History AluminumChristmasTrees / VideoGames

** Some ''Sonic'' characters are based on real animals that may seem too obscure or implausible to be real. For example, while they don't have most of Knuckles' abilities, echidnas are [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echidna a real animal]] (they're one of two egg-laying mammals along with the platypus). And while it may seem silly that Fang is able to [[CartoonyTail bounce around on his tail]], he's supposed to be a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerboa jerboa]], a relative of the kangaroo that does in fact use its tail to jump.

** Though they don't have most of Knuckles' abilities, nor do they look anything like him, echidnas are [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echidna a real animal]].

* In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'', some people thought that [[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/fireemblem/images/3/37/Lissa_FE13_Artwork.png Lissa's dress]] was unrealistic and too over the top. Actually, it was inspired by wire-cage dresses which actually ''do'' exist. Ditto [[http://static4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20080531172217/soulcalibur/images/5/5e/Sc4-ashlotte.jpg Ashlotte]], one of ''[[VideoGame/SoulSeries Soul Calibur IV]]'''s bonus characters.

** Though they don't have most of Knuckles' abilities, echidnas are a real animal.

** Before Wikipedia or the Internet, it was difficult to explain that many pokémon were inspired by mythological animals (for example, [[MagikarpPower Magikarp's evolution into Gyarados]] is based on the legend of the "Dragon's Gate", a waterfall that will turn any carp that swims all the way up into a dragon).
** Moonstone and sunstone are actual semiprecious stones. They might not have the same powers, or form a set of elemental stones.

** At first, the Galarian fossil pokemon were just assumed to be mis-mashes of two fossils portions in the hands of a hack palaeontologist, but the truth stems from Chimera Fossils, or the early days of palaeontology where they simply put together whatever fossils they found and made their presumptions about ancient life from those days.

** Many of the Nazis' odder projects seem a little too outlandish to be attempted. Damming the Mediterranean? Sectioning off an entire chunk of France and Belgium and giving it to the SS? A freaking solar-powered KillSat? Sounds like something out of a b-tier pulp novel. And yet these were all on the Reich's drawing boards in reality. They, of course, ''stayed'' there due to their sheer insanity, but in the mod, fueled by victory and hubris, they try it all out to the expected disastrous effect; the Atlantropa project not only ruined dozens of port cities but threatens to collapse at every turn (to the point the Iberians split off to seize it before the Nazis could neglect it more), the Sun Gun can be built only to fail to set anyone on fire, fall out of orbit and maybe [[TheyKilledKennyAgain crush Oskar Dirlewanger]], and the Ordenstaat Burgund is an authoritarian hellhole that the Third Reich despises and even [[Literature/NineteenEightyFour Big Brother]] would violently balk at.

* The [[UsefulNotes/MuramasaAndMasamune Masamune and Muramasa's]] status as {{Public Domain Artifact}}s and their frequent appearances in [=JRPGs=] like ''VideoGame/FinalFantasy'' and ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'' may lead some gamers to assume that they are mythical swords, like Gram or Excalibur. In fact, they're real-life masterworks more akin to a Stradivarius instrument. Not only were Masamune and Muramasa historically real swordsmiths, there wasn't even "the" Masamune or Muramasa blade; several specimens of both still exist today in museums and private collections, and they occasionally appear at auction for the sufficiently lucky and/or wealthy collector to obtain. (That said, "the" Masamune is often considered the suitably storied [and suitably lost] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masamune#Honjō_Masamune Honjo Masamune]].)

** The ADF-11F RAVEN from ''[[VideoGame/AceCombat7SkiesUnknown Skies Unknown]]'', can deploy small [=UAVs=] from its underbelly. It may seem like a ridiculous concept, but such craft [[https://www.kratosdefense.com/systems-and-platforms/unmanned-systems/aerial/tactical-uavs#UTAP22 actually do exist in real life]], with the UTAP-22 being tested in the very year that ''Skies Unknown'' was released in.

** Ebony is a series' staple of a high-tier {{Fantasy Metal|s}}, functioning somewhat like Obsidian and theorized to be the petrified blood of the mortal world's [[GodIsDead "dead" creator god]]. Ebony does exist in real life; however, it is not a stone. It is actually a dense black wood taken from ebony trees found in India and parts of Africa. It's so dense it sinks in water, and is mainly used for ornamental stuff like chess pieces and piano keys (hence "Ebony and Ivory").

