1UP COVER STORY | WEEK OF OCTOBER 22 | 1UP'S SCIENCE WEEK

Cover Story: 1UP's Science Week

Think video games are for nerds? Hell yeah, they are! And that's awesome.

I don't care how much you hate math or detested your biology homework, science and video games go together like a pair of sodium and chlorine ions. Heck, the entire concept of video games sprang forth from the halls of academia more than half a century ago, back when the only people in the world who had access to computers at all used them either for advanced space program research or to calculate the probable trajectory of intercontinental missiles into the U.S.S.R.

And what kind of game did those scientists create with their room-filling punch-card mainframe computers? A football game? A platformer? A racer? Nope. They created a complex physics-based space shooter that featured an accurate astronomical model of the night sky and proper application of inertial motion in a vacuum. Gamers get upset when they're characterized as nerds, but damn, that's a pretty nerdy start!

But why fight it? What's wrong with being a nerd and loving science? Sure, it sucks during the locker-stuffing phase of life, but there's no shame in being smart. And there's no shame in recognizing the role science -- be it biology, astronomy, or most of all physics -- plays in the video games we love. The fact of the matter is that the more complex video games become, the more dependent they become on science. And the more of them you play, the more you learn about science. Even if you don't mean to.

Not that science as seen in video games is 100% accurate (or even close), but you can't play a 3D game without picking up a little bit of real-world book-learnin'. Most games take liberties with physics and other applied sciences, but even so they create their own internally consistent universes where everything operates according to a system. (Or multiple universes, in the case of something like Quantum Conundrum.) Even games that seem miles removed from lab coats and atomic charts owe a debt to science; if you've ever compensated for the decay of an arrow's trajectory in Skyrim, you've killed a monster with science (albeit most likely aided by a handful of decidedly non-scientific magical perks). And let's not forget the role that science-focused characters play in games, from Albert Wily to Hal Emmerich to Catherine Halsey. And, of course, that ultimate messianic übernerd, Gordon Freeman.

So kick back, pour yourself an Erlenmeyer flask of coffee (optimally brewed at exactly 93ºC), and join us as we pay tribute to the science behind video games -- or at least try to make sense of it when it defies reality as we know it. -- Jeremy Parish

MONDAY, OCTOBER 22

The Worst Video Game Science, Pt. 1: Physics

Think games are a little too unrealistic? You have no idea.

Mysticism vs. Science in Metroid

Who says the Metroid games are pure sci-fi? A look into the series' other side.

Final Fantasy's Hiroyuki Ito and the Science of Battle

The engineer behind Final Fantasy talks about the history and philosophy of the series' mechanics.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23

For The Love of Game What I've Learned from Video Games: Culture Chameleon

My science teachers may despair, but I've found games eye-opening regardless.

The Worst Video Game Science, Pt. 2: Biology and Genetics

Applying actual science to video game abstractions has some terrifying results.

F***ing Time Travel, How Does It Work?

Nailing down the rules (or lack thereof) by which video games leap through the years.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24

For The Love of Game What I've Learned from Video Games: The Kojima Encyclopedia

How Metal Gear's extraneous information taught me about the world.

It Speaks: The Fictional Languages of Video Games

How creative linguistics help mold digital worlds.

The Real Science of Mega Man

Capcom's robot-rampant future isn't quite as far-out as you might think.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25

"And a Nerd Shall Lead Them": Our Favorite Video Game Scientists

Games make scientists sexy and cool, and we're OK with that.

For The Love of Game What I've Learned From Video Games: RPG Maker

 

The day I found out just how much work it takes to build the worst game ever.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 26

Discovering MOBA, the eSports Savior

Competitive gaming's rise to mainstream has been led by a new competitive genre.

Welcome to Kanto Region, Doctor!

A country vet finds herself at a loss at how to treat pink cows that lay eggs.

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• Small Chemistry Correction

  Posted: userComment.createdDate by  tarmac
  

  *chloride ions

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• Irrevelent Question but Still

  Posted: userComment.createdDate by  Tomas.carney
  

  I was reading an article about metroid and they mentioned grief and i couldn't find anything about it i gust wanted to know what it was (Sorry probable should have written on gaming mysteries but i could only think about it now)

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• Uh Oh

  Posted: userComment.createdDate by  kingsharkboi
  

  How are we going to explain......nanomachines??  

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  • like so

    Posted: 10/26/2012 by  hoozat
    

    nanomachines = midichlorians

    Flag