Video Game Physics

Chronicled herein are all the little things that cause objects in videogames to work differently from, say, objects in your backyard, for the purpose of being awesome.

See Art Major Physics.

Using fans or wind to jump to normally-unreachable places. Rather than protecting bodily areas, body armor just gives you bonus Hit Points. It's always better to go for the head instead of the torso or other larger target. Just touching an enemy will damage or kill the player. In video games, foreground and background aren't always as separated as they appear to be. Platforms not solid from certain sides only (most notably, above). Where the edge of a platform actively resists the player's motion over it. Because it's much easier than building proper structural supports. A place or puzzle where every step on an ice patch makes you continue in that direction, unable to move or stop. A Gimmick Level which messes around with gravity in some way. The player jumps, ducks or crouches in the air, and comes down powerfully onto the ground. Characters who can land with such an impact that it can break the ground beneath them Characters who can speed up to beyond fatal falling velocity to completely or partially negate fall damage. A projectile that constantly curves toward its target. A character or an object the player is controlling, can turn 180 (different number in 3D games) degrees in an instant. A mainly 3D game mechanic that limits where you can move, jump, and/or land so that you are always on an invisible grid. That amazing programming breakthrough that gives breasts realistic bouncing animation. It's very different in a Platform Game than it is in real life. You jump, then you jump again. No, it shouldn't be possible, but it's fun. You know when your parents said you were driving them up the wall? Here's how you actually do it. Taking damage results in being knocked aside, whether the attack in question would reasonably be expected to do that or not. Frequently, a method is provided to completely avoid knockback, even for attacks that should reasonable be expected to knock you aside. Ladders in games act strangely, like letting you climb them while having both arms free. One must impact the ground to get killed. Bullets, arrows, or sundry other super-fast shooty things will move slowly enough to defend or dodge. An umbrella or parasol used as a parachute. Plus it keeps the rain off! Game physics so abstracted from reality that a character can ride what is ostensibly a projectile without changing its trajectory. Games that use increasingly realistic physics for all objects, especially dead enemies. Firing rapidly in a direction opposite of where you want to go will give you a good push sideways or even upward. Lasers that can reflect off of any flat surface. You are always one of the fastest things in the game world. Using explosives to propel the player to normally unreachable places. Gravity is only applied to some things; others are totally immune. A weapon's lethality is directly proportional to its user's desire to kill. Bladed weapons can cause nonlethal damage. Where a boss or character can smash on the ground and send out a wave of energy that causes damage. An ability in video games that sends your character rocketing straight upwards, and is much more powerful than ordinary Jump Physics. You can use Mushrooms as trampolines. Trying to teleport somewhere that's already occupied. Leaves a mess. When an earthquake or violent impact causes characters to bounce about. Conveniently placed air vents give you the boost you need. You've slowed down time, and while enemy bullets will crawl like molasses, yours go at normal speed. Video games that actually let your character fly freely about the world. Your character can't swim when underwater, just walk around and jump higher, or lower. The ability to scale vertical surfaces. Where the coolness of the physics engine conspicuously draws attention to itself rather than meshing with the rest of the gaming experience.
 * Air-Aided Acrobatics
 * Body Armor As Hit Points
 * Boom! Headshot!
 * Collision Damage
 * Depth Perplexion
 * Directionally Solid Platforms
 * Edge Gravity
 * Floating Platforms
 * Frictionless Ice
 * Gravity Screw
 * Ground Pound
 * Ground-Shattering Landing
 * Hit the Ground Harder
 * Homing Projectile
 * Instant 180 Degree Turn
 * Invisible Grid
 * Jiggle Physics
 * Jump Physics
 * Double Jump
 * Wall Jump
 * Knockback
 * Knockback Evasion
 * Ladder Physics
 * Not the Fall That Kills You
 * Painfully-Slow Projectile
 * Parasol Parachute
 * Projectile Platforms
 * Ragdoll Physics
 * Recoil Boost
 * Reflecting Laser
 * Road Runner PC
 * Rocket Jump
 * Selective Gravity
 * Set Swords to Stun
 * Shockwave Stomp
 * Spring Jump
 * Springy Spores
 * Tele Frag
 * Tremor Trampoline
 * Vent Physics
 * Very-High-Velocity Rounds
 * Video Game Flight
 * Walk, Don't Swim
 * Wall Crawl
 * Wreaking Havok