# Google is playable today **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [May 21, 2010, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-is-playable-today/540298 "2010-05-21T20:06:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2010, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-is-playable-today/540298/1 "2010-05-21T20:06:32Z")
I’m surprised there’s not already a thread on this: [Google](http://www.google.com/)’s current logo is a Pac-Man screen, in commemoration of the Man’s 30th birthday. OK, that’s not so remarkable… But it’s playable. Go ahead, give it a try! ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2010, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-is-playable-today/540298/2 "2010-05-21T20:23:29Z")
I just discovered this and came in to post it! Just leave your cursor on the logo for about 15 seconds, and the game will start up. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2010, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-is-playable-today/540298/3 "2010-05-21T20:34:37Z")
39,670 in my one attempt. ---
**Author:** ![jlasserton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c5a1d2/32.png) [@jlasserton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jlasserton)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2010, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-is-playable-today/540298/4 "2010-05-21T20:42:06Z")
I can’t concentrate on my work because I keep playing the game. I use Google for everything and I am tempted to play every time I get on the internet. I give props to Google for this one. Great advertising. [Google](http://www.google.com) ---
**Author:** ![Student\_Driver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@Student\_Driver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Student_Driver)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2010, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-is-playable-today/540298/5 "2010-05-21T21:38:04Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > I just discovered this and came in to post it! Just leave your cursor on the logo for about 15 seconds, and the game will start up. Or more simply and quickly, hit the “Insert Coin” button to start the game. ---
**Author:** ![kasuo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8c91f0/32.png) [@kasuo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kasuo)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2010, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-is-playable-today/540298/6 "2010-05-21T21:44:26Z")
And the Insert Coin button allows for Ms. Pac Man to be on the same board for some multiplayer gaming! ---
**Author:** ![Karen\_Lingel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karen_lingel/32/18649_2.png) [@Karen\_Lingel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karen_Lingel)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2010, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-is-playable-today/540298/7 "2010-05-22T00:13:00Z")
Can you believe that PacMan is actually _after_ my time. I don’t know how to play it! Sometimes I can eat the ghosts and sometimes I wilt and die! ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2010, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-is-playable-today/540298/8 "2010-05-22T00:18:30Z")
> [@Karen\_Lingel](#): > > Can you believe that PacMan is actually _after_ my time. I don’t know how to play it! Sometimes I can eat the ghosts and sometimes I wilt and die! The big flashing pellets make the ghosts turn blue for a few seconds, and while they’re blue (or flashing blue and white) you can eat them. At all other times, they kill you. [/1980] ---
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2010, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-is-playable-today/540298/9 "2010-05-22T02:46:32Z")
At first I thought it was just a static gif image, which I thought was quite impressive just by stylizing the Google logo to a classic Pac-Man board, but then when I saw the characters move I then thought it was a pre-animated graphic. Soon I realized that I could actually _play_ it! I got to about 34,000 and reached the second peach level on my first run. I’d like to reach the key levels (assuming they programmed it this far), but alas, I haven’t seen the keys since my halcyon and callow days of youth. I think it would be cool if anyone can play it all the way to the 256th level (where the screen goes all jabberwocky because nobody at the time thought that any player would ever reach the upper limit of the game). ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2010, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-is-playable-today/540298/10 "2010-05-22T03:13:40Z")
Holy crap! I saw this last night our time but did not realize I could actually play. I was getting annoyed because of the noise and had to turn off the audio. Now I use the arrow keys and play it. Damn. 30 years. I remember well when Pac Man came out. I was already an adult even then! I spent so many quarters on that game, but I couldn’t get nearly as good as some people I knew. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2010, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-is-playable-today/540298/11 "2010-05-22T03:25:46Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I’m surprised there’s not already a thread on this: [Google](http://www.google.com/)’s current logo is a Pac-Man screen, in commemoration of the Man’s 30th birthday. OK, that’s not so remarkable… But it’s playable. Go ahead, give it a try! For those that don’t hang out in MPSIMS, [here’s a thread there on this.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=564043) ---
**Author:** ![straight\_man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/straight_man/32/3027_2.png) [@straight\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/straight_man)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2010, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-is-playable-today/540298/12 "2010-05-22T04:00:16Z")
I read about (and played) this in the morning. Then, working in the computer lab, I hear this _gigantically_ loud soundtrack playing from the other side of the room. It seems someone left Google open for too long. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crowbar_of_Irony_3)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2010, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-is-playable-today/540298/13 "2010-05-22T16:44:29Z")
How did they do it? It’s not Flash. I remember reading about Google’s new native client thing, but I thought it is still experimental. Javascript? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2010, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-is-playable-today/540298/14 "2010-05-24T15:29:54Z")
Even though it is no longer on the front page, Google PacMan is still playable on this unannounced page: > **[30th Anniversary of PAC-MAN](https://www.google.com/doodles/30th-anniversary-of-pac-man)** > > 30th Anniversary of PAC-MAN #GoogleDoodle ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2010, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-is-playable-today/540298/15 "2010-05-27T11:15:28Z")
> [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](#): > > How did they do it? It’s not Flash. I remember reading about Google’s new native client thing, but I thought it is still experimental. Javascript? Javascript, CSS, and HTML5. It’s pretty impressive, but when you look at all the hacks they had to use to pull it off, it starts to seem unworkable for more complicated applications. Remember, this game can be played on 1980s technology, but this version runs slow on even early to mid first decade\* technology \*the decade from 2000 - 2009. Best word I could think of for it.