10 More Video Games That Rewarded You For Being An Idiot
When the stupid way is the right way.
Most video games are designed around the concept of rewarding players for their skills, be it gunning down a fleet of aliens or figuring out a tricky puzzle.
Though adaptive difficulty is commonplace nowadays, you're typically able to progress through a game by demonstrating your aptitude for its central gameplay loop.
But not all games are created equal, and some dare to cushion foolhardy behaviour to the extent of literally throwing you a shiny reward for your stupid, perhaps even suicidal, actions.
For players who accidentally did the wrong thing or allowed their morbid curiosity to get the better of them, these games had a surprise in store. Doing what conventional gamer wisdom told you not to do actually revealed a shockingly positive outcome.
As in our previous article on the subject, a seemingly idiotic mistake can often lead to a strangely fortuitous outcome, just as is true of real life.
These 10 video games embraced that spirit proudly by sticking two fingers up to the winds of fate and allowing major benefits to emerge from the most asinine of actions...
10. Letting Yourself Be Swallowed By Quicksand - Super Mario Odyssey
Quicksand in video games or really any entertainment media generally only means one thing - a quick and horrible drowning death.
The Mario franchise is certainly no different, as jumping onto quicksand and standing in the same spot for long will most often result in your speedy demise.
But Super Mario Odyssey is no regular Mario game, and actually rewards players who allow themselves to be consumed by the quicksand in the Sand Kingdom.
Near the Tostarena Ruins Sand Pillar checkpoint, players can find a section of the wall with a small gap between the brickwork and the flowing quicksand.
Allow yourself to be "drowned" by the quicksand here and you'll be able to emerge safely in a secret room on the other side.
For your near-suicidal efforts you'll find a Power Moon waiting for you in the room's sand-free confines, as well as a warp pipe to safely spit you back out onto the sands.