Gallery: 10 Guinness Gaming Records You Didn't Know Existed
01longest-survival-on-6-star-wanted-level-in-gta-iv
Longest Survival on a 6-Star Wanted Level in Grand Theft Auto IV ---------------------------------------------------------------- __Winner:__ Henrik Lindholm __How he won:__ The Danish native survived for 16 minutes, 16 seconds at the Copenhagen eSport Challenge on April 13, 2009. He fought against cops, snipers and a massive helicopter gunship while achieving this feat. This may seem really impressive, but I'm willing to bet he couldn't do it in real life. *Image courtesy Rockstar Games*
02largest-collection-of-pokemon-stuff
Largest Collection of Pokémon Memorabilia ----------------------------------------- __Winner:__ Lisa Courtney __How she won:__ Courtney's horde of Pokémon treasure consists of a whopping 14,410 different collectibles, including objects from Europe, the United States and Japan. Not included: actual Pokémon. *Image courtesy Ana Fuji/Flickr*
03most-prolific-cooking-mama-record-breaker
Most Prolific Cooking Mama Record-Breaker ----------------------------------------- __Winner:__ William Willemstyn III __How he won:__ U.S. resident Willemstyn holds nine different records on the original DS version of Cooking Mama, including the titles for cracking eggs, peeling shrimp and stuffing cabbages. Eat your heart out, Bobby Flay.
04most-expensive-virtual-property
Most Expensive Virtual Property ------------------------------- __Winner:__ Crystal Palace Spec Station __How it won:__ This space station is part of [Entropia Universe](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entropia_Universe), a massive multiplayer online game that allows for currency transactions based on real money. U.S. player Erik Novak paid 3.3 million in-game dollars, the equivalent of $330,000, for the [Crystal Palace Spec Station](http://www.entropiadirectory.com/wiki/Crystal_Palace_Space_Station). $330,000. He spent $330,000 on a piece of digital real estate. Shoot me in the head.
05widest-variety-of-player-death-animations
Widest Variety of Player-Death Animations ----------------------------------------- __Winner:__ Resident Evil 4 __How it won:__ Capcom's horror-action game features 47 unique death animations for protagonist Leon Kennedy, including decapitation, drowning and stabbing. This includes one of my favorite scenes in any videogame — [shooting the lake](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMPuIowSBvY). *Image courtesy Capcom*
06most-f-bombs-in-a-videogame
Most "F" Words in a Videogame ----------------------------- __Winner:__ Mafia II __How it won:__ While 2K's mob-themed action-adventure game didn't snag any 2010 Game of the Year awards, it is the front-runner for Most Obscene Script. Mafia II can drop up to 397 F-bombs in an average 12-hour play-through. That's 33 per hour, or an average of one every two minutes. *Image courtesy 2K Games*
07first-facebook-game-to-cause-lawsuit
First Facebook Game to Cause a Lawsuit -------------------------------------- __Winner:__ Scrabulous __How it won:__ When at its peak back in 2007, Facebook Scrabble clone Scrabulous was drawing in $25,000 a month from its 2.4 million users. Since Scrabble owners Mattel and Hasbro weren't seeing any of this profit, they decided to [sue Scrabulous for copyright infringement](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/epicenter/2008/01/hasbro-matel-te/). Several months later, Scrabulous received a cease-and-desist order. (It's now known as [Lexulous](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lexulous).) *Image courtesy Dana Robinson/Flickr*
08most-lines-of-commentary-in-nfl-videogame
Most Lines of Commentary in an NFL Videogame -------------------------------------------- __Winner:__ Madden NFL 2011 __How it won:__ The most recent installment in the Madden series features more than 90,000 lines of commentary by Gus Johnson, Cris Collinsworth and other assorted voice actors. Unfortunately, EA Sports couldn't snag any [classic Rex Ryan soundbites](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbCEOD0xbmM). Since EA owns the exclusive NFL license for videogames, no one but EA will be able to break this record. *Image courtesy EA Sports*
09first-public-official-fired-over-farmville
