History's First Easter

History’s first Easter egg Rodrigo B. Salvador Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Email: [email protected] Any gamer worth of his/her salt is well published were very influential, but changes in acquainted with the term “Easter egg”. It the company during the late 1970’s led to some designates any sort of secret message or critical changes. Anonymity was to become the feature (or even inside jokes) hidden in a video norm at Atari: programmers would not be game or any other kind of software. The name credited in their creations anymore, for fear is obviously based on the egg hunt game that that rival companies would identify and many children enjoy during Easter. “target” them, luring them away with higher Nowadays, Easter eggs are everywhere, salaries (and maybe a nicer working having spread from games and computer environment). software to comics, TV shows, and movies. One of Atari’s game developers, Joseph Some would even argue that they have gone Warren Robinett Jr. (born 1951), was then too far and that we have reached a point where working on a game called Adventure (released Marvel’s films have so many Easter eggs that in 1979–1980). When Robinett heard that they risk overtaking the main plot. Regardless, programmers would not be credited, he Easter eggs are something fun, that help to decided to credit himself in the game. He did so bring more color to any work, and are an by hiding the message “Created by Warren important part of present pop culture; for Robinett” inside a secret room in the game. Or, instance, they are the very backbone of the in Robinett’s own words: novel Ready Player One. Thus, I would like to explore here the very first Easter egg in History. “Atari would not give public credit to game But first, let us see when the term was first designers. This was right after Atari had been applied. acquired by Warner Communications. It was a power play to keep the game designers from getting recognition and therefore more ADVENTURE bargaining power. So I created a secret room The early history of video games is a little that was really hard to find, and hid my more dystopian than most would expect. Atari signature in it. I didn’t tell anybody (this was Inc. was one of the major names in the industry a hard secret to keep to myself) and let Atari back in the 1970’s. The games it developed and Journal of Geek Studies 4(2): 63–68. 2017. 63 Salvador, R.B. manufacture a few hundred thousand Steve Wright, Atari’s director of software cartridges and ship them around the world.” development, had a moment of brilliant insight ― Robinett (in Conelly, 2003). and pushed for the company to keep the message in the game. By his rationale, this hard-to-find secret would give players an extra reason to play the game, because it would be fun like Easter egg hunts. And just like that, the name “Easter egg” entered gaming culture: Atari decided to include Easter eggs in all their games and, by now, they have become a staple of the industry. Screenshot of Robinett’s Easter egg in Adventure. Image retrieved from Wikimedia Commons. Cover of Adventure for the Atari 2600. Image retrieved THE FIRST EASTER EGG from MobyGames (http://www.mobygames.com/). Despite Robinett’s message being the one that gave rise to the name “Easter egg”, it was Robinett’s secret room was indeed not easy not actually the first one we know of. The very to find: the player had to collect an invisible first Easter egg in gaming history was only very item in the castle (a 1-pixel object now known recently discovered: the message “Hi, Ron!” in as “the Grey Dot”) and use it to open a secret the arcade game Starship 1 (Atari, 1977), chamber deep in the catacombs. There, the programmed by Ron Milner. player would find Robinett’s message, written However, given that many arcade games in flashing text. were released prior to Starship 1, it is very likely After the game was released, Robinett kept that even older Easter eggs might be found in his secret, but eventually an American teenager the future. But they will not be as old as the found the message and contacted Atari. The very first Easter egg recorded in human History. company at first thought of removing it, but For this, we need to travel some millennia back this would be absurdly expensive. However, in time. Journal of Geek Studies 4(2): 63–68. 2017. 