Follow the bunny-hopping path through PC gaming’s history

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Growing up, I plunged myself into the breakneck and keyboard-cracking world of twitch deathmatch shooters. My library consisted of games emblazoned with chest-thumping verbs and wicked synonyms of misfortune: Quake, Doom, Painkiller, Unreal Tournament, Counter-Strike, and so on. My right hand curled into the agile claw shape around my mouse, and my left hovered a callused thumb over the spacebar anticipating a swift swing into the almighty bunny-hop.

At some point, zipping through a map via speedy jumps transformed into an oddity over a display of skill. What happened? Some say it died completely. Others swear by alternative forms of the same mechanics such as Tribes: Ascend's skiing. The video below, crafted by the folks over at Gather Your Party, posits bunny-hopping should remain an integral component of PC gaming's identity — and judging by the community's often artful use of it, I'm inclined to agree.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1HowpVX-hU?rel=0]