15 Video Game Firsts We Take For Granted
3. Red Barrels Explode
What do you think would happen if you shot a bright red barrel in real life? Well, obviously, it'd explode, right?
Wrong! Red barrels exploding in video games is a complete myth. They've even tested it on Mythbusters, and the only way they got it to work is with highly flammable gas and using specialist incendiary rounds.
When you're playing a game though, if you see a bright red barrel, cylinder or anything else, we've been conditioned to expect it to blow up. They're ideal for causing havoc amongst enemies, and - well - it's just fun, isn't it?
Where did this well known trope come from though? The obvious answer is the original DOOM (1993) which even had a level devoted to blowing up barrels (they knew how fun it was). They weren't red in DOOM, but they were flaming so you got the message.
However, there is a disputed answer here. Lamers (1992) was a parody version of Lemmings, where you're tasked with killing all the Lamers, rather than saving them. In this game, you can shoot the Lamers, but it also features - you guessed it - red, exploding barrels.
So technically, the real invention is tied to Lamers. But the way it was popularised? That was through DOOM.