Our favourite digital Easter eggs

If you’re a techie (and reading this blog), you’ll know that an Easter egg isn’t just a foil-wrapped parcel of chocolatey goodness to be scoffed by the dozen over the long weekend in April. Easter egg is the name given to a hidden message, joke or story in a computer program, game, movie or book.  The name comes from  a 1979 video game called Adventure, which contained the first video game Easter egg that could be discovered by players.

Here are some of our favourite digital Easter eggs.

Keep an eye out – we might be adding some of our own Easter eggs just in time for the Easter weekend!

May the force be with you

On YouTube type in “use the force, Luke” and see the page suddenly become fluid, with all the blocks and sidebar moving around. Use your mouse to move the screen around.

Adventure

Check out the world’s original video game Easter egg in  Adventure: move a dot down a corridor and your character enters a room to see the words “Created by Warren Robinett” (the developer’s secret way of adding in his by line).

Missile Control

While you’re watching any video on YouTube, type in 1980 (not into the comment section or the search bar, just on the page) and a Missile Control game will pop up above the video. The aim is to prevent the video from destruction; if you aren’t a sharp enough shooter, missiles hit the video screen, causing it to crack and shatter.

Tilt

Search for  “tilt” on Google and you’re rewarded with a tilted screen which looks like your view in the mirror after one too many after-work drinks on a Friday.

Do the Harlem Shake

Everyone’s favourite Internet meme dance of 2013 has not been forgotten by YouTube. In the YouTube search for “Do the Harlem Shake” and not only does the song start playing immediately, but the YouTube logo in the top righthand corner starts doing its own Harlem Shake bounce.