Making room for play on the web
Software is becoming increasingly personal, and the author hopes people will create small games for one another. The internet finds itself in an odd position—less open, filled with spam and bots—yet this medium has evolved far beyond its original document-focused purpose to support applications and communities.
The author's earliest internet memories center on games: 3D Pinball: Space Cadet, JumpStart Adventures 3rd Grade: Mystery Mountain, Minesweeper, and Solitaire.
While redesigning claude.com, the team—Maria Gonzalez, Kim O'Rourke, and the author—wanted to recapture the joy of early web experiences. This vision led to the Footer Arcade concept: hidden games serving as delightful easter eggs.
The four games included:
