Fun Friday: Hidden Games

[davidn#]

Easter Egg

Emacs, a highly customizable and extensible text editor that has been around since the 1970s. It is known for its powerful features and flexibility, making it a favorite among programmers, writers, and other users who spend a significant amount of time working with text. Did you know it also contains a hidden Easter Egg? With Emacs installed, drop to a Terminal session and enter:


emacs -batch -l dunnet



Dunnet is a text adventure written by Ron Schnell in 1982, and hidden in Emacs since 1994.

Firefox Dino

Mozilla Firefox, the popular web browser, has a hidden game called "Firefox Dino." It's similar to the well-known offline game "Chrome Dinosaur" that you find in Google Chrome when your internet connection is offline.  Here's how you can access the hidden Firefox Dino game:

1. Turn Off Your Internet Connection: You'll need to disconnect from the internet to trigger the game. You can either unplug your network cable or turn off your Wi-Fi.
2. Open a New Tab: After disconnecting from the internet, open a new tab in Firefox.
3. Attempt to Load a Web Page: In the address bar, type in a website URL and press Enter, even though you're disconnected from the internet. Firefox will try to load the page but will display a message saying you're offline.
4. Press the Spacebar: Once you see the offline message, press the spacebar on your keyboard. This action will start the game.
5. Play the Game: In the game, you control a cute little dinosaur that runs across a desert landscape. Press the spacebar to make the dinosaur jump over cacti obstacles. Your goal is to survive as long as possible and achieve a high score.

It's a simple but addictive game that provides a fun way to pass the time while waiting for your internet connection to be restored. Enjoy playing Firefox Dino!

T-Rex Runner

Follow similar steps above in Google Chrome will start the T-Rex Runner game. Have fun playing!

[davidn#]

Sorry friend. I only played the games a few times during the network outage at home so I don't have any tips to give you.

[davidn# · Accepted solution]

There's more:

• Mozilla Firefox's "about:robots": In Mozilla Firefox, you can enter "about:robots" in the address bar to see a fun message and illustrations about robots.
• Microsoft Word's Pinball Game:  In older versions of Microsoft Word (e.g., Word 97), you could access a pinball game by opening a new document, typing "Blue" without quotes, and then changing the font color to blue. This would create a small pinball game in the document.
• Microsoft Excel 97 Flight Simulator: In Microsoft Excel 97, there is a hidden flight simulator game. To access it, you need to open a new worksheet, press F5, type "X97:L97" and then press Enter. The game allows you to control a small aircraft and fly around a landscape.

Remember that the availability of hidden games may vary depending on the software version and platform. Some of these Easter eggs have been removed or altered in newer versions of the software, so they might not work in the latest releases. Developers sometimes add these hidden games as a playful surprise for users, so it can be fun to explore and see what you can find in your favorite software applications.

[Christian1225]

I will play them..

[marcosgomez134441]

Haha, this is great! I had no idea Emacs had a hidden text adventure. Just gave emacs -batch -l dunnet a try and suddenly I’m back in the 80s typing my way through an old-school game. Pretty cool that it’s been hiding there all these years.

I’m guilty of spending way too much time on the Chrome T-Rex game whenever my Wi-Fi flakes out, but I didn’t even know Firefox had its own dino. Definitely going to “test” that next time the internet goes down (or maybe I’ll just pull the plug for science).

Makes me wonder what other apps have little hidden gems like this. Anyone found any others?

[brooksadam]

There are some fun hidden Easter egg games you can try: Emacs Dunnet – Open Terminal and run emacs -batch -l dunnet to play a classic 1982 text adventure. Firefox Dino – Disconnect internet in Firefox, open any page → see the offline screen → press Spacebar to start the Dino jumping game. Chrome T-Rex Runner – Same as above in Google Chrome; offline mode → press Spacebar to play. 

Quick tip: These are lightweight, offline-friendly games perfect for passing time when you’re disconnected or want a hidden Easter egg experience.