Many countries are slowly easing their quarantine and social distancing measures, but entire regions still have residents staying at home. For all of them we've shared a huge amount of content, including free TV channels, puzzles and games, but we must not forget Google Doodles. The company is publishing one of its classics every day, combining tributes, music, and sports. A single warning: some are very addictive.
Google uses its doodles to celebrate special events and remember all kinds of scientists and artists, but occasionally it publishes some very interesting games. Last October we introduced some of those doodles (which had remained in its archive without much activity) along with other hidden games across the Mountain View platform. However, the company decided to share its classics again under the motto “Stay and play at home”, revealing one per day.
The doodles released so far
All told, the number of published doodles now stands at six, with four more on the way. The first one celebrated in December 2017 the 50th anniversary of the first programming language designed for children, Logo. In the game you have to help a friendly rabbit get carrots, but each of its movements must be programmed. It’s very easy!
The second doodle is related to the 2017 edition of the ICC Champions Trophy of cricket. Personally, I don’t know anything about that sport in terms of specific rules, but the doodle lets us play a simplified version in which we earn runs until we lose our turn.
The third doodle reminds us of the birth of Oskar Fischinger, a pioneer in abstract animation, with a long career in film, special effects creation, and music. His “game” is actually a visual composer, where we can combine different patterns of dots, instruments, and distortions to get a looping melody.
The fourth game continues with the idea of composing music, but this time celebrating Clara Rockmore, a true master of the theremin, an instrument that seems magical when seen in action. The doodle begins with a basic lesson, and then lets us continue on our own, playing with notes and adjusting the sound.
The fifth doodle is already familiar to us; it’s one of my personal favorites, and you’ll most likely be unable to stop playing it. Of course, I mean the launching of garden gnomes. Choose a gnome, and take advantage of perks like cannons, clouds, and flowers to gain more distance, while trying to avoid mud traps. My record is 2873 at the time of writing this; can you beat it?
And today’s Monday doodle celebrates the 151st birthday of Wilbur Scoville, the creator of the famous Scoville scale to measure the pungency factor in peppers. The idea is to help poor Wilbur withstand his experiments, taking control of the ice cream he just ate to neutralize the heat. The game is short and simple, but one can’t help imagining Scoville eating one pepper after another...
There are four doodles left to reveal. Maybe we’ll see another old friend, or perhaps Google has a few surprises up its sleeve. The doubt will be cleared in the coming days. Enjoy!
Access the doodles: Click here
