No, it doesn't have to be limited to games at all. Homing Projectiles are a thing in other fiction too.
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
For a real-life example, Sidewinder heat-seeking missiles (and I guess all the heat-seeking warheads in general) have mirrors in their sensor heads that actually double the angle they are deflected from the target in the other direction as input for the fins, forcing them into... wait for it... a sinusoidal or spiral pattern, like a snake. These actually cut into corners in a very analog fashion, and in theory end up straight into the tailpipe of the planes they were targeting, without a single computer involved.
The downsides of this strategy are clear: Multiple signals would result in a signal that doesn't hit anything, and it can't tell friend from foe, things that are considered into their evolution. Of course, adding computers makes them more eficient and hella expensive, but that's no problem for the potential users...
Linking to a past Trope Repair Shop thread that dealt with this page: Needs Help
, started by GiantSpaceChinchilla on Mar 28th 2012 at 6:40:10 AM
Does this trope have to be limited to videogames? there are other examples in both real life and fiction
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