You may have already heard of this little game hidden in the Google search engine: doing a barrel roll with the results page. This is a fun trick that rotates the screen 360 degrees when you type a certain command. But how to do a barrel roll with Google? What is the origin of this game? And what other secrets does Google have in store for us? In this article, we will explain everything you need to know about barreling with Google and introduce you to other easter eggs from the famous search engine.
What is a rollover with Google?
A rollover with Google is an easter egg, that is to say a hidden functionality in software or a website, which is triggered when the user types a specific command. In the case of barrel roll with Google, just type “do a barrel roll” or “z or r twice” in the search bar and press Enter to see the results page rotate completely on itself.
The term “barrel roll” designates an aerial figure which consists of rotating an aircraft around its longitudinal axis. The name comes from the fact that the plane appears to follow the surface of an imaginary barrel. The term “z or r twice” refers to a command in the video game Star Fox 64, released in 1997 for the Nintendo 64, where the character Peppy Hare advises the player to roll to avoid enemy fire by pressing the buttons twice. Z or R buttons.
The barrel with Google was launched in 2011 by an anonymous developer who wanted to pay homage to the game Star Fox 64 and entertain Internet users. Since then, it has become one of Google's most popular and best-known easter eggs.
How to do a barrel roll with Google step by step?
To do a barrel roll with Google, just follow these simple steps:
- Open your web browser and go to the Google website.
- Type “do a barrel roll” or “z or r twice” into the search bar, without the quotes.
- Press the Enter key or click the Search button.
- Admire the result: the results page will rotate 360 degrees before returning to its initial position.
You can repeat the operation as many times as you want, for fun or to impress your friends. You can also try other variations, like “do a backflip” or “tilt”, which will change the orientation of the page.
What are the other easter eggs from Google?
The barrel with Google is not the only easter egg that the search engine has in store for us. There are indeed many other hidden games or unusual features that you can discover by typing certain queries. Here are some examples:
- Type “atari breakout” and click on Images to play a version of the famous arcade game directly in your browser.
- Type “pacman” and click on the first result to play a version of the legendary 80s video game.
- Type “google snake” and click Play to control a snake that must eat apples without biting its tail.
- Type “google gravity” and click on the first result to see all the elements on the page fall under the influence of gravity.
- Type “google in 1998” to see what the search engine looked like more than 20 years ago.
- Type “askew” to see the page lean slightly to the right.
- Type “flip a coin” to flip a virtual coin and get heads or tails.
- Type “roll a dice” to roll a virtual die and get a number between 1 and 6.
- Type “spinner” to spin a wheel of fortune or a virtual top.
- Type “solitaire” or “tic tac toe” to play these classic games against the computer or a friend.
Conclusion
The Google barrel roll is a fun easter egg that lets you rotate the results page 360 degrees by typing a simple command. This is a nod to the video game Star Fox 64 and its famous line “do a barrel roll”. But this is not the only hidden game that Google offers you: you can also play Solitaire , Pacman, Snake, or even Breakout by typing certain keywords in the search bar. Google easter eggs are an original and entertaining way to take advantage of the most used search engine in the world.
