History Main / LandMineGoesClick

* ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'': The early parts of the Chorus Trilogy poke fun at the extremely visible landmines from the ''Halo'' games, as the rather confused Reds wonder what the point is to land mines that are easily noticed and avoided.[[spoiler: Donut ''does'' use them to kill Lopez Dos.0 (who's gone crazy and hijacked a giant robot), by using teleportation grenades to drop him directly onto the minefield.]]

* In ''VideoGame/SevenDaysToDie'', landmines can be crafted out of air filters, candy tins and even hubcaps, for defensive purposes or offensive, depending on your creativity. The area surrounding a military camp and certain seedy buildings will most likely be stuffed with them. Not that it helped against the zombies, but [[ArtificialStupidity they're still dumb enough to walk into them]]. These mines do not beep, click, or hesitate before detonating. Mercifully they are not buried and can usually be survived, [[AluminumChristmasTrees but hide well in even moderately tall grass and can be destroyed with weapons fire]].

* Averted in the [[Literature/TheDresdenFiles Dresden Files]] novel ''Literature/BloodRites''. Harry, Murphy and Kincaid are breaking into the lair of a scourge of Black Court vampires, and when they discover a landmine blocking their way, Harry suggests that they disarm it with the classic "nice big rock to hold the button down" trick. Kincaid, who unlike Harry is a [[ProfessionalKiller professional weapons expert,]] comments that [[SarcasmMode that's an excellent idea,]] [[DeadpanSnarker assuming your enemies are using equipment from World War II.]]

* ''Series/TheProfessionals''. Bodie dials the first number of his phone and suddenly realises it's booby-trapped. Fortunately, he's got his radio to call Doyle for help, who disarms it with their [[CasualDangerDialog usual exchange of banter]] (though somewhat terser).

* ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime3Corruption'' used two different mines and both were in plain sight and were easy to shoot from a distance if you didn't rush into the room. One mine was a standard proximity mine that blew up if you got too close. The other mine type was similar to the bouncing betty one mentioned in the top of the page; if you got too close, the mine would jump up, fire a laser in 360 degrees, then explode.

* In ''Series/{{Flashpoint}}'', one of the team accidentally steps on a mine and cannot move (with a LampshadeHanging on how few mines don't immediately go off). The rest of the team, especially his good friend Spike, does everything they could to get him out, but they're eventually confronted with the fact that the bomber that set the mine specifically sabotaged it to prevent any easy method of disarmament. [[spoiler: [[BlackDudeDiesFirst When the trapped character realizes Spike is more likely to blow himself up also than succeed in disarming the device,]] [[HeroicSacrifice he deliberately lifts his foot to set the thing off rather that let his friend die with him]].]]

*** Laser-tripwire mines are found as a level obstacle, and Gordon can get a few for himself throughout the game. Once placed, the mine releases a warning whine for a few seconds then emit a faint blue laser (it's visible to the naked eye but only one type of NPC actually takes notice). If you break the laser, the mine will instantly explode without warning; even if you have full health and armor, if you're caught in the blast the mine WILL kill you. They cannot be defused, only prematurely detonated via gunfire or explosions; on the other hand, they stick to the wall hard enough to hold your weight so you can stand on top of them and use them as impromptu stairsteps. [[ThatOneLevel One particularly difficult level]] in the chapter "Surface Tension" is a missile warehouse ''littered'' with these mines; the location is [[FanNickname referred to as "Mine Maze" by fans]], and needless to say, triggering even one mine, distance be damned, [[GameOver is a BAD IDEA]]. To worsen things, there are a few Headcrabs blissfully unaware of the danger of the place and will happily trigger a tripwire trying to jump at you.

Another fun fact about landmines is that they don't necessarily kill you. A lot of people survive landmines with missing feet or legs... In fact, you're almost twice as likely to survive a landmine as not. So... yay?

Subtrope of KineticClicking, related to DramaticGunCock. The non-{{Redshirt}} who hears the click under them will do whatever they can to invoke WheresTheKaboom Almost never comes up when dealing with a SeaMine.

In reality, most personnel mines will go off whether or not you release the button. Which makes sense, if you consider that a pressure-release trigger would be more complicated and more prone to failure. Also, the only benefit from a mine following this trope is that a group of soldiers are delayed trying to help their friend. If the landmine simply blows the poor guy's leg off, TheSquad still has to tend to him, only now the explosion has tipped off any nearby defenders to intruders. That said, if the mine is a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouncing_Betty Bouncing Betty]], the most effective thing to do is dive and duck immediately to receive minimum damage from the shrapnel, as it mainly spreads horizontally (at roughly [[GroinAttack crotch-height]], so even if it doesn’t [[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe cut you in half]], you may end up wishing it did. Yikes).

