Editing Power-up (section)

{{Short description|Video game element}}
{{About|a video game design element|other uses|Power up (disambiguation)}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{More citations needed|date=October 2009}}
{{Original research|date=May 2016}}
{{Overly detailed|date=May 2016}}
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In [[video game]]s, a '''power-up''' is an object that adds temporary benefits or extra abilities to the [[player character]] as a [[Game mechanics|game mechanic]].<ref>{{cite magazine|title=The Next Generation 1996 Lexicon A to Z: Power-up|magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|issue=15 |publisher=[[Imagine Media]]|date=March 1996|page=39}}</ref> This is in contrast to an [[Item (game)|item]], which may or may not have a permanent benefit that can be used at any time chosen by the player. Although often collected directly through touch, power-ups can sometimes only be gained by collecting several related items, such as the floating letters of the word 'EXTEND' in ''[[Bubble Bobble]]''. Well known examples of power-ups that have entered [[popular culture]] include the power capsules from ''[[Pac-Man]]''<ref name=philips>{{cite court |litigants=Atari, Inc. v. North American Philips Consumer Electronics Corp. |court=[[United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit]] |date=1982-01-19 |url=https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/672/607/331150/ }}</ref> (regarded as the first power-up)<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web |url=http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3151392 |title=Playing With Power: Great Ideas That Have Changed Gaming Forever from |website=1UP.com |access-date=2016-05-24 |archive-date=2006-06-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060617050834/http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3151392 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and the Super Mushroom from ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'', which ranked first in [[UGO Networks]]' ''Top 11 Video Game Powerups''.<ref name="SuperMushroom">{{cite web|url=http://www.ugo.com:80/a/top11-videogame-powerups/?cur=supermushroom |title=Super Mario Bros. Super Mushroom- The Top 11 Video Game Powerups &#124; UGO.com |date=2008-10-28 |access-date=2016-05-28 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081028230817/http://www.ugo.com/a/top11-videogame-powerups/?cur=supermushroom |archive-date=October 28, 2008}}</ref>

Items that confer power-ups are usually pre-placed in the game world, spawned randomly, dropped by beaten enemies or picked up from opened or smashed containers. They can be differentiated from items in other games, such as [[role-playing video game]]s, by the fact that they take effect immediately, feature designs that do not necessarily fit into the game world (often used letters or symbols emblazoned on a design), and are found in specific genres of games. Power-ups are mostly found in action-oriented games such as [[List of maze video games|maze games]], [[run and gun (video game)|run and gun]]s, [[shoot 'em up]]s, [[first-person shooter]]s, and [[platform game]]s.