contributes to Ragnarok.
** Project Valhalla developed the supersoldier serum Valkyr. These reference valkyries, who take slain warriors to Valhalla.
** The one-eyed and enigmatic Alfred Woden has the Anglo-Saxon version of Odin's name. He resides in the Asgard Building. Asgard is the home of the Norse gods.
** The Aesir Corporation's name references the Aesir, the Norse pantheon.
** Max's necklace pendant is a Norse longship.
* ''VideoGame/{{Hacknet}}'' uses very HollywoodHacking-esque text commands, but if you're familiar with Unix-derived systems, you'll notice it's using a simplified version of the modern Linux terminal, and many of the commands are valid in the real world. Additionally, all IP addresses used are randomly-generated but valid, traffic uses the correct standardized ports, and many of the exploits you use are based on sound real-world theory. [[spoiler:All this might clue a savvy player in that [=PortHack=] isn't meant to be a magical tool - it's really that powerful.]]
* The Investigation missions in ''VideoGame/TheSecretWorld'' are meant to require all kinds of different knowledge, some of it amazingly obscure. While some of them are intended to be solved with Google (unless you just ''happen'' to, say, read Romanian) a few of them have side points that are practically [[EasterEgg easter eggs]]. One early puzzle involves reconstructing and playing a partial piece of sheet music; it's significantly easier if you recognize [[spoiler: John Dowland's 1596 lute piece "Flow My Tears"]] and can sound out in your head what notes come next.
* ''VideoGame/MetalGear'':
** A lot of foreshadowing hints are given through characters' [[WeaponOfChoice signature firearms]], meaning lots of character details are hidden to players who aren't gun nuts. For instance, Meryl's use of a Desert Eagle and Ocelot's use of an SAA both riff off stereotypes in the Japanese gun {{Otaku}} community of fans of those guns (Meryl loves the image of being a soldier much more than she likes actually being a soldier, so goes for something AwesomeButImpractical; Ocelot uses a gun that nerds like and that you can do fun tricks with, as well as (as Liquid points out) it being a gun that tends to shoot bullets that stay in the body and kill slowly, which also reinforces his {{sadis|t}}m). EVA in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3'' handles her Mauser using a Chinese technique, and hers is (as she says) a Chinese copy, hinting at her actual backstory long before there's any reason most players will suspect it. Solid Snake's signature weapon is the SOCOM Mk. 23, a gun that in real life is known for being heavy and impractical, which makes his ability to handle it effortlessly into a glint of something superhuman about him.
** ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' gives Snake some baffling dialogue during Sniper Wolf's death scene - first, telling her that the reason she's called Wolf must be because she is a Kurd, and second, apparently randomly informing us of the Yupik word for 'Wolf'. This only makes sense if you know that the Turkish words for wolf (''kurt'') and Kurd (''Kürt'') are extremely similar, though nothing else in the game informs us of this - by telling her the Yupik word for "wolf" (which is completely different from "Kurd"), he's trying to suggest that as she is dying in Alaska, Yupik territory, she is dying as a (proud, noble) ''wolf'' rather than as a (wartorn, oppressed) Kurd. If you don't know this, the train of logic comes off as complete nonsense.
** The "la li lu le lo" motif in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty'' is based around a [[JapaneseRanguage fact of Japanese linguistic acquisition]] that is fairly common knowledge in Japan, but relatively obscure in the West except to Japanophiles. ("L" is the missing letter from the Japanese language; "la li lu le lo" is arranged in the order that Japanese syllables are written, but is made of syllables that do not exist in the language.) Emma has some dialogue in one of her speeches about how the la li lu le lo could have deleted letters from the alphabet which hints at what this is supposed to mean, but she's [[LostInTranslation talking about the English alphabet]]. ''External Gazer'' riffs on this with a joke about an organisation called the "i ro ha ni o he do", which is even more obscure to Western audiences (the first line of a Japanese poem used as a traditional order for the syllabary before the more practical and familiar a-i-u-e-o grids).
** Both Japanese and English players missed the SignificantAnagram in Raiden, meaning his line "it even 'rained' the day I was born' comes off as ludicrous {{Wangst}}, and Snake's response about how "Raiden" is the lightning ''through'' that rain comes off as a bad translation instead of a reasonably clever bit of wordplay punning off the Japanese meaning of the word "Raiden", 'lightning bolt'. (Admittedly, it doesn't help much that much of the dialogue in the rest of the game [[{{Narm}} is that bad, with no excuse]].)