Subtrope of KineticClicking, related to DramaticGunCock. The non-{{Redshirt}} who hears the click under them will do whatever they can to invoke WheresTheKaboom. Almost never comes up when dealing with a SeaMine.

Very occasionally, you'll get both. It'll give an audible warning that it's been triggered, but that's no help to the victim -- [[FiveSecondForeshadowing all he has time for]] is an OhCrap reaction before he's pâté.

Many video games feature land mines with ''serious'' design problems, so it's quick and easy for a single main character to avoid or disarm them, unlike in real life. Such land mines might even feature flashing lights and beep a few seconds before they go off, which rather defeats the purpose[[note]]Sort of. Part of a Minefield's purpose is area denial, so if seeing the land mines makes you stay away or find a different path, they're still doing their job.[[/note]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Worms}}'' series
** Land mines always make a beeping noise when activated, and from the second game and on, flash a light. The extra time does not help you get away from them, as the blast radius is larger than the detection radius, but a quick player may be able to position their worm so the explosion doesn't throw it into water.\\
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In some games you can attack a mine and have it go flying, and some games even have achievements for offing an opponent like this. It's also practical since in most games you're given limited ammo, but you can prod or whack a mine with a finger or a baseball bat respectively, which are generally have unlimited uses.\\
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Pre-placed mines can randomly be duds, and will only hiss and emit some smoke instead of exploding. If hit by a baseball bat or Fire Punch whack, a dud mine will be sent flying and detonate on impact.

* In the ''VideoGame/{{Worms}}'' series, land mines always make a noise and light when activated. Except for the first game, where the only beep a few times without a light before exploding. Either way, this extra time does not help you get away from them, as the blast radius is larger than the detection radius, but a quick player may be able to position their worm so the explosion doesn't throw it into water.
** In some games you can attack a landmine and have it go flying. Some games even have achievements for offing an opponent like this. It's also practical since in most games you're given limited ammo, but you can prod or whack a mine with baseball bats or your finger, which are generally set to Unlimited.

* ''VideoGame/Fallout''

* In ''VideoGame/SevenDaysToDie'', an Air Filter Landmine can be crafted for defensive purposes or offensive, depending on your creativity. The area surrounding a military camp will most likely be stuffed with them. Not that it helped against the zombies, but [[ArtificialStupidity they're still dumb enough to walk into them.]]
** These mines are aversions in that they do not beep, click, or hesitate before detonating. Mercifully they are not buried and can usually be survived, [[AluminumChristmasTrees but hide well in even moderately tall grass and can be destroyed with weapons fire]].

* The mines in ''VideoGame/Fallout3'' "beep", instead of "click", giving the player just enough time to either try and disarm them or get the heck off. Disarming mines does make them go "click" though.
** The longest mission in the game ("The Wasteland Survival Guide") has a segment where you go to an entire ''town'' filled with landmines and [[EveryCarIsAPinto explosive cars]], and a man is shooting at you with a sniper rifle in an attempt to get you to kill yourself spectacularly. The entire area seems to be a meta-reference to Hideo Kojima games, coincidentally.
** ''Fallout 3'' offers four types of mines: basic frag mines, stronger plasma mines, and anti-electronic pulse mines, The home-built bottlecap mines are technically [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Improvised_explosive_device IEDs]] but they are massively powerful. As an amusing example of VideoGameCrueltyPotential, you can arm a mine and put it into your opponent's inventory for a quick and clean kill (clean, as in mines have more concentrated explosions than grenades so the chance of collateral damage is smaller; as for the target, it's very messy).
** Subverted by the "Hidden Mines" in ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' which are only visible by discolorations on the floor or putting your mouse cursor over them, do not beep, and will explode instantly if stepped on. They are often found in dark areas to make them even more difficult to spot.
** Also subverted by the Satchel Charge mines in the ''Lonesome Road'' DLC, which are hard to see, have short fuses that may prevent you from disarming them before they detonate, and are more lethal than the standard mines.
** Both ''3'' and ''New Vegas'' play with this trope by having many of the standard frag mines placed in ways that hide the glowing light, such as stuffing them under traffic cones or placing them lit-side-down. There are also a few cases of mines being used as SchmuckBait, by placing one mine very prominently in the open with a second mine near enough to it that anyone trying to disarm the first mine will trigger the second one.
** Mines in earlier ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' titles are triggered by {{Pressure Plate}}s that look very similar to the surrounding floor, detonate immediately and require a Traps skill check to spot.

