Have you heard the theory that no one is more than six degrees of separation away from Kevin Bacon? Well, itʼs a pretty decent party game (if youʼre at a party with no booze or music) and itʼs been banging around the Internet in one form or another for a decade now. So why are we bothering to talk about it? Well, Google has yet another notch to scratch into its bedpost (probably using one of Yahooʼs sharpened bones.) Thatʼs right, you can now play the Kevin Bacon game in Googleʼs search.

We know, we know, youʼve heard this story on the Internet twenty times already. Youʼve already wasted an hour of your work day trying to find the biggest gap you can (our record is 7) so why are we bothering to write about it?

Thatʼs exactly it. Youʼve already heard it.

The Kevin Bacon game is as old as dirt and still, you heard the story. Itʼs not even like itʼs new technology; websites that perform the same service have been around for years. The fact that every site on the web felt the need to cover Google adding the game speaks volumes.

Google already controls the vast majority of the search market, but they refuse to stop having fun. Theyʼve already earned their audience, but that doesnʼt keep them from putting up interesting takes on their logo to support causes or celebrate days, and it doesnʼt stop them from going out of their way to develop fun, show-off tricks like the Kevin Bacon game.

Itʼs something to keep in mind for your own company. Google is one of the biggest businesses in the world, and they refuse to stagnate, even when it wouldnʼt hurt them to do it.

Anyway, go play the game. Just put “bacon number” (no quotes) in front of any name you can think of. If you can beat our score, you get a free pat on the back.

original story about the Kevin Bacon game posted on Wikimotive's blog under the title Google Adds Kevin Bacon Game