10 Video Game Cheats Everyone Used
3. The Konami Code
There's no single cheat code more pervasive or mythic than The Konami Code, a cheat which first appeared in a number of Konami titles and has since become a popular code in its own right outside of Konami.
The code was first used in 1986's hit shooter Gradius to grant players a full set of power-ups, though is perhaps most fondly remembered for giving players 30 lives in the ultra-challenging arcade shooter Contra.
Hilariously, the code was actually supposed to be removed from Gradius before it entered mass production, but fearing that removing it so late in the day would risk inviting cataclysmic bugs and glitches, the decision was made to keep it in the game. And so, a phenom was born.
The code's widespread success probably lies in how easy it is to remember: "Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A (and sometimes Start)." It slips right off the tongue, if nothing else.
In the 35 years since its inception, the Konami Code has been used for major cheats and quick gags alike as well as cutesy Easter eggs, and as such has become a cornerstone of gaming culture in its own right.