History
Google’s offline dino game was created by Alan Bettes, Edward Jung, and Sebastian Gabriel. It made its debut in September 2014, coinciding with the release of Chrome version 38. Originally conceptualized as entertainment for users when their internet connection suddenly drops, it earned the moniker no wifi dinosaur game. It initially did not work on older Android devices, resulting in a rewrite that was completed by December of the same year.
The game’s initial designs were nicknamed Project Bolan in honor of Marc Bolan, frontman of the legendary 70s band T-Rex. The game was a nod to prehistoric times, so although the developers thought of giving it more features, such as enabling it to roar and kick, they ultimately decided against it. They agreed it would be more appropriate for something prehistoric to be basic.
Since its launch, the game has attracted a lot of attention — especially for something devoid of fancy graphics and animation.
Technical Aspects of the No Internet Dinosaur Game
The no WiFi game is considered lightweight, having been built using CSS, HTML5, and JavaScript. It doesn’t require any downloads and installations and runs directly within the Chrome browser, making it very efficient. JavaScript is responsible for the game’s logic, including collision detection, obstacle generation, and speed scaling. The physics might be simple but it allows the game to smoothly respond to player inputs.
An aspect that’s interesting to many is the fact that the game can be easily inspected or modified using Chrome’s built-in Developer Tools. A host of variables can be tweaked and cheats such as invincibility and infinite jumping can be enabled.
Its design and lightweight execution is an excellent demonstration of how simple web technologies can be used to create a pleasant gaming experience.
A Simple No Internet Game Capturing the Hearts of Many
The Google Dino Game quickly became a favorite not only as an excellent way to kill time by waiting for internet to be restored, but also as a shared experience among users all over the globe. People started inundating social media platforms with their scores, resulting in a competitive community among users.
People enjoy the no wifi game for many reasons but some of the most common are:
- Retro aesthetic The game’s unique look brings back memories of the old times. It looks just like old-school arcade games which is very charming to many.
- Instant gratification No complicated mechanics that need a lot of brain power. All you need to do is hit the space bar to make the dino jump. Even a child can play the game
- Addictive As the game progresses, it becomes more difficult, encouraging players to continue.
- Offline accessibility One of the nicest things about the Chrome dinosaur game is that it doesn’t need internet connectivity, and instead of getting frustrated because you are offline, it turns your frustration into entertainment.
Keeping the Google Dinosaur Game Fresh with Various Hidden Easter Eggs
Google has added a few changes over time, keeping the game continuously fresh for users. The first one was in September 2018 to celebrate Chrome’s 10th birthday and the game’s fourth.
The Hidden Easter egg was a birthday cake that appeared in the desert and a birthday hat that appeared on the Lonely T-Rex once the cake is ‘eaten.’
In November of the same year, a feature enabling players to save their high scores was introduced. The source code can be found on the Chromium site.
Google introduced a widget in March 2021 for iOS14 leading players to chrome://dino. A similar widget was introduced in the same year for Android users.
During the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, an Easter egg was added simulating various Olympics activities. The dino transformed into different Olympic games upon reaching the torch and instead of the usual cacti and pterodactyl, the obstacles became things related to the Olympics.
Google also released GenDino in 2024, allowing users to generate a dino game with AI-generated sprites through a prompt.
Because the game’s appeal extended beyond Chrome, Google decided to make it accessible to a wider audience by releasing it as a standalone game on the Google Play Store for Android devices. This allowed people to keep playing even with the Internet on.