* ''VideoGame/TheSexyBrutale'': Some of the names of guests are strange, but they reference something you wouldn't know unless you knew a little Greek or if you knew how tequila is brewed.
** The name "Lafcadio" comes from the Greek place-name Lefkada, which in turn comes from the Greek word for "white." Lafcadio's mask, before the Bloody Girl's blessing, is pure white, and he's a preacher so he probably would know these things.
** The name "Thanos" comes from the name "Athanasios" which means "immortal" or "undying," which is appropriate for the oldest guest in the mansion and ironic given that everyone in the mansion is already dead.
** Real tequila is made from blue agave plants. Tequila Belle and Willow ''Blue'' are great friends and interact with each other around 1:00. Tequila's dialogue with Willow indirectly leads to Willow's death.
* ''VideoGame/TreasurePlanetBattleAtProcyon'': The Procyons are raccoon-like HumanoidAliens. Procyon, as well as being the name of a star, is also the the name of the genus of three species, more commonly known as raccoons.
* ''VisualNovel/DokiDokiLiteratureClub'':
** Doki Doki has character files, which are absolutely vital in completing the main game. However, these files are all .chr files, which isn't an actual file type. [[https://www.reddit.com/r/visualnovels/comments/71z0i9/doki_doki_literature_club_has_more_to_it_than_we/ Some people on Reddit]] figured out that, when opened in a text editor like Notepad, these files are all puzzles needed to [[spoiler: reveal the secret of Project Libitina]].
*** Sayori's file needs to be [[spoiler: converted into an .ogg audio file, then the sound produced needs to be put through a visualizer. You end up with a QR-code, which, when scanned, leads to the [[http://www.projectlibitina.com/ Project Libitina-website]].]]
*** Yuri's file is [[spoiler: a string of garbled letters and numbered when opened in a text editor, but converting that from [=Base64=] to normal text reveals a {{creepypasta}} written by Dan Salvato about a 19 year-old girl who becomes a murderer.]]
*** Natsuki's file was originally [[spoiler: a .png file, which, when color-inverted, flipped 180 degrees then wrapped around a 3D cone and viewed from the top, reveals an unfamiliar woman's face]].
*** Just like Natsuki's, Monika's file was originally [[spoiler: a .png, but converting it into a png-file reveals a picture of a flaming ring with a block of black and white squares in the centre. This block can be converted into binary, which, when translated, reveals another [=Base64=]-code. Translate that, and you end up with a transcript of a short, one-sided conversation, in which someone (persumably Monika) tells you that "everyone else is dead", and that it's "time to be a [[PrecisionFStrike fucking]] hero", ending with "2018"]].
** Some of the poems hide secrets too.
*** One of Act 2's special poems is a block of redacted text with only a few letters visible, which spells out the phrase "nothing is real". However, opening this picture in Photoshop and turning up the exposure all the way reveals [[spoiler: what looks to be a diary entry from a doctor, who talks about the severe symptoms of someone named "Elyssa", and how she's screaming even louder now that there's someone with her]].
*** Natsuki's first poem in Act 2 seems like a garbled mess, but [[spoiler: when decoded from [=Base64=], reveals a poem titled "Open your Third Eye", in which the narrator takes pleasure in stabbing someone to death]].
* ''VideoGame/XCOMEnemyUnknown'' has a twofer. On the standard (conventional) assault rifle, the magazine has a couple wraps of red tape around it. This is both a reference to ''Film/DieHard2'' and military color codes. In ''Die Hard 2'', the [[spoiler:turncoat military unit uses magazines wrapped in blue tape, allowing an eagle-eyed viewer to figure out they're using blank/training ammunition before it's revealed]] making this an inversion of the film's use. In military color coding, blue is used to designate friendlies as well as "safe" practice ordinance, while red denotes hostiles and "live" or lethal ordinance.
* All of the Mighty Numbers in ''VideoGame/MightyNo9'' are named after a real-life object or concept covering a tremendously wide variety of subjects. Some are more obvious than others--someone playing the game can be expected to know what "Seismic," "Battalion," and "Aviator" mean, but the others range from SAT vocabulary to specialized knowledge.[[labelnote:An explanation for the other Mighty Numbers' names]]A "Pyrogen" is a protein that creates a localized fever and is why your body is warmer wherever it hurts, the "Cryosphere" consists of the collective parts of the Earth that are permanently iced over, a "Dynatron" is a type of oscilloscope used in World War I, to "Brandish" someone is to strike them with great force, a "Countershade" is an artistic technique in which a 3-dimensional object is painted to cancel out its natural shading, and a "Beck" is a gesture to get someone's attention and can definitely be used on its own, without the "beck and call" phrase.[[/labelnote]]
* One of the recurring weapons from ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' is the Wave Beam, its main property is its ability to pass through objects and hit the targets behind them. In physics, particles with a long wavelength can come around objects whereas shorter wavelength particles travel on a straight line and can be blocked by them (for example light has a short wavelength and can be easily blocked by an object, sound on the other hand can be heard even without a direct line of sight to the source).
* The English version of ''VideoGame/AdvanceWars'' has some clever nods that only people familiar with military history and culture will likely understand:
** ''Any'' person who has served in the army and been trained as a combatant will chuckle and nod when Grit shows up. To just about everyone else it's a suitable enough name for a cowboy-themed FriendlySniper, but those familiar with Infantry Fire Control Orders will instantly recognize his name as the mnemonic GRIT used to remember the correct order and steps to issue said orders: G for group (who will fire), R for range (distance to enemy), I for Indication (identifying a target to the group), and T for type of fire (how they will fire at the enemy).
** Sami, who specializes in infantry tactics, is a reference to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sammy_L._Davis Sammy L. Davis]], an infanteer who received the Medal of Honor for heroism in Vietnam.
** And in all versions is the entire relationship between Olaf and [[BigBad Sturm]], which is all one big ''gigantic'' reference to UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. Black Hole is an obvious pastiche of ThoseWackyNazis, albeit with a sci-fi twist, with Blue Moon being heavily inspired by the UsefulNotes/SovietUnion. Blue Moon begins as allies of Black Hole but turns on them later on into the war and becomes instrumental in defeating them, much like the Soviet Union, and Olaf has the ability to trigger snowfall which is Sturm's only weakness, much like Nazi Germany's ''disastrous'' invasion of the Soviet Union which was heavily crippled by winter.
** The titular two-team mechanic of ''Dual Strike'' had unique names for certain team-ups of [=COs=] when they pop their dual CO Power. A ''lot'' of them are references to bands from the '70s and '80s like ''Music/BigCountry'' (Max and Grit), ''[[Music/{{REM}} Orange Crush]]'' (Jake and Rachael), ''[[Music/BillyIdol Rebel Yell]]'' (Hawke and Lash), and ''[[Music/JethroTull Stormwatch]]'' (Eagle and Drake).
* ''VideoGame/{{Deadlight}}'' has the upside down American flags at the "Safe Point", which is actually controlled by a rogue faction of soldiers who are luring in survivors to be enslaved. Displaying something like a flag or an I.D. card upside-down is a method used by members of the military to quietly warn others they are being coerced under duress or otherwise being held hostage, suitably and smartly {{Foreshadowing}} the state of the Safe Point to any player familiar with such things.
* In ''Homescapes'' Austin asks his father why he has a copy of the ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malleus_Maleficarum Malleus Maleficarum]]'' in the upstairs living room.
-->'''William:''' Believe it or not, that was a gift. I called Mrs. Broom a witch, and she happened to have a sense of humor.
* ''VideoGame/{{Antichamber}}'': One of the items on the moral wall is the phrase "[[EpilepticTrees Some things don't]] [[DefiedTrope have a deeper meaning]]," the image this is paired with being [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext a pig in rollerskates, goggles, and with the number 18 drawn on its side]]. At first one might think this to be an [[InvokedTrope invoked]] BigLippedAlligatorMoment, but it might actually be a reference to a particular joke: "Step 1: grease four pigs. Step 2: write the numbers 1, 2, 3, and 5 on their sides with a marker. Step 3: discreetly release them in a large public building at different locations. Step 5: Watch as they search for #4."
* ''VideoGame/BattleTech'' players who know their lore will be able to get why the ''Bull Shark'' Battlemech is such a big deal in its Flashpoint mission, as well as why Natasha Kerensky has such a vicious hate-on for it.
** If you check the math, you'll note that a ''Bull Shark'' with stripped-down equipment is oddly light. Too light, in fact, to match the weight values of a stock Battlemech from the vanilla game of equal size, such as a ''Banshee''. It also doesn't match the expected weight values of even the rare Star League-era Battlemechs that can be acquired or used. This is what will tip off canny players that the ''Bull Shark'' isn't Star League tech, but the even more advanced ''Clan'' tech. Based on the timeline and location, the only Clan which could have possibly produced the ''Bull Shark'' would have been elements of Clan Wolverine, reviled among their Clan peers after being driven out/annihilated for trying to break from the rest of the Clans.
** Therefore, players who know Natasha Kerensky's full backstory would know that she is in fact a Clan Wolf trueborn warrior, and as such the urge to wipe out all things related to Clan Wolverine--including the ''Bull Shark''--would have been drilled into her almost from birth. Clan Wolverine is a well-established BerserkButton for any Clanner.
* ''VideoGame/DiscoElysium'':
** The game world has an extensive fictional history that vaguely allegorises many real-world events, ranging from things most people will get (the father of Communism in the setting, Kras Mazov, is a figure who combines the initials/overall appearance/theory of Creator/KarlMarx, with UsefulNotes/VladimirLenin's role as an actual revolutionary leader, and a miserable suicide in a bunker similar to the extremely-not-a-Communist UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler) to things that will only really make sense to people who read everything about various historical events that fascinate hard-left-wingers but do not tend to occupy a large cultural niche in right-of-centre cultures.
** The game's setting of Revachol is named after Reval — an old name for Tallinn, which is where the game's authors are from.
** Measurehead's use of the term 'al-gul' for alcohol is sometimes interpreted as a FunetikAksent, but he also refers to it as 'the Ghoul'. The English word ''alcohol'' comes from the Arabic ''al-khul'' or ''al-ghawl'', meaning "flesh-eating spirit" (it is also from where we get the English word "ghoul", and also why in English, distilled alcoholic drinks are called "spirits"). "Al-gul" isn't a common transliteration of the Arabic, but it's not one that would be impossible.
** At one point, the player character can quote some poetry by R.S. Thomas, and a different line from the poem is used in the introduction, but there is no indication where this poetry comes from (or even that the line in the intro is from the same poem quoted). The player character can suggest he learned the poem from somewhere else or claim he wrote it himself, which is significantly more funny if you know for certain that he didn't.
* In ''VideoGame/BloodstainedRitualOfTheNight'' the alchemic ingredients for gunpowder are sulfur and saltpeter. These, along with charcoal mind you, actually ''do'' make gunpowder in real life if you grind them to a fine powder and mix them in a ratio of 2 parts sulfur, 15 parts saltpeter, and 3 parts charcoal, as the sulfur ignites the charcoal fuel which gets so hot it literally tears the saltpeter molecules apart creating an exothermic reaction. [[WesternAnimation/GIJoe And now you know!]]
* As explained by Sakurai-san himself in their reveal, Byleth's appearance in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' was foreshadowed by Sakurai-san counting to 17 in binary, and there are 17 main games in ''Fire Emblem''.
* The location of the obligatory theater in ''VideoGame/FreddiFish 4: The Case of the Hogfish Rustlers of Briny Gulch'' is actually pretty subtle. It's the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickelodeon_(movie_theater) Nickelodeon]] in the saloon.
* The theme for the final boss of ''VideoGame/KirbyAndTheForgottenLand'' (which ends with [[spoiler:the boss attempting to [[ColonyDrop smash Planet Popstar into the planet you're fighting on]]]]) is called "Two Planets Approach the Roche Limit". The Roche Limit is distance where a celestial body's gravity is overpowered by anothers tidal forces and torn apart.
* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask'':
** Guru Guru's story and the Bremen Mask you receive for listening are a reference to ''Literature/TheBremenTownMusicians'', a story of four animals to seek to travel to Bremen to become musicians. Mirroring Guru Guru's own life, the four animals never actually get what they wanted but never-the-less find happiness by living the rest of their lives in a cottage they find along the way.
** Odolwa's chanting isn't random gibberish, but actual Mayan. His three phrases, "K’iinam took ool. K’iinam took ool" "Tookik taal! Tookik taal!" and "A’alik beora! A’alik beora!" mean "Head will ache and burn. Head will ache and burn," "Come burn! Come burn!" and "Dance now! Dance now!" respectively.

* ''VideoGame/GhostRecon: Future Soldier'' has similar - the Master Sergeant of your squad has the codename "Pepper".

*** The Grissom system and Grissom Academy are named for an in-universe character named John Grissom, likely a reference to John Glenn/Gus Grissom, the first and second Americans in space.

* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask'', Guru Guru's story and the Bremen Mask you receive for listening are a reference to ''Literature/TheBremenTownMusicians'', a story of four animals to seek to travel to Bremen to become musicians. Mirroring Guru Guru's own life, the four animals never actually get what they wanted but never-the-less find happiness by living the rest of their lives in a cottage they find along the way.

** The plot of ''Ten Desires'' heavily references religious conflicts during the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asuka_period Asuka period]] of Japan. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soga_clan This]] is the family of the Stage 5 midboss, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mononobe this]] is the family of the Stage 5 boss, and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Sh%C5%8Dtoku this]] [[HistoricalDomainCharacter is the Stage 6 boss]]. [[GenderFlip Sort of]].
** The lore of the Outside World claims the extinction of supernatural creatures are to be blamed on Outside World's humans' gradual rejection of supernatural because of their increasing knowledge of science. It's outright stated in the exposition by the characters of the future that the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Unified_Theory Grand Unified Theory]] will be completed and humanity will base the explanations of miracle on [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_everything Theory of Everything]]. Then, why people who are the closest scions of future humanity like Yumemi and Renko are chasing after supernatural despite being genius scientists and specializing in physics? One of the rejection against Grand Unifed Theory is [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6del%27s_incompleteness_theorems Incompleteness Theorem]] which basically claims there are things that just can't be proven true or false because of the variable's lack of measuring scale. Supernatural existence is dwelling in this paradox, as faith is the substence the supernatural feeds on as faith can't be measured by laws of physics for being its direct opposite. Stephen Hawkins is one of Gödel's supporters. Hawkins is explicitly said as Yumemi and Renko's idol.

** The entire final battle against Kefka in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'' draws heavily upon inspiration from Creator/DanteAlighieri's ''Literature/TheDivineComedy.'' The first segment of [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/finalfantasy/images/f/fd/Tower_of_gods_ffvi_concept_art.jpg the Tower of Gods]] is set against a demonic visage of Kefka, submerged up to its waist into the ground, mirroring Satan's portrayal in ''The Divine Comedy'' as encased in ice up to his waist. The second segment is a group of humans, beasts and machinery, representing purgatory and its population of beings that were not virtuous enough to ascend into heaven, but also not wicked enough to go to hell. Third is an outright PietaPlagiarism with Kefka replacing [[JesusChrist the Saviour]], which of course represents heaven. Lastly is the fight against Kefka himself, who descends from up high and declares that he will destroy all life, all dreams and all hope, mirroring the moment when Dante meets with God in the grand finale of the book and God tells Dante the meaning of life.

** ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' also exhibits this and to an insane degree. Every playable main character barring Nero [[ShoutOutThemeNaming is named after a character from the work]] (your first hint is that the protagonist is named Dante), and even Nero was originally going to be named Rodin in honor of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auguste_Rodin the man who sculpted]] ''[[HellGate The Gates of Hell]]'' after scenes from Dante's ''Inferno''. The various demons, key items, and even some of the locales come from a myriad of mythological sources and demonology. The BigBad of ''DevilMayCry2'' was named [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arius Arius,]] several enemy types in ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry3DantesAwakening'' found their namesakes in the SevenDeadlySins, and once ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry4'' [[FauxSymbolism kicked the Christian symbolism into overdrive]], we even had prominent human characters named after [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_(music) the Ordinary of Mass.]] Creator/{{Capcom}} seems to like this in their more supernatural series. See also: ''VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}}'', ''VideoGame/ChaosLegion''...