If you read any history of video games, it will tell you that the first easter egg in history (you know, those surprises hidden in the code that you have to specifically search for or find by pure chance) is in the game Adventure. It’s no wonder: in 1980, the industry did not look like an art form. And if it’s not an art, no one cared who programmed it, beyond a few fans who read about it in the very amateur computer magazines of that time. But Warren Robinett wanted to change everything and leave his name in posterity. And boy, did he do it.
Send eggs (Easter)
Adventure was a game that, seen now, is terribly simple: your character was represented by a square that, going through 30 different rooms, faced monsters in its quest to recover a stolen chalice. However, it sold over a million cartridges, is considered one of the most influential games in history, and solidified the success of the Atari 2600. That said, by the time it was released, Robinett was already out of the company: after all, behind this leonine method that prioritized anonymity, the goal was to prevent any other company from hiring its workers.
As you may know, Robinett managed to create a room where you could read “Created by Warren Robinett”. Many consider this to be the first easter egg in video game history, but the truth is that it only has the fame of being so: the record belongs to a game seven years earlier, an adventure that aimed to replicate man’s landing on the moon called Moonlander, the graphical version of the text adventure Lunar Lander, back in 1973.
Jack Burness, its creator, took ten days to set up the game, which was operated with a “light pen” (a computing concept from the 70s incredibly similar to our touch screens) where you could adjust the angle and drop of the lunar module, which could land well on the moon, go off course and fly through the stratosphere, or crash against the surface. Or maybe… was there something more? If the player flew their ship sufficiently horizontally, they could encounter a McDonald’s up close, which the restaurant could visit after landing or even destroy if it landed on top. I’m loving it, I guess.
Astronaut Burger
Over time, this lunar McDonald’s has become a landmark in video games, and some have wanted to pay tribute to it years later. When Djuncan and Jeremy Frieser, two Dutch streamers, showcased in their videos two secret codes that formed the number “1973”, the first 12 people who entered it on a special website created by the fast food company were able to meet them at TwitchCon. But there was more.
Using the first easter egg in history as an excuse, an advertising company launched a campaign across the country where hidden treasures could be found in the McDonald’s app… And the kids could play a game from many years before they were born. And the truth is, nowadays, “easter eggs” are something we not only take for granted but also expect to see in our video games. After all, what is the Konami Code if not an easter egg? And trying to hit something that sounds weird in a Zelda game multiple times to see what happens? The downside is knowing that Link is never going to go grab a Big Mac after his adventures. Well, at least until Nintendo has a need.
