It’s likely you’ve seen one of Ahoy’s videos before — he has a tendency to explain the history of weapons using video games, though he’s also delved into less firearm-related concepts, too. This time around it’s the humble minigun on show. Did I just use “humble” and “minigun” in the same sentence?
Despite how “right” the words “gatling gun” sound, it is actually named after someone — Richard Jordan Gatling. Something I didn’t realise is that miniguns require an external power supply and in addition to their weight (about 40kg according to the video), there’s also the little problem of ammunition.
Which, with the ability to fire 100 rounds a second, miniguns love to eat.
What I find interesting is how games balance what players assume are “strong” weapons by tossing on a bunch of disadvantages. Miniguns reduce movement, or make jumping impossible. Overheating is a common trait, as is a spin-up delay.
Games, over time, have sculpted our impression of these formidable weapons; you might be surprised how much their in-game recreations differ from the real thing.
Minigun [YouTube, via The Awesomer]
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