The History of Rocket Jumping

  / htwogamedesign  

Rocket Jumping looks pretty majestic doesn't it?

But where did it come from? Who came up with the bright idea that shooting a rocket launcher at your feet would allow you to jump really really high in a videogame?

Well, rocket jumping is an example of what we call "Emergent Gameplay". Essentially, multiple small game mechanics interact with each other in a way that makes a more complicated mechanic emerge. In Rocket jumping's case, it's quite easy to explain. Rockets deal damage and have high knockback, but they don't kill you in one hit.

Shooting rockets at enemies makes them experience that knockback, but shooting the rocket at yourself at the peak of your jump will also make you experience that knockback, giving you a vertical boost.

But where did it start? And where has it ended up today?