64 The first Easter egg decided to credit himself. His name was Senenmut. Flyer of Starship 1. Image retrieved from The Arcade Flyer Archive (http://flyers.arcade-museum.com). UNCREDITED ARTISTS Art in Ancient Egypt typically served Statue of Senenmut (18th Dynasty, ca. 1470 BCE), held in religious or state purposes and very often, both the Staatliches Museum Ägyptischer Kunst (Munich, Germany). Photo by Vassil (2006); image retrieved from of these realms were linked. Egyptian art was Wikimedia Commons. thus more functional than anything else and several artists were involved in the production ROYAL ARCHITECT of any single piece of art: from draftsmen and Senenmut was born a commoner, but in a carvers to illustrators, painters, and scribes. literate family, which would put him in the Like in Atari, these ancient artists worked in upper 5% of the population. He entered the anonymity, never being credited. This was, service of Queen Hatshepsut, of the 18th however, the norm, and was not seen as an Dynasty, most likely when she was still the wife affront to an artist’s creativity and personal of Pharaoh Thutmose II. After the king’s death, work (as it was during the early days of video Hatshepsut became regent while Thutmose III games). Even so, one1 of these ancient artists Pyramid” of Saqqara (2667–2648 BCE). Later, Imhotep 1 The only other artist credited in Ancient Egypt is was remembered as a great sage. Many centuries later, Imhotep, vizier of Pharaoh Djoser (3rd Dynasty). Imhotep during the Late Period, he was worshipped as an actual was responsible for building the first pyramid, the “Step deity, the patron of Medicine. Journal of Geek Studies 4(2): 63–68. 2017. 65 Salvador, R.B. was still too young to rule the country. She investigation) to imply he was Hatshepsut’s then became de facto Pharaoh (even after lover. Thutmose III reached adulthood) and ruled As an architect, Senenmut’s most Egypt from circa 1478 to 1458 BCE. remarkable project was Hatshepsut’s mortuary Senenmut obviously gained importance temple at Deir el-Bahari (in ancient Thebes, during this time: he was the steward of modern Luxor), on the West bank of the Nile Hatshepsut and the tutor of her daughter close to the Valley of the Kings. The temple, Neferure, a highly-regarded position. He also known as “Djeser-Djeseru” (“Holy of worked as administrator of Hatshepsut’s Holies”), is one of Ancient Egypt’s most building projects and was also an astronomer beautiful buildings, designed in several and architect. Eventually, Senenmut would hold different levels linked by ascending ramps, more than 80 titles, which included “Only located against the cliff’s face. It would have friend of the Pharaoh”. The obvious important been even more awe-inspiring back in position of Senenmut and this seeming Hatshepsut’s day, where a sphinx-lined favoritism led some archeologists (based more causeway led visitors from the valley to its on hopeful gossip than actual scientific grandiose entrance, marked by large pylons. Mortuary temple of Hatshepsut. Photo by W. Hagens (2010); image retrieved from Wikimedia Commons. Journal of Geek Studies 4(2): 63–68. 2017. 66 The first Easter egg The curious thing is that, going against the REFERENCES practice of all prior (and later) Egyptian artists Baker, C. (2015) How one man invented the console and craftsmen, Senenmut decided to sign his adventure game. Wired. Available from: magnum opus. He hid his signature behind one https://www.wired.com/2015/03/warren-robin of the temple’s main doors: his name and an ett-adventure/ (Date of access: 13/Nov/2017). Bogost, I. & Montfort, N. (2009) Racing the Beam: image of himself. The Atari Video Computer System. MIT Press, Cambridge. Cline, E. (2011) Ready Player One. Random House, New York. Conelly, J. (2003) Of dragons and Easter eggs: a chat with Warren Robinett. The Jaded Gamer. Available from: http://tjg.joeysit.com/of-dra gons-and-easter-eggs-a-chat-with-warren-robin ett/ (Date of access: 13/Nov/2017). Dorman, P.F. (1988) The Monuments of Senenmut: Problems in Historical Methodology. Routledge, London. Fries, E. (2017) The hunt for the first arcade game Easter egg. Kotaku. Available from: https:// kotaku.com/the-hunt-for-the-first-arcade-game -easter-egg-1793593889?IR=T (Date of access: 13/Nov/2017). Hague, J. (2002) Halcyon Days: Interviews with Classic Computer and Video Game Programmers. Available from: http://www.dad Senenmut’s signature: a relief with his image and name. gum.com/halcyon/ (Date of access: 19/Nov/ 2017). We will never know why Senenmut decided Machkovech, S. (2017) The arcade world’s first to do this, but we can imagine that, given how Easter egg discovered after fraught journey. Ars remarkable a building the mortuary temple is, Technica. Available from: https://arstechnica. anyone would feel inclined to get recognition com/gaming/2017/03/the-arcade-worlds-first- easter-egg-discovered-after-fraught-journey/ for it. So there you go, when Robinett decided (Date of access: 13/Nov/ 2017).

Load more