If the code “UP UP DOWN DOWN LEFT RIGHT LEFT RIGHT B A” isn’t familiar to you, chances are you’re not a hardcore video gamer. Known as the Konami Code this is quite likely the most popular cheat code (password for special features in a game) in video games. This