Google has a secret GAME - here's how to play it

If you’re twiddling your thumbs at your desk this afternoon and looking for ways to kill time, then look no further.

Google has launched a secret new game, and it’s ridiculously entertaining in its simplicity.

The game is based on Katamari – a popular Japanese video game featuring a ball called a katamari that rolls up objects.

In honour of the game’s 20th anniversary, Google has added a Katamari Easter Egg that transforms your search results into a magic ball.

Here’s how to access the secret game – but be warned, it’s addictive!

Google has launched a secret new game, and it’s stupidly entertaining in its simplicity

The game is based on Katamari – a popular Japanese video game featuring a ball called a katamari that rolls up objects

To access the Katamari game, simply open Google Search on either your computer or smartphone, and search Katamari.

At the top of the knowledge panel on the right hand side of the screen, you’ll see a small bouncing Katamari ball.

Click or tap on this icon, and the game will begin!

If you’re playing on your computer, use the arrow keys to navigate the ball, while on your phone, swipe left or right.

As the ball rolls, it picks up the words and images on the screen, and the aim of the game is to completely clear your screen.

While it might sound simple, it’s suprisingly difficult, particularly as the ball gains momentum and rolls faster.

Several eagle-eyed Google users have found the Easter Egg, with one calling it ‘magic’.

‘If you google Katamari then click on the Katamari ball….it’s magic,’ they tweeted.

Another added: ‘Just search Katamari right now on google and click the ball…they’ve definitely spent some effort here.’

And one joked: ‘Google Katamari and waste your time like me hahahah.’

As the ball rolls, it picks up the words and images on the screen, and the aim of the game is to completely clear your screen

Google is known for its elaborate Easter Eggs, and regularly hides fun games within Google Search.

For example, in 2018, a savvy Reddit user spotted an old school text adventure game in Google’s developer console, where players use their keyboard to complete different tasks by issuing certain commands.

To play the game, search for ‘text adventure’ or ‘text game’ in your browser.

After searching those terms, press Ctrl+Shift+J on a Windows computer or Cmd+Option+J on a Mac.

This will open Google’s developer console and ask if you want to play a game.

From there, type ‘yes’ and hit enter. This will trigger the text-based adventure game, in which the user plays as the big blue G in Google’s logo.

WHERE DID GOOGLE’S ‘DON’T BE EVIL’ PHRASE ORIGINATE?

For the last 24 years, the Silicon Valley giant has put the phrase ‘Don’t be evil’ front and center in its code of conduct as a way of demonstrating that it wants Googlers to strive to do the right thing.

‘Don’t be evil’ was first added to the company’s corporate code of conduct in 2000 and was highly touted by Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin over the years.

The firm dedicated several paragraphs to the phrase in its code of conduct.

But that has changed as part of an update to the code, made last month, which downgrades ‘Don’t be evil’ to a single sentence at the bottom of the document.

Here are the original paragraphs explaining Google’s ‘Don’t be evil’ principle:

‘Don’t be evil.’ Googlers generally apply those words to how we serve our users. But ‘Don’t be evil’ is much more than that. Yes, it’s about providing our users unbiased access to information, focusing on their needs and giving them the best products and services that we can. But it’s also about doing the right thing more generally – following the law, acting honorably, and treating co-workers with courtesy and respect.

The Google Code of Conduct is one of the ways we put ‘Don’t be evil’ into practice. It’s built around the recognition that everything we do in connection with our work at Google will be, and should be, measured against the highest possible standards of ethical business conduct. We set the bar that high for practical as well as aspirational reasons: Our commitment to the highest standards helps us hire great people, build great products, and attract loyal users. Trust and mutual respect among employees and users are the foundation of our success, and they are something we need to earn every day.

So please do read the Code, and follow both its spirit and letter, always bearing in mind that each of us has a personal responsibility to incorporate, and to encourage other Googlers to incorporate, the principles of the Code into our work. And if you have a question or ever think that one of your fellow Googlers or the company as a whole may be falling short of our commitment, don’t be silent. We want – and need – to hear from you.

This post first appeared on Dailymail.co.uk