* The [[UsefulNotes/MuramasaAndMasamune Masamune and Muramasa's]] status as {{Public Domain Artifact}}s and their frequent appearances in [=JRPGs=] like ''VideoGame/FinalFantasy'' and ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'' may lead some gamers to assume that they are mythical swords, like Gram or Excalibur. In fact, they're real-life masterworks more akin to a Stradivarius instrument. Not only were Masamune and Muramasa historically real swordsmiths, there wasn't even "the" Masamune or Muramasa blade; several specimens of both still exist today in museums and private collections, and they occasionally appear at auction for the sufficiently lucky and/or wealthy collector to obtain. (That said, "the" Masamune is often considered the suitably storied [and suitably lost] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masamune#Honjō_Masamune Honjo Masamune]].)

** The ADF-11F RAVEN from ''[[VideoGame/AceCombat7SkiesUnknown Skies Unknown]]'', can deploy small [=UAVs=] from its underbelly. It may seem like a ridiculous concept, but such craft [[https://www.kratosdefense.com/systems-and-platforms/unmanned-systems/aerial/tactical-uavs#UTAP22 actually do exist in real life]], with the UTAP-22 being tested in the very year that ''Skies Unknown'' was released in.

** Ebony is a series' staple of a high-tier {{Fantasy Metal|s}}, functioning somewhat like Obsidian and theorized to be the petrified blood of the mortal world's [[GodIsDead "dead" creator god]]. Ebony does exist in real life; however, it is not a stone. It is actually a dense black wood taken from ebony trees found in India and parts of Africa. It's so dense it sinks in water, and is mainly used for ornamental stuff like chess pieces and piano keys (hence "Ebony and Ivory").

** In the ''VideoGame/Bioshock2'' DLC ''Minerva's Den,'' there is a super computer named The Thinker said to use ADAM to work. Many players wondered how the hell a substance that enables gene editing is used in a computer. DNA computing is a real thing, using the sequences of DNA to form binary sequences and then codes. Being able to edit genes on the fly, like ADAM enables, would really solve a lot of the drawbacks to the technology.
** Based on ''[[VideoGame/BioshockInfinite Bioshock Infinite's]]'' concept of multiple realities, it could be assumed that the "Boxer Rebellion" and "The Battle of Wounded Knee" were both made up to emphasize Comstock's murderous white supremacy. They were both actually [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxer_Rebellion very real]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wounded_Knee_Massacre and grim events]] of US history.

* Given ''VideoGame/Bubsy3D''s's infamous reputation and near-unplayability, many thought the lavish praise it got from [=PSExtreme=] Magazine on the cover was fake. [[http://videogamemagazineletters.tumblr.com/post/158175700974/you-know-how-we-all-thought-bubsy-3d-getting-a It]] [[http://retrovolve.com/those-faked-bubsy-3d-pull-quotes-were-actually-real/ wasn't]].

* Almost all of the secret projects in the ''VideoGame/SniperElite'' series are real Nazi projects. Some are just more believable than others. While most people know some things like the V2 Rockets in ''VideoGame/SniperEliteV2'' is famous enough that people know it is based on the real thing, others may look like StupidJetpackHitler projects. The Ratte in ''VideoGame/SniperElite3'' is a real proposed land battleship project which was eventually abandoned due to being AwesomeButImpractical. The radio guided Fritz-X bomb in ''VideoGame/SniperElite4'' is a real thing, and is the same bomb responsible for sinking the battleship Roma and severely damaging many other ships, including the Warspite.

*** Additionally, the flying platforms seen in ''Metal Gear Solid 3'' were jet versions of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HO-1_Pawnee this]] experimental U.S. aircraft. Oh, and the drone used by Naked Snake at the beginning of Operation Snake Eater, and the WIG? [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_D-21/M-21 Both]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartini_Beriev_VVA-14 real]].
*** The flying platforms were actually a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Williams_X-Jet real thing]]. They really flew. Their main drawbacks were their short flying time, difficulty to fly, and incredible vulnerability and lack of redundancy.

*** A lot of people think [=CalorieMates=] are a fictional product but you can actually buy them in Japan. In fact, the only fictional products in the entire series are probably the cigarettes.

* In ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption2'', the protagonists are hunted by the [[LawEnforcementInc Pinkerton National Detective Agency]], which was as real organization empowered by the federal government as law enforcment. Pinkerton still exists as a brand (the company itself is part of Securitias) and they no longer operate in any law enforcement capacity and today they only provide security guard and private investigation services under the Pinkerton name.

* ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil2'', ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil3Nemesis'', and [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil2Remake their]] [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil3Remake remakes]] take a ''lot'' of ribbing from their fans for having characters get infected and then cured with vaccines because, as well all know vaccines ''prevent'' rather than treat right? There actually ''are'' vaccines, called [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Therapeutic_vaccines therapeutic vaccines]], that treat existing infections rather than preventing future ones which work by enhancing the immune system response rather than providing an acquired immunity to a future infection, and while the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sipuleucel-T first successful one]] to be approved by the FDA didn't come out until 2010, these things were actually being researched as early as the '70s. In fact, in real life a therapeutic vaccine reasonably ''would'' be used to treat a virus that caused mutations, as such vaccines in real life are used to treat viruses and cancer, meaning it actually would be reasonably possible for such a thing to not only destroy a virus but reverse malignant tissue growth the virus had caused.

* VideoGame/AnimalCrossing: The Juicy-Apple TV (or Apple TV prior to New Horizons), which a literal TV shaped like an apple, may seem like a joke on the more well-known Apple TV. However, not only was this TV available in the games long before Apple produced theirs, but one Chinese company called Hannspree has been making apple-shaped [=TVs=] since the early 2000s. These novelty [=TVs=] were still being made as late as 2018, although it appears that production ceased as of 2021.

* Given ''VideoGame/Bubsy3D''s infamous reputation and near-unplayability, many thought the lavish praise it got from [=PSExtreme=] Magazine on the cover was fake. [[http://videogamemagazineletters.tumblr.com/post/158175700974/you-know-how-we-all-thought-bubsy-3d-getting-a It]] [[http://retrovolve.com/those-faked-bubsy-3d-pull-quotes-were-actually-real/ wasn't]].

* ''VideoGame/CrimsonSkies'' (The DieselPunk TropeCodifier of VideoGames) has [[ZeppelinsFromAnotherWorld Zeppelins]] that [[AirborneAircraftCarrier carry]] most of the [[CoolPlane planes]] and deploy and dock them mid-air using a trapeze hook. Seems unrealistic but it is a real technique for operating aircraft from [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/74/F9C-2_Sparrowhawk_fighter.jpg zeppelins.]] Want to shoot one down? [[MadeOfExplodium Easy, right?]] Not in this game. This is surprisingly realistic, since many of the airships of the time were either helium-filled or using a hydrogen/helium double-cell system, and even pure-hydrogen rigid-frame zeppelins are surprisingly hard to ignite without incendiary/explosive rounds. ''Rockets'', on the other hand...
* The "Cadaver Synod" global event that pops up in ''VideoGame/CrusaderKings II'' whenever a Pope with the "Wicked Priest" dies, in which his successor digs up his corpse and puts him on trial for his crimes posthumously, is sometimes assumed to be yet another of Paradox's tongue-in-cheek gags by new players -- but the inspiration is [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadaver_Synod entirely historical.]]

* ''Videogame/FallenLondon'': In this game, there's a whole underhanded power struggle between various nations, between surface and the Neath, where diplomats, spies and agents of all sorts clash. Calling it "The Great Game" seems a little odd, perhaps a bit of dark humor considering who the pawns are in here, but [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Game there was an actual Great Game, and it included most of the involved nations.]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'':

** ''Videogame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'' allows Link to catch adult antlions, although these are a little strange, as they glow in the dark.
** The antlions in ''Videogame/PhantasyStarI'' look more like giant spiders (being a PaletteSwap of a tarantul) but they dig sand pit traps much like real antlion larvae.
** The antlions in ''Videogame/HappyWars'' look pretty close to real antlion larvae, and also dig sand pit traps.

* ''Videogame/TheNewOrderLastDaysOfEurope:''

* When Creator/SquareEnix announced ''VideoGame/{{NieR}}'''s sequel to be named ''Videogame/NierAutomata'', some people apparently didn't realize that "automata" is an existing word, not another WordPureeTitle. It's the plural of "automaton".

* ''Namco Museum Volume 4'' for the original UsefulNotes/PlayStation contained an arcade game called ''VideoGame/GenpeiToumaden'', which up until then had not been released in North America. Retitled ''The Genji and the Heike Clans'', the game features a "character" called "Taira no Kagekiyo". A number of American game players may or may not know that he isn't a character created by Namco for the game. Kagekiyo was a true historical person. A member of the "Taira" ("Heike") clan, he fought during Japan's "Genpei" Wars where he died in battle. In the game, he comes back to life and seeks revenge on the Genji clan.

