Weird Ways Games Got You to Do Stuff IRL | MojoPlays

Amazing Ways Games Forced You to Do Stuff IRL Video games can make us cry, move us to tears, excite and thrill us... and make us do things outside the game? Welcome to MojoPlays, and for this video we’ll be looking at the Amazing Ways Games Forced You to Do Stuff in real life. Scratch & Sniff “Leisure Suit Larry: Love for Sail!” (1996) Because of course this series would have the really weird out-of-game activity to tie into the on-screen action. Like many games of its day, “Love for Sail!” came packaged with a physical prop – known also as a feelie – alongside the game disc. Said prop happened to be the CyberSniff 2000, a scratch-and-sniff card with numbered squares representing certain unique smells. The numbers are key here; they pop up during gameplay whenever eternal bachelor Larry enters the corresponding location, as a way to prompt the audience to take in the scent. It’s mostly a fun way to lend a veneer of depth to this rather silly game, though on occasion it can also provide a bit of subtle direction. Check the CD Case “Metal Gear Solid” (1998) We’ll never quite forget the surprise of witnessing Psycho Mantis’ controller-shaking powers, but there’s another scene that stands out just a bit more. Early in the game, Solid Snake is plying the gravely wounded Kenneth Baker for information, specifically on the soldier that Baker has been in contact with. At first it seems that Baker has forgotten the code that his contact is using... only to immediately recall that it’s available on the back of a CD case. What he neglects to mention is that the CD case in question is the very one that houses this game. Sure enough, a screenshot with the code is present and accounted for. Go out and Play Pokemon GO! “Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!” (2018) You can’t say that the Pokemon Company is lacking for ideas about brand synergy. When “Let’s Go, Pikachu!” and “Eevee!” launched, they carried with them a few elements quite reminiscent of the mobile game phenomenon that was “Pokemon Go”. However, there lay a more direct connection between titles, perhaps best exemplified by then-new creature Meltan. This Metal-type Pokemon can’t be caught in the “Let’s Go” titles directly; players either have to participate in a multi-part quest or transfer another Pokemon over to “Pokemon Go” to obtain Meltan. Further, Meltan’s evolved form is solely attainable in “Pokemon Go”, ensuring that a person would have to spend time with that game no matter what. Call a 1-800 Number “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” (1989) Yes, kids, this was once a thing that games actually did. For those who got to experience the licensed game for “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” in their youth, it was quite the interesting blend of overworld exploration and point-and-click sleuthing. The latter aspect was especially significant as several clues and pieces of information could only be attained by turning over every stone and looking into every lead. Appropriately this also applied to the alluring Jessica Rabbit, whose guidance in solving the game’s central mystery was tied to a 1-800 phone number she provides. The catch, however, was that you had to dial that number on a real-life telephone to get Jessica’s help. Delete a Character File From Your Computer “Doki Doki Literature Club!” (2017) Given this game’s reputation for unsettling plot turns and dramatic fourth-wall breaks, it’s fitting that one of its best moments combines both of these elements. Having progressed through what at first seemed like multiple playthroughs of escalating horror and surrealism, the player finally is sat down in front of the perpetrator – the eponymous club’s president Monika. Her subsequent discussion of motives and meandering one-sided conversation seem to go on without end... unless one realizes the key to escape is to delete the game file keeping Monika alive. The resulting slow, harrowing deterioration of Monika’s avatar – necessary as it is to assert player agency and reach the conclusion – still proves to be a most haunting scene. Watch a Kickstarter Video “Thimbleweed Park” (2017) Befitting the sensibilities and background of its creators, Terrible Toybox’s “Thimbleweed Park” is bursting with cute nods to gaming history and cheeky breaking of the fourth wall. This carries all the way to the climax, where the assorted offbeat heroes gather in one last effort to liberate themselves from their digital prison. While most of their paths to success are laid out pretty clearly, game programmer Delores is left with a balloon animal and a reference to a Kickstarter video. Bizarre as that combination may seem, it’s surprisingly straightforward as directions go; the original Kickstarter announcement for “Thimbleweed Park” does indeed show the somewhat morbid use of that aforementioned balloon animal. Can’t say we saw that one coming. Hold the 3DS Upside Down “Pokémon X and Y” (2013) We know evolutions in this series can get weird, but this might be an all-time benchmark. Folks diving into “X and Y” almost certainly found a favourite among the new additions to the “Pokemon” menagerie, being drawn into the familiar rhythms of training and evolving their catches. Anyone who grew attached to the adorable cephalopod-like Inkay, though, had an extra wrinkle to contend with. As became clear to those seeking to evolve Inkay into its later form Malamar, you can’t simply reach the required level of 30 to complete the process. Inkay’s transformation also requires the player to flip their Nintendo 3DS system upside-down when Inkay hits 30. Go Outside, Get Some Sunlight “Boktai” series (2003-07) Remember the days when Konami wanted to make interesting, innovative games? One of their more curious efforts from the mid-2000s, “Boktai: The Sun Is in Your Hand” hinged itself on quite the gimmick: a light sensor built into its game cartridge. In-game, the hero Django fought an assortment of vampire foes using a solar-powered weapon, which – yes – could only be charged by exposing the Game Boy Advance cartridge to sunlight. So inspired was this idea, and so well-regarded was the surrounding game, that the solar sensor was integrated into the “Boktai” sequels up until the jump to Nintendo DS. Sing Karaoke “Takeshi’s Challenge” (1986) One of the most infamous examples of trolling in game form, “Takeshi’s Challenge” allegedly resulted from ideas spouted off in a drunken haze by Takeshi Kitano himself. Whether or not that story is true, the game itself lends credence to that tale through its bizarre and often counter-intuitive design. Among the more fascinating inclusions is an in-game bar where the player, in order to progress, must sing karaoke into the microphone of the Famicom’s second controller. What’s especially odd, yet remarkable, to consider is that this might technically make “Takeshi’s Challenge” one of the earliest karaoke games ever released. Dipping a Letter in Water “StarTropics” (1990) It’s an oldie but a goodie in the best possible way. During the fourth chapter of “StarTropics”, young hero Mike Jones gets instructions from his uncle’s assistant to dip a letter into water. The only problem: Mike hasn’t actually received such a letter in his travels. What this direction is truly referring to is a prop included with the real-world “StarTropics” cartridge – a seemingly innocuous letter with a secret message. Let the letter sit in water for a while, and the frequency needed to track down Mike’s uncle is revealed. For a game all about uncovering mysteries and going on uncertain adventures, this is quite the nice touch.