Without Hedy Lamarr, we're nothing

On Aug. 11, 1942, Hollywood star Hedy Lamarr and composer George Antheil got a patent for technology that led to the invention of wireless phones and wi-fi internet.

If you've played Knee Deep, the indie swamp noir adventure, you're aware of the critical role played by smartphones and wi-fi in the game's narrative.

All three of the main characters - blogger Romana Teague, print reporter Jack Bellet, and private detective K.C. Gaddis - use smartphones throughout the game to make posts, submit reports, and talk with friends and relatives.

So, we owe a debt of gratitude to the creative genius behind the frequency-hopping spread spectrum communication system.

Knee Deep's not alone in that debt, of course. As Katherine Cross notes in Gamasutra, other games like Syberia, The Secret World, and Device 6 make use of such devices.