The enormous human figures carved from stone that stand on Easter Island are called moai. There are 900 or so of these monoliths; the largest is 33 feet high and weighs 90 tons. The moai were erected between 1250 and 1500, and were representative of deceased ancestors, especially chiefs. Images of moai entered pop culture as a symbol of eternal strength, stoicism, and/or lack of facial expression.
What does that have to do with video games? Matt Sephton says, "Moai are cool. And video games are cool." We can agree on that. And that's why you see moai in so many video games, at least 954 of them, which Stephton has listed at Moai Games. The earliest sighting of moai in a video game was in 1983, and they haven't stopped yet. This may be because of a particular fascination for moai in Japan, where many video game developers originate. Check out the list of games, which you can sort by title, year, developer, or platform. -via Metafilter