* You might think Pegnose Pete from ''VideoGame/EscapeFromMonkeyIsland'' is just a gag on peg-legged pirates, but prosthetic noses are a real thing, and have been for centuries; 16th century nobleman and astronomer Tycho Brahe wore a false nose after getting his cut off in a duel.

* Given ''VideoGame/{{Bubsy}} 3D'''s infamous reputation and near-unplayability, many thought the lavish praise it got from [=PSExtreme=] Magazine on the cover was fake. [[http://videogamemagazineletters.tumblr.com/post/158175700974/you-know-how-we-all-thought-bubsy-3d-getting-a It]] [[http://retrovolve.com/those-faked-bubsy-3d-pull-quotes-were-actually-real/ wasn't]].

** When the announcement trailer for ''[[VideoGame/AceCombatAssaultHorizon Assault Horizon]]'' demonstrated an Apache attack helicopter rolling over on its side ''VideoGame/StarFox'' style, a lot of armchair aviation experts [[JustPlaneWrong cried foul]]. Too bad [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTtX6GF6D3I that is an actual thing]] Apaches can do, even if it's a bit embellished in ''Assault Horizon''.

* In ''VideoGame/WolfensteinIITheNewColossus'', one of the player's allies is a Communist Christian named Horton Boone. Whilst Communism is predominantly thought of as an anti-religious philosophy, and some of its founders did issue strong statements against organized religion, Christian Socialism was - and still is! - a real thing, arguing that Socialism is the kind of government structure that Jesus would support and wish for humanity to adopt.

** To Americans, at least, the idea of having to pay to access restroom stalls probably sounds like the kind of petty nickel-and-diming one could only expect in an ultracapitalist dystopia like Rapture. In fact, pay toilets were common in the US at this time, until [[https://psmag.com/economics/dont-pay-toilets-america-bathroom-restroom-free-market-90683 a movement that started largely as a joke]] took off and convinced lawmakers across the country to ban them. They're still around in other parts of the world, including the UK, which explains their inclusion in ''VideoGame/RollerCoasterTycoon'' as well.

* Among the many issues fans take in regard to historical accuracy in ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyWWII'' is that there are a number of Soviet-made weapons being used by Wehrmacht in both the multiplayer and single player modes. However, the Wehrmacht ''did'' field a number of Soviet weapons in their arsenal. Following the first successful months of Operation Barbarossa, the German military acquired so much Soviet material that they issued them to second-line troops. Among the most popular of these were the [=PPSh-41=] submachine gun and the SVT-40 semi-automatic rifle; the latter was in such widespread use that the Germans issued field manuals for them. In addition, the period in which the campaign takes place is towards the end of the war, when the desperate Germans were issuing whatever they had in storage to front-line troops in the face of the Allied bombing campaign's destruction of their industrial infrastructure.

** At first, the Galarian fossil pokemon were just assumed to be mis-mashes of two fossils portions in the hands of a hack archaeologist, but the truth stems from Chimera Fossils, or the early days of archaeology where they simply put together whatever fossils they found and made their presumptions about ancient life from those days.

* ''VideoGame/AceCombatAssaultHorizon'':
** When the announcement trailer demonstrated an Apache attack helicopter rolling over on its side ''VideoGame/StarFox'' style, a lot of armchair aviation experts [[JustPlaneWrong cried foul]]. Too bad [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTtX6GF6D3I that is an actual thing]] Apaches can do, even if it's a bit embellished in ''Assault Horizon''.

** All of Wheatley's "hacking" attempts actually ''are'' like real-life forms of hacking, and are in fact more realistic than most forms of HollywoodHacking. His attempt to shut down the facility by "guessing" the password by systematically going AAAAAAA, AAAAAAB, etc, is known as a "Brute Force" attack, where a password is cracked systematically digit-by-digit, with the only difference being real technology can do it ''words'' faster: it would take a computer less than a second to brute-force a 7 digit passcode of only letters. His "hacking" doors and walls by just smashing through the windows is akin to a Backdoor Exploit, where one bypasses authentication and security systems by effectively bypassing them entirely.

* In ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption2'', the protagonists are hunted by the [[LawEnforcementInc Pinkerton National Detective Agency]], which was as real organization empowered by the federal government as law enforcment. Pinkerton still exists as a brand (the company itself is part of Securitias) and they no longer operate in any law enforcement agency and today they only provide security guard and private investigator services under the Pinkerton name.