Infinite 1UP

"Supermarket Psychology" Gets You to Spend More on Video GamesSupermarkets are specifically designed to take advantage of human psychology. Over a hundred or so years, these stores have learned what people will do when they aren't paying all that much attention, and have harnessed those tendencies to get you to purchase more items, and specifically items with the highest markup for the highest profit. The science of marketing is so successful that you can go into a supermarket in a new town with a name you've never heard before and the layout will be the same as any other store of its kind. What does this have to do with video games? That's explained, also, as the same type of inducements are there when you browse through a Free to Play site and encounter multiple opportunities for microtransactions that are specifically placed and timed to entice you to go for it. The cost may be small, but it adds up if they lure you into doing it over and over. This video is only 7:30; the rest is an ad.

The Weird Stories Behind 29 Genius Video Game Features The process of developing a hit video game involves so much backstory and so many changes that each one could have an entire book written about it, but no developer has time for that. Your favorite game has such a convoluted story that its beginning are a distant memory even for those most intimately involved, and might even have nothing to do with the process of creating a video game.

What You Need to Know About the Konami CodeAll together now, ↑↑↓↓←→←→BA ! The Konami Code is the best known cheat code in gaming, probably because of its long history and widespread use. It's easy to remember and useful across platforms. It's found in surprising places for surprising uses, even outside of games. Norman Caruso, the Gaming Historian, fills us in on the history and popularity of the Konami Code so you will feel as knowledgable as an old school gamer. He also goes through the games you might use the code in, in case you don't already know. You'll also learn how it unlocks easter eggs on some websites. It's an all-purpose shortcut! -via Digg

Ron Swanson Takes on Half Life 2Ron Swanson, the irascible macho character from the TV series Parks and Recreation (portrayed by Nick Offerman), takes on a quest in Half Life 2. His complaints translate perfectly from Pawnee, Indiana, to the video game world. The great outdoorsman grumbles his way into "Europe," which he finds to be not to his liking at all. But he eventually finds his own paradise, so this video has a happy ending. This clever mashup is from YouTuber eli_handle_b․wav, the master editor who brought us Mr. Bean in Half Life 2 and Mr. Bean in Half Life 2 episode two. I'm excited to see what mashups he will think of next.-via Geeks Are Sexy 

If Real Life Worked Like Baldur's Gate 3There’s a lot of excitement about Baldur’s Gate 3, the newest video game inspired by Dungeons & Dragons. The character creation tools are apparently extraordinarily detail, right down to the characters’ genitalia.The game looks thrilling, but real life would not be fun at all if it functioned like Baldur’s Gate 3, or pretty much any other video game. In this Joel Haver video, Brian, an ordinary schmuck, has to make skill rolls to accomplish anything. It would appear that this particular twenty-sided die is cursed. And his interpersonal interactions menus offer terrible options that get him into only deeper trouble.

The Nintendo Switch’s Last Of Us Clone All for a cheap price.The latest Nintendo console has been the home to many blockbuster titles, such as the two entries to the Legend of Zelda series (Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom), as well as Mario Odyssey– and many more titles. However, it is also a place where players can experience some interesting titles to the point that it will make one ask the company’s standards in approving these games. For one title, however, maybe the console needs its own zombie adventure game. Meet The Last Hope - Dead Zone Survival, a third-person action game starring a man named Brian Lee. The Last Hope puts its players into the shoes of the operative after being sent to the future after the government decided to investigate a zombie outbreak. What set off the alarm bells of critics and gamers online is how he is joined by a young girl who totally looks like a ripoff of Ellie from the hit PlayStation game The Last of Us. According to the game’s official description on the eShop, The Last Hope has an “immersive atmosphere” that is “enhanced” by “detailed visuals, eerie sound design, and a gripping storyline.” Judging from the looks we’ve got from trailers and game play photos, there are a lot of similarities between The Last of Us and the Switch game, from names, characters, and zombies. Image credit: V.G. Games 