It is Easter, and we all have different things that this season means to us. Some of us see it as a time to reflect on how Christ died for mankind. Others just see it as a long weekend where they can rest and have fun.
But in tech, the Easter Egg tradition is something different. It is a hidden video game feature or surprise. They are usually unlocked by using some specific techniques to complete in-game tasks. It can also mean entering specific button combinations or acquiring access to secret games or game file areas.
Game developers sometimes add Easter eggs in games with the consent of the game producers. Otherwise, the game producers may recall unauthorised Easter eggs.
Easter eggs are, however, mostly harmless and enhance the gaming experience for players. A very common egg is one that lets gamers play as hidden characters.
One can date the history of this tradition in tech back to the last Russian imperial family. They gifted people with jewel-encrusted eggs that contained additional surprises. Now, you can find the secret Easter eggs in games.
An Atari Adventure
The first Easter egg was allegedly found in a game released in 1978. It was Atari’s “Adventure” video game. It was developed by Warren Robinett for Atari 2600. Players who successfully performed an action in one of the games could gain access to a secret room that had a simple message by the developer: “Created by Warren Robinett.”
Apple Macintosh
Apple Macintosh in its previous versions also had an image of the computer’s development team hidden in the ROM. But when it introduced the Apple Macintosh SE, users just needed to hit the debug button and type ‘G 41D89A’ to reveal the masterpiece.
Konami Code
Konami Code was also a cheat code designed by Kazuhisa Hashimoto, he found the 1985 arcade too difficult to play while testing. So, he included a small bit of code that gave him a full set of power-ups when he entered a sequence. The code was later associated with the Contra game. Now, many programs and countless websites use it.
Google Mapquest
Google also hid Easter eggs on its page. One of it was discovered after Google Maps was introduced. It planned usable routes for long distance trips, like Lagos to London, and blew Mapquest out of the water with a fantastic interface on the site. It will then ask you to swim across the Atlantic when you run out of drivable roads. Sometimes Google still has some Easter egg surprises like causing snow to fall on search results or using Konami Code in Google Docs.
Tesla Electric SUV
Tesla came up with one a few months ago where the put a black and white teaser image of their upcoming Model X electric SUV on twitter. People who dragged the image to Photoshop for deeper analysis discovered a hidden message. It read: “Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.”
