What started out as a fun way for The Deciding Factor staff to pass the time when our Internet connection randomly decides to take five (or 15) has grown into a full-blown office obsession.
Our obsession is “T-Rex Runner,” an endless runner-style mini-game built into Google’s Chrome browser. To play, you need two things: Chrome as your Web browser and a balky Internet connection. When your Internet is down and you see a Tyrannosaurus Rex straight out of an 8-bit video game show up on your “unable to connect” screen, it’s go time.
Just press the space bar and your dino is off to the races. Keep tapping the space bar to vault the little guy over cacti and pterodactyls on his journey through dusty days and dark desert nights. It’s harder than it might seem – the farther you go, the faster he gets. And those day-to-night transitions can be a killer.
If you’ve never played, you might want to unplug your Wi-Fi right now.
Here at TDF, we’ve turned it into an office competition. Even our president Karen Meyers Holzer gets in on the action. Whenever the Internet goes down, the furious space bar tapping starts and you’ll hear an occasional outburst like, “Stupid cactus!” We keep tabs on who has the highest score, and there’s even a trophy to pass around to the reigning champ. It’s been known to exchange hands more than once in a day.
The friendly competition helps keep our spirits up when our Internet connection is doing its best to ruin our workday. Little things can go a long way when it comes to team building, especially at an agency our size. What about at your office? We’d love to hear how you pass time with your co-workers when getting work done just isn’t happening.
So who’s the Dino Master at TDF? Yours truly, checking in with a lofty 8,042 points. And I could’ve kept going too, but I took a nose dive into a cactus patch so I could screenshot my record before the Internet reconnected.
Think you can beat the king? Send us a screenshot of your top score – and watch out for those pterodactyls.
