Few things are as annoying as discovering that there is no internet, but besides showing the relevant error messages, Google Chrome gives us something extra: a small distraction in the form of a T-Rex that must run and avoid obstacles. The 'Dinosaur Google', also known as the 'offline dinosaur game', is enjoyed by millions of people while waiting for their connection to return from the dark side, and it has a very interesting story…
Google Dinosaur: Where does it come from?
The scene is depressing: Google Chrome indicates that the system is 'No internet connection', and at the top appears a small, lonely, and confused T-Rex. However, when you press the spacebar, the dinosaur starts running through the desert at night, and we must help it avoid cacti and pterodactyls. If we advance far enough, a day/night cycle begins, and the speed increases. Our goal? Survive and score as many points as possible.
But there's another underlying question: Why? Why is a dinosaur game hidden in a connection error? The answer takes us back to 2014, when Sebastien Gabriel created the game. Initially known as 'Project Bolan', in reference to the singer Marc Bolan of the English band T.Rex, the game debuted in September, but its performance on low-end devices was so poor that it had to go back to the drawing board for a couple of months, returning in December. Why a dinosaur? Simple: When you run out of internet, it's like going back to prehistory.
Extreme popularity and rebellious students
Taking more than one person at Google by surprise, the 'offline dinosaur game' became extremely popular. In fact, it is estimated that about 270 million users play it per month, across computers and mobile devices. The regions that visit the dinosaur most frequently are India, Brazil, Mexico, and Indonesia.
Furthermore, its developers were forced to enable a mechanism to block access to the game, due to loss of productivity in some workplaces, and kids in class who were much more interested in scoring points with the dinosaur. What detail reveals the block? Three meteors falling from the sky.
How to access the Google Dinosaur online
Finally, remember that it is not mandatory to lose your connection if you want to access the dinosaur game. Simply type chrome://dino in a tab, which will take you to a kind of 'recreational version' in full screen, very useful for practicing. Enjoy!
Source: Google
