While playing Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, we learned a neat little fact about cards. Apparently, a deck of cards represents a calendar year -- there are four suits because there are four seasons in a year, and there are fifty-two cards because there are fifty-two weeks.Also, if you assign each card a numeric value from one to thirteen (with an ace equaling one, a king equaling thirteen), they will add up to 364. That's why there are two jokers: One makes the year complete, since a year has 365 days, and the other is there because there's an extra day during leap years.
Are there any cool little facts you've learned from games that you've played? Maybe even something less trivial than the card fact above? Share them with us. This way, you'll have some ammo when people scold you about not learning anything from video games.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
3-16-2008 @ 10:53AM
Hame said...
Once, in a geography class (do you call it geography in the States or is it just a UK thing?) when I was about 10, we were talking about towns and cities and the like and the teacher asked the class:
"What's bigger than a city?"
Now one of my favourite games at the time was Sim City on the SNES. So I knew the answer "a metropolis?" I said.
"Correct! Ok then, what's bigger than a metropolis?"
"errrr.....(thinks of instruction manual)....a megalopolis?...."
"Jesus Christ, this kid's a genius!"
"Well, what can I say?"
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3-16-2008 @ 11:47AM
Nigeria: Cody ChesnuTT Defense Force said...
In Professor Layton I learnt that the two sides of a regular single-dice always equal 7. Always.
My mind was blown.
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3-16-2008 @ 12:01PM
Chris said...
I learned that leaves are viable parachuting technology from Wind Waker.
But seriously, I have stories like this. I know I do. I just can't think of any specifically right now.
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3-16-2008 @ 12:08PM
Jay Walker said...
Turns out that this isn't true.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Playing_cards#Symbolism
According to wikipedia anyway. I'd trust wikipedia with my life though.
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3-16-2008 @ 12:33PM
Chris said...
Symbolism
Playing cards have been used as vehicles for political statements. Here, a playing card of the French Revolution symbolising freedom of cult and brotherhood.Popular legend holds that the composition of a deck of cards has religious, metaphysical, or astronomical significance: typical numerological elements of the explanation are that the four suits represent the four seasons, the 13 cards per suit are the 13 phases of the lunar cycle, black and red are for day and night, the 52 cards of the deck (joker excluded) symbolizes the number of weeks in a year, and finally, if the value of each card is added up — and 1 is added, which is generally explained away as being for a single joker — the result is 365, the number of days in a...
You're saying Wikipedia says it's NOT true?
3-16-2008 @ 10:59PM
Max Headroom said...
@Chris: You should finish that quote:
"The context for these stories is sometimes given to suggest that the interpretation is a joke, generally being the purported explanation given by someone caught with a deck of cards in order to suggest that their intended purpose was not gambling (Urban Legends Reference Pages article). The first known publication of this type was "The Mystic Test Book, or the Magic of the Cards" by Olney H. Richmond in 1893, Chicago."
The explanation is folklore or a joke, not the reason cards are the way they are. Scattered throughout the rest of that article is the historical explanation for how the modern deck of cards came to be.
3-16-2008 @ 12:21PM
Croove55 said...
Also, spades stand for war and military, hearts stand for the church, diamonds stand for the market, and clubs stand for agriculture and farming. All of the important aspects of medieval life. That's the way I learned it at least.
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3-16-2008 @ 12:46PM
Jay Walker said...
"The context for these stories is sometimes given to suggest that the interpretation is a joke, generally being the purported explanation given by someone caught with a deck of cards in order to suggest that their intended purpose was not gambling "
That is right after the quote that Chris posted.
3-16-2008 @ 12:54PM
Archibold said...
I remember learning a lot from the NES when I was little. While I don't remember what all I learned from which games, there is one that sticks out in my mind, I do remember learning the infity symbol (∞) as well as what it meant from RoboCop on the NES. I was so proud when i was the only young'un to know anything about it in math class.
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3-16-2008 @ 1:03PM
Jhongerkong said...
Brain age helpd make a de me too much teh smarturrrrz.
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3-16-2008 @ 1:09PM
C02M0 said...
i learnt thet eating people will make you copy there ability !
i learnt you can put animals in little balls.
i learnt thet u can lunch yourself in a cannon and land un-harmed .
i learnt thet in order to see an invisble monster you need to buff or heal it .
i have a huge list.
im just so smart .
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3-16-2008 @ 1:26PM
Matdredalia said...
I use Animal Crossing to learn about Dinosaurs & Bugs *blushes*. I was even discussing it yesterday with my family, how big of a geek I am that it's one of the best parts of AC:WW for me.
I've learned a lot of things from games, but frankly, I'm too tired to remember them all at the moment.
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3-16-2008 @ 3:21PM
Dio said...
In this one version of dodgeball where even balls on the ground or balls thrown at you by teammates(whether intentionally or accidentally) will bench you, I've learned that you must be aware of your surroundings at all times. I'm sure there are other lessons to be learned from other sports :D
As for games, there are many tricks that you learn without realizing it. You just do them subconsciously.
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3-16-2008 @ 4:04PM
dustin said...
The Civilization games taught me a lot when I was younger.. like what irrigation was.. and fortifications.. and the different forms of government, and the wonders of the world... etc.
I learned a lot from Civilization.
Also when I first got Sim City (the really really old one), on the box I remember it saying something about Commercial zones, and I was like "commercial? like.. tv commercials?". Now I know what that means.
Video games really do teach you a lot
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3-17-2008 @ 9:51PM
Jay Walker said...
I agree with this but the game also confused me because I thought that fundamentalism was a religion, and many of the ways the units advanced made me think they were a lot more related then they were.
3-16-2008 @ 7:09PM
yanya said...
It wasn't exactly taught by the game, but the game inspired me to learn about it...
"King Midas has donkey's ears" - Mackenzie , Touch Detective
... anyway, that's what got me to look up the story of King Midas. I knew about his turning things into gold by touching them, but the donkey ears part was new to me.
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3-16-2008 @ 7:56PM
Kaiser Tia said...
I learned what a theodolite was from the first Broken Sword - I laughed when George just put it in his pocket and it stuck in my mind.
I have also discovered the joys of muscle memory from Guitar Hero, it's a real kick when you see a bunch of notes coming up and you just play them without really thinking...
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3-17-2008 @ 11:14AM
iruka said...
yeah i have to agree with that guitar hero thing... the muscle memory helped me in a lot of the faster parts. sometimes i'm even surprised at myself that i did something that fast without even thinking about it.
3-16-2008 @ 11:52PM
Hesukristo said...
I learned that lingering in irradiated areas slow cooks a person and that you should never drink water that glows in the dark.
God bless you Fallout. How would we have survived without you. :D
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3-17-2008 @ 8:25AM
KamenRiderTakoyaki said...
I learned the various different names for armaments by playing RPGs. It helps when reading the ancient texts translated by bloated old historians.
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