The greatest resource for classic gaming info you won't find in the manual! |
SYSTEMS |
NOTES |
Although
Atari VCS programmer Warren Robinett is often regarded as the first person
to hide their initials/name in a video game with the ability to trigger
their appearance on the screen, we know of at least 3 programmers
to do so before Warren. Atari coin-op programmer Owen Rubin included
his initials (and those of other people) in two 1978 games - Orbit
and Skydiver (the method to trigger them, if possible, is still
unknown). Fairchild Channel F programmers Brad Reid-Selth and
Michael Glass put them in their games as well (Brad with 1978's
Video Whizball and Michael with the original 1976 demo cart -
which although it isn't a game, is the earliest egg on a video game system).
It's unknown where Michael got the idea (he may have included them in his other games as well), but Brad mentions getting the idea to include them after learning Atari programmers were putting them in their games. Owen doesn't recall anyone else doing it, but that "it was something most hackers did". Warren states he was inspired by artists putting their names in their paintings. Steve Wright (from Atari) is credited with coining the term Easter eggs (in regards to hidden surprises in video games) in a quote from an article in the 1st issue (Winter 1981) of Electronic Games magazine. Russ Perry Jr. and his brother, David Perry, coined the term "frying" in regards to the technique of using the power switch on a VCS to (temporarily) alter a game's code. This article in Electronic Fun & Games magazine may have been the first mention of how to use this trick. Some of the VCS/2600 tricks require a disassembled joystick in order to activate 2 or more directions at the same time (for LEFT+RIGHT combinations, the paddle FIRE buttons can be used). It's not our intention to take credit away from those people who have discovered some of these eggs/tricks/bugs, etc. - however, credit is only given to the earliest-known published account. The list is merely a compilation of all the presently-known facts. Future revisions will include proper credit as it becomes known. If you know of any tricks, glitches, or hidden messages not listed here, or feel any of the info here is incorrect, contact the creator of this section, Scott Stilphen. Thanks!
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Apple II-II Plus-IIe-IIc computers | |
Arcade coin-op | |
Astrocade | |
Atari Video Computer System/2600 | |
Atari 400-800-XL-XE-XEGS computers | |
Atari 5200 Super System | |
Atari 7800 Pro System | |
Channel F | |
Colecovision-ADAM | |
Commodore 64-128-Plus/4 computers | |
Dreamcast | |
DVD games | |
electronic handhelds | |
Emerson Arcadia 2001 | |
Game Boy | |
Game Boy Color | |
Genesis-32X | |
Intellivision | |
Interton VC-4000 | |
Jaguar | |
Lynx | |
Nintendo NES | |
Odyssey 2 / Videopac | |
PC | |
Playstation | |
Sega CD | |
Sega Master System | |
Nintendo SNES | |
TI-99/4a | |
Turbografx-16 | |
Turbo Duo | |
TV Plug-N-Play | |
Vectrex Arcade System | |
VIC-20 |
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