Credit: Photo by Ashley Moreno

In their panel Egg Hunt: The History of Easter Eggs in Games, Matias Myllyrinne (CEO of Remedy studio) and Juuso Myllyrinne (Global Strategist for TBWA) talked water-walking Tiger Woods, golden fire-breathing chickens, and, of course, the Konami Code. Not a lie: Nostalgia abounded. (No cake though.)

Credit: Photo by Ashley Moreno

To add to the discussion, the panelists played recorded video interviews with long-time game makers, like Noah Falstein, head of Google games, and Josh Jay, a world artist at Bethesda Game Studios (creators of The Elder Scrolls and Fallout.) Along with favorite Easter eggs, the panelists and interviewees primarily discussed why Easter eggs exist and why they persist, even as some (like the Grand Theft Auto “hot coffee” mod) run afoul of good taste. One reason: Connectivity. Easter eggs connect game creators and players.

As a world artist for Bethesda, the studio responsible for the astonishing environments of titles like Skyrim, Josh Jay offered an interesting take on how Easter eggs connect players and game makers. “I don’t think a lot of players realize the work that goes into making the environment,” said Jay. “So when they hear there is an Easter egg for something, they actually cool their jets a little bit, they throttle down into a lower gear, and they explore the space a lot more. That’s when they start noticing details, and that’s when they start fixating on all the things I’ve been fixating on.”

The panel ended with thoughts on how an increasingly globalized market will affect the gems we hide in games. “In the 1970s, gaming culture was very much Americana, founded and built here. Today, the largest game company is actually located in China. And In 2016/2017, China is going to become the largest gaming market in the world,” said Juuso Myllyrinne. “We’re seeing a true internationalization of game development, and I’m sure that will be reflected in the Easter eggs as well.”

Egg Hunt: The History of Easter Eggs in Games

Friday, March 13, Long Center

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This article appears in March 13 • 2015.

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