Warren Robinett
The first Easter egg
Warren Robinett created Adventure for Atari 2600 and invented the video game Easter egg by hiding his name in the game.
Overview
Warren Robinett programmed Adventure for the Atari 2600, creating one of the first action-adventure games and establishing patterns the genre would follow. More famously, he hid his name in a secret room—the first known video game Easter egg—as a response to Atari’s policy of not crediting developers. This act of authorship assertion helped spark the Activision exodus.
Fast facts
- Game: Adventure (1979).
- Innovation: first action-adventure game, first Easter egg.
- Easter egg: “Created by Warren Robinett” hidden room.
- Context: Atari didn’t credit programmers.
- Later work: educational software, virtual reality.
Adventure’s significance
What Robinett created:
- Genre origin: item-based exploration gameplay.
- Multi-screen world: connected rooms to explore.
- Inventory: carrying objects between screens.
- Dragons: first video game boss enemies?
The Easter egg
Gaming’s first hidden secret:
- Location: secret room requiring specific actions.
- Message: “Created by Warren Robinett”.
- Motivation: response to no developer credits.
- Discovery: found by player, reported to Atari.
- Legacy: Easter eggs became gaming tradition.