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- EskomSePush released a nifty new user interface feature.
- Some eagle-eyed EskomSePush users spotted the new 'Snake' game feature.
- EskomSePush has become the go-to load shedding notification app.
- For more stories, visit the Tech and Trends homepage.
EskomSePush (ESP) recently released a nifty user interface update, which provides users with a timeline until load shedding will hit and a hidden game.
"When we were updating the new load shedding timeline graphic, we couldn't help but notice it looked a lot like a little snake," said Cathryn Reece, product specialist at ESP.
The easter egg allows users to play the 'Snake' game, which was made popular when it became available on Nokia phones.
It was launched for the first time on a Nokia in 1997, but was actually developed many years before that, initially for an arcade game.
A popular TikTok video released about a week ago shows off the discovery.
In its most standard form, the game features a digital snake that streaks along a grid in pursuit of fruit that makes the snake grow longer when eaten. The snake must turn to avoid turning in on itself and the walls of the grid, while continuing to eat fruit for as long as possible.
ESP stuck to the basic formula of the game - but, instead of fruit, the snake eats batteries and green power-ups and gets progressively faster as the "stages" increase later in the game.
To access the easter egg, users need to click on a load shedding area that appears under the "My Areas" heading on the front page of the app - and then click on one of the timelines that appear under the day's date.
Started in 2014, ESP has become South Africa's go-to load shedding notification app.
It is within the top 15 apps on the Google play store and the IOS App Store.
It was co-created by Dan Southwood-Wells and Herman Maritz in 2014 - and was an instant hit.
READ MORE | EskomSePush has exploded as SA's go-to load shedding app
A LinkedIn post from Reece shows that ESP has been getting comfortably more than 2.5 million average daily users since the start of 2023.
Reece playfully said the snake game had been rigorously tested.
"Herman would like me to add he's kicking my and Dan's butt with high scores as well. Suffice it to say, 'Snake' went through rigorous testing at HQ," said Reece in an email to News24.
Reece said ESP had "long wanted to put something fun and lighthearted into the app".
"Load shedding is such a heavy thing that really pushes South Africans to the limit. We just wanted to give our users a moment of joy when they use us and not just always give out bad news all the time."
READ MORE | Howard Feldman | Eskom se Push has saved marriages
When asked if there were any other easter eggs on ESP, Reece said they wouldn't be easter eggs anymore, if she revealed anything.
She said there were more new features in the pipeline at ESP, but things were changing rapidly with load shedding - and the app developers intended to stay agile.
"Things change so rapidly in the load shedding landscape (who could have predicted Stage 0 four days in a row?)
"Who can say what we'll decide to release next.
"Load shedding is rollercoaster and we're just along for the ride, most days!"
