The 8 Strangest Video Game Myths

Anything popular enough eventually gives way to some pretty weird myths. We have myths about film, about television… and more video game myths than you can shake a cheat code at.

Some of these “myths” are just products of wishful thinking (like players hoping they can save Aeris in Final Fantasy VII). Others are weird fan theories that developers make come true in the sequel (hello, cow level of Diablo 2).

However, some myths are just downright weird. Here are the eight strangest myths surrounding your favorite games and consoles.

1. Herobrine

Where do video game myths come from? Many of them originate in weird “creepy pasta” style stories online. That is the case with Herobrine, the alleged ghostly monster of Minecraft.

It all started with online forum posts by someone claiming they had seen a spooky figure in their game. This alleged figure looked like Steve but had no eyes. The character would run into a mysterious fog when this player walked towards him, and the player later swore he found structures made by the secret sprite.

Minecraft creator Notch didn’t exactly help. At first, he denied that this creature (dubbed “Herobrine”) had ever been a part of Minecraft. But the patch notes for a later update mentioned “-removed Herobrine,” which some players take as a joke and others take as a confirmation.

2. Bigfoot in GTA: San Andreas

The Grand Theft Auto series took increasing pride in making realistic recreations of cities like Miami and, later, San Andreas. It shouldn’t be surprising that by recreating parts of our world, they brought in some of our most persistent cultural myths.

Take Bigfoot for example. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas has some pretty remote areas, and many players have sworn that they could see Bigfoot on the grounds or in the trees. As in real life, though, no one could capture photographic proof (such as a screenshot) of his existence.

Throw in some early community modding efforts to add the creature in and you get the most persistent GTA rumor ever created.