When you think of Canvas, you are probably reminded of upcoming assignments, online modules you must read, and deadlines. “Fun” may not be the first word that comes to mind. But our university’s learning management system has a fun little secret!
Hidden within Canvas’s “Page Not Found” page are two secret games.
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Take on COVID-19
The first game is a retro fighter-jet game. You pilot the jet using WASD controls or arrow keys and press the spacebar to shoot vaccine needles at the coronavirus. Toilet paper can be collected to power up and shoot out additional needles. You get points for each virus particle you destroy.
Move the square
The second game involves a blue square that must make its way down a long vertical pathway. Your blue square must dodge oncoming grey squares as it makes its way to the end, where a green square awaits. The longer you survive in this game, the more your score goes up. This game is definitely the harder of the two.
How to play
As mentioned before, you can find these games in broken Canvas pages. To get to a broken page, simply type random letters or numbers at the end of any link in Canvas. The “Page Not Found” page will show an astronaut and rocket ship floating around a red planet.
When you are on the page, hit the spacebar, and one of the two games will appear. Canvas loads the two games randomly, so refresh the page and hit the spacebar again to get to the other one.
For your convenience, try this link to play the games: https://go.txstate.edu/canvas-game.
Playing the games is a fun way to take a break from coursework. Give them a try and see if you can beat your friends’ high scores!
Steffanie Agnew is the digital marketing strategist in the IT Marketing and Communications office.
