Google celebrates Atari Breakout's 37th birthday

Remember the game where you slid a paddle along the bottom of the screen, rebounding a ball into blocks above, breaking them with each successful hit? That game is Breakout, and it's 37 years old.

An odd birthday for Google to decide to celebrate - perhaps it's running out of ideas - but celebrate it Google is. To see how, type "Atari Breakout" into the Google Image search box.

Breakout was released in 1976, when people wore flares and Elton John and Kiki Dee didn't want to break each other's hearts. It was Apple's late Steve Jobs, no less, tasked with creating a prototype for the game, which he would do with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak.

Breakout would go on to earn an historic 8/10 from Eurogamer later that year.

Will you support Eurogamer?

We want to make Eurogamer better, and that means better for our readers - not for algorithms. You can help! Become a supporter of Eurogamer and you can view the site completely ad-free, as well as gaining exclusive access to articles, podcasts and conversations that will bring you closer to the team, the stories, and the games we all love. Subscriptions start at £3.99 / $4.99 per month.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7psHRqJ6apZWne6%2Bx02ieqKeXobJur8SlnJuqkamytHnArZiroV2Xv6atyqisratdaIS1tIyboKusmJmuug%3D%3D