First Public Official Fired for Playing FarmVille ------------------------------------------------- __Winner:__ Dimitar Kerin __How he won:__ By [playing FarmVille during government discussions](http://g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/703583/politician-fired-for-farmville.html). Kerin, who was part of the Plovdiv (Bulgaria) Municipal Committee, lost his job (and won this record) by "using council-owned laptops to 'milk virtual cows' during important meetings," according to Guinness. The committee immediately voted to give him the boot. *Screengrab courtesy Sabrina Dent/Flickr*
10first-game-to-have-officially-recognized-day
We've all seen near-perfect Mario speed runs and lofty Tetris high scores, but how many people can recount the first religious music game?^1^ Or name the gamer who's saved the most Lemmings?^2^ The recently released [*Guinness World Records 2011 Gamer's Edition*](http://gamers.guinnessworldrecords.com/) book is chock-full of notable achievements from the world of videogames. The records include high-speed play-throughs of popular games, Xbox Live Gamerscores and other feats, encompassing every genre imaginable. Plenty of the 2011 records are bizarre and hilarious. Some of them, though, are the sort of records you didn't even think would exist. Here are 10 of the book's most esoteric high-water marks. __Above:__ First Game to Have an Officially Recognized Day ----------------------------------------------- __Winner:__ Sid Meier's Civilization V __How it won:__ Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley declared Sept. 21, 2010, "[Sid Meier's Civilization V Day](http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/29661/Maryland_Declares_September_21_Civilization_V_Day.php)" to honor the game's release and celebrate the strength of the game-development industry in his state, which developer Firaxis calls home. I say we take it one step further and just call it "Sid Meier's Day." *Image courtesy 2K Games* ^1^Guitar Praise. ^2^ Martijn Cobussen (326).
OpenAI Creates a New Framework to Disclose Bad AI Behavior
The company also disclosed previously unreported incidents in which its AI models behaved in misaligned ways, including uploading files to the internet without being asked.
Maxwell Zeff
Washington Won’t Be Regulating AI Anytime Soon
Even with mounting concerns about AI models going rogue, legislation appears unlikely, and the White House is outright opposed to oversight.
Hugo Lowell
The WIRED Guide to Shopping Prime Big Deal Days
Before Amazon’s October sale begins, learn how to investigate prices and track products like a pro.
Louryn Strampe
The Top New Features Coming to MacOS 27 Golden Gate to Try Out Now
Siri’s reintroduction takes center stage as Apple officially rolls out the latest version of macOS to download and install.
Luke Larsen
I Trained a Fly’s Brain to Generate WIRED Story Ideas
I used an open-source map of a fruit fly’s brain to vibe code a website called PitchFly. Its headline suggestions were delightfully bananas.
Will Knight
The 8 Best Movies to Stream This Month
The Mandalorian and Grogu, The Wild Robot, and Obsession are among the must-watch films arriving this month.
Matt Kamen
Chipotle Is Working With Palantir to Track Food Safety Risks
The burrito chain has enlisted Palantir for a platform that monitors pest incidents, employee illnesses, and other factors. The partnership comes after a nightmare summer for food safety across the US.
Kate Taylor
The iPhone 18 Pro Is for the Shutterbugs
Fun camera features help make these candy bar iPhones stand out from the dazzle of the folding iPhone Duo.
Julian Chokkattu
Don’t Buy an Android Phone Until You Read Our Guide
Shopping for a phone can be an ordeal. That’s why we’ve tested almost every Android phone, from the smartest to the cheapest—even phones that fold—to find the ones worth your money.
Julian Chokkattu
Introducing the WIRED App
The app is the best way to read, watch, and listen to WIRED’s journalism.
WIRED Staff
Hackers Got Inside a Flock Camera. Its Data Shows How the System Really Works
A hacker collective pulled down a Flock camera and dumped its data. The files included thousands of videos and logs showing that the device captured 1.6 million images of 50,000 vehicles in 21 days.
Dhruv Mehrotra
The EU Plans to Ban Social Media for Under-13s
The bloc wants to curb Big Tech’s grip on children with its new EU Kids Act, but age checks, parental oversight, and privacy concerns could make its plan difficult to implement.
Isabella Ward