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T-Rex Runner
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About
T-Rex Runner, also known as Chrome T-Rex Game and No Internet Game, refers to an easter egg video game in the Google Chrome browser which becomes available when a user has no connection to the internet. In the game, which is an infinite runner, the player controls a running T-Rex and must dodge obstacles such as cacti and pterodactyls.
History
According to the Google Chrome design team member Sebastien Gabriel, the idea for the easter egg "endless runner" game was conceived in early 2014.[1] At that time, the project was known as Project Bolan.
On September 6th, the game, created by Edward Jung, Sebastien Gabriel and Alan Bettes and referred to as "T-Rex Runner" in the source code, was released.[2] When a Google Chrome user lands on the "you-are-offline" page, a pixel T-Rex is shown above the message (shown below, left). Tapping on the T-Rex or pressing the spacebar launches an "endless runner" video game in which the player gets control of a T-Rex character known as Lonely T-Rex (gameplay video below, right). In the original version of the game, the player was tasked with jumping over cacti in the T-Rex' way.
In June 2015, pterodactyls were added to the game as another obstacle to avoid.[3] In May 2016, another update added a day-night cycle which starts when the player accumulates 700 points.
From September 4th through September 30th, 2018, a "birthday" version of the game replaced the standard version to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Google. In the version, the Lonely T-Rex can pick up a Birthday Cake to get a pixel Party Hat on his head.
On September 6th, 2018, Google posted an interview with the game developers Edward Jung, Sebastien Gabriel and Alan Bettes in its blog.
Features
The player controls the Lonely T-Rex as it endlessly runs through a 2D plane. The player can jump over obstacles or duck under them. Pressing the down key while mid-air makes the T-Rex fall faster. The game gets faster as the player accumulates more points.
The game can be accessed at any time by entering "chrome://dino/" in the address bar.[4]
Impact
In the years following its release, the easter egg game became a well-recognized Chrome feature. As of September 2018, Google[2] recorded over 270 million T-Rex Runner game sessions every month.
Fandom
T-Rex runner has been a popular subject both of meme and fanart. For example, on June 17th, 2015, DeviantArt[4] user Reef1600 posted a Prattkeeping redraw which received over 3,000 views and 300 stars in five years (shown below, left). On August 21st, 2019, Redditor[5] dienejg posted a meme which received over 97,000 upvotes in six months (shown below, right).
Additionally, the game has been a popular subject of YouTube videos, including videos on the history of the game and bot gameplay videos (examples shown below).
Search Interest
External References
[1] Google – As the Chrome dino runs, we caught up with the Googlers who built it
[2] T-Rex Runner Wiki – T-Rex Runner
[3] T-Rex Runner Wiki – Updates
[4] DeviantArt – [Program Girl] Jurassic World
[5] Reddit – The sad story of the dinosaurs….
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