Easter Eggs in video games

Since the first appearance in "Adventure", countless "Easter Eggs" have been discovered in thousands of computer games. These can be divided into several categories. In the following, the most common ones will be presented, together with some examples from games. Many of the "Easter Eggs" are allusions to other franchises or video games, usually those that come from the same developer. For example, in "Uncharted 3" for the PlayStation, there is a newspaper on a bar counter with the headline, "Scientists are still struggling to understand deadly fungus." This is a direct allusion to the plot of "The Last of Us," which was also developed by Naughty Dog. However, many "Easter Eggs" are simply funny jokes or events that usually only last a few seconds. They reward the players for meticulously exploring the game and its world. For example, in "Crysis 2", after interacting with a fuse box, an elevator opens where soldiers dance under disco lights for a few seconds. Another category of "Easter Eggs" is the so-called "Developers' Room". In this special and hidden room, it is possible for the player to talk to avatars that embody the developers of the title. One of the most famous examples of this is "The Dream Project" in the RPG classic "Chrono Trigger" for the SNES. In one end of the game, the user ends up in a room where he has the opportunity to talk to the development team. If you play many games by the same studio or game designer, you will usually notice an "Easter Egg" pattern. An example of this is "Totaka's Song", a melody found in most Nintendo games.

Many gamers wonder why developers include "Easter Eggs" in computer games. After all, they only add more work to a tight development schedule. On the one hand, "Easter Eggs" serve as a way for developers to communicate directly with users. On the other hand, they give a video game that certain something. Players sometimes need years to find them. Even rather obvious "Easter Eggs" provide welcome variety and funny moments.

In this article, a brief overview of "Easter Eggs" in video games was given, including their origins and why they exist in the first place. Since their definition is very broad, even more categories than those listed above can be found. It should also be noted that "Easter Eggs" exist not only in the medium of computer games, but also, for example, in movies or on websites.