8 Video Game Bugs That Became Iconic Features

Sometimes, what makes a great artist or a successful video game isn't just being perfect. It's about knowing which mistakes actually look good in the final artwork or game. In video games, cool new things often happen because of mistakes or problems, not just because developers want to make things different or better.

In fact, many famous things in video games happened because developers made mistakes or overlooked things. Some mistakes ended up being really fun or interesting for players. And sometimes, when they were making the game, developers found unexpected cool ideas that changed the whole game.

1. Giants' Space Program

The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim

In Skyrim, giants are really tough opponents. If you haven't heard, being hit by a giant or their huge club can send your character flying high up into the sky until they're knocked out or the game loads again.

This powerful move wasn't meant to be in the game by the creators at Bethesda. It happened by mistake, but when they found it, they decided to keep it. This made giants even scarier in the world of Tamriel. The reason it happens is that the game's engine turns extra damage (more than what's needed to defeat the player) into a strong force. Since giants hit so hard, it feels like the player's character could almost create another star with their helmet horns when sent flying.

2. Nuke Happy Gandhi

Civilization series

Mahatma Gandhi, known for leading peaceful protests to free India from British rule, never turned to violence. That's why it's so surprising and strange that in the game "Civilization," he strangely drops nuclear bombs everywhere.

Initially, he had the lowest "aggression" rating among all leaders. But a programming error caused his rating to go from low to extremely high, hitting the maximum score of 255, especially if the player adopted democracy. Instead of becoming less aggressive, this loop in the system made him incredibly eager to use nuclear weapons on everyone.

3. Creepers

Minecraft

After being inspired by Infiniminer, Notch decided to create his own building game with procedurally generated elements. While adding familiar farm animals to the game, he worked on modeling a pig. However, as he was creating everything directly in code without a visual interface, he unintentionally mixed up the Y and Z axis and slightly misaligned the rotation.

When he launched the game world, he came face to face with a weird, disproportionate creature with lifeless eyes. Feeling uneasy, he decided to repurpose it as an enemy. When a friend joked that it would be amusing if the creature exploded upon getting too close, one of the most irritating (yet undeniably iconic) mobs in Minecraft was born. And it's all thanks to the mishap with the pigs. No wonder they ended up in the Nether.

4. Combos

Street Fighter II: The World Warrior

The creators of Street Fighter II observed that if a player pressed specific buttons rapidly and precisely, they could overwhelm their opponent with a series of hits that couldn't be blocked, leaving the other player defenseless. Believing that it would be hard for anyone to figure it out or use it skillfully in competitive play, they chose not to fix this glitch. But players soon uncovered it, and this discovery gave birth to combos in video games.

Maxresdefault 1 — Street Fighter II: The World Warrior

Nowadays, combos are widely used across many game genres beyond fighting games, and mastering them is crucial for anyone aiming to play competitively.

5. Rocket Jumping

Quake

This trick, born from a bug, had its origins in ID software's fast-paced and demon-fighting classic, Doom. In Doom, explosives, like the iconic red barrels, could propel the player in a specific direction. Despite Doom having an array of explosives for players to use, the game didn't technically have a true Z axis, meaning everything occurred on a single level, despite clever visual design.

Around a year after Doom's release, both Marathon and Rise of the Triad introduced rocket jumping using explosions (both games debuted on the same day). However, the idea truly caught on with gamers when Quake came along. Since then, many top hero or team-based shooters, including Halo and TF2, have embraced the ability to blast the ground for a boost into the air.

6. Lara Croft's "Assets"

Tomb Raider

The recent Tomb Raider reboots have opted for a more realistic approach compared to the earlier, often fantastical games, particularly in portraying Lara herself rather than focusing on supernatural storylines. In the original games, Lara's famously exaggerated body proportions were actually a mistake by a programmer, corrected only in the 2013 installment.

The error occurred when a programmer accidentally set a 150% increase in Lara's character model's breast size instead of the intended 50%, and rather than fixing it, the decision was made to keep it that way. Whether this was an unintended error or a deliberate attempt to appeal to the predominantly male audience of the 1990s remains uncertain.

7. Bad AI Created Grand Theft Auto

GTA 1

Initially, Grand Theft Auto wasn't the game's original concept. When Rockstar Games was known as DMA Design, they were creating a game called Race'n'Chase centered on racing and pursuit. Yet, an unintended error in the police AI caused them to act excessively aggressive, running over pedestrians, causing car accidents, and doing whatever it took to catch the player.

This unintended fun led to a complete revamp, resulting in the first Grand Theft Auto. It shifted the focus to criminal activities, involving gangsters and police encounters. This transition also marked DMA Design's evolution into Rockstar North.

8. Team Fortress' Spies Were Inspired By A Color Glitch

Team Fortress

Several standout games have origins in mods, with Team Fortress ranking among the most renowned. This multiplayer first-person shooter began as a modification for Quake, and an unexpected error within it sparked the creation of one of its most beloved classes.

Within Team Fortress, players' names were displayed in specific colors to signify their team allegiance. However, an early glitch caused certain characters to be labeled with the wrong color, making them appear to belong to the opposing team. According to an interview with developer Robin Walker, they fixed this issue, yet it served as the inspiration for the creation of the Spy class. Spies were designed to visually impersonate enemy team members, enabling them to move stealthily and strike.