* In ''VideoGame/Ashes2063'', the SecondaryFire of the pipebombs causes Scav to pull on a tripwire and set the bomb down on the ground. If an enemy touches it, the bomb detonates and sends the hapless mook (and often several of their cohorts) up in smoke. The only way to dispose of a planted pipebomb is to shoot it, though that's rarely necessary since Scav cannot trigger his own trapped bombs by accident.

* ''Series/CowboyBebop2021''. In "Venus Pop" while investigating the spacecraft of a MadBomber, Jet steps on a pressure plate-activated BoobyTrap. When the bomber drops his remote detonator Jet has to do a DesperateObjectCatch while holding the plate down. Spike then puts his own foot on the plate while shoving Jet off as a FriendshipMoment, as Jet had been complaining about Spike's unreliability. Jet then leaves in the EscapePod to get help [[SuprisinglyRealisticOutcome rather than trying to defuse the device himself]].

** In a flashback to the island of Lian Yu in "The Odyssey", Oliver steps on a Japanese landmine left over from UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, which goes click. Oliver is forced to stand immobile while Slade kills a group of patrolling soldiers around him. Slade frees Oliver by pushing the body of one of the soldiers on to the mine to take his place. In "City of Heroes" in the present day this is called back to when [[spoiler:Diggle and Felicity go to Lian Yu to bring Ollie out of his TenMinuteRetirement. This time it's Felicity who steps on a mine, but Ollie rescues her with a well-timed VineSwing]].
** In "The Candidate" Flashback!Oliver kills a mercenary and then tosses the body onto a landmine to disguise how the man died. In "Restoration" another mercenary is following Oliver so Oliver carefully walks around the edge of the minefield while the mercenary FailedASpotCheck, walked straight onto a mine and was killed. TheDragon of the group comments on how suspicious it is that after months of no problems they start losing people to land mines after he shows up.
** It happens ''[[RunningGag again]]'' in the Season 5 finale which also takes place on Lian Yu. [[spoiler:This time it's Thea who steps on the mine, but her father Malcolm Merlyn steps on it also so she can step off, waits till their pursuers catch up with them, then takes his foot off...]]

* Seen twice in an episode of ''Series/ThePretender''. In the Vietnam War, a US soldier is looking for a mole in the jungle when he and his guide hears a click. His guide, a young boy, had his foot on the mine and the soldier knew he wouldn't last long so she was able to switch his foot with the boy's by carefully shifting the boy's foot off and his on to keep constant pressure. It worked. [[spoiler:Then the mole shows up, knowing the soldier could stand there until people came looking shoots the guy from a distance and framed him as the mole. Jared, in his usual LaserGuidedKarma methods, punishes the mole, who is still evil but now helping drug lords, by getting him to step on a mine with the same click. It's a dud but the mole didn't know that.]]

* ''VideoGame/PlantsVsZombies'': Potato Mine goes click, then "SPUDOW!", [[ActionBomb blowing up itself along with any zombie unfortunate to step on it]].

* ''VideoGame/PlanetSide 2'' features two types of mines; anti-infantry (unique for each faction) and anti-tank. [[MachineCult Vanu Sovereignty]] Proximity Mines have flashing blue lights on them and produce an audible noise as it charges up its capacitor to detonate. [[MegaCorp New Conglomerate]] Bouncing Betty mines have a flashing hexagon on their top, and loudly jump into the air when triggered. [[TheEmpire Terran Republic]] Claymores have a limited arc and are the tallest of the mines, but deal more damage and have no warning when detonating. Annoyingly, [[YouAreAlreadyDead you're generally doomed as soon as you hear a mine trigger]] - the only class (without flak armor upgrades) who can survive are the Heavy Assaults by triggering their overshield. The Nanite Systems Anti-Tank mines do not click and deal huge amounts of damage to vehicles, but only trigger from gunfire or vehicles passing over them, and are huge and easily seen.

* In ''VideoGame/PlantsVsZombies'', Spikeweeds (and their upgrade, Spikerocks) are living caltrops that you can plant on the ground, hurting zombies that step on them and popping the tires of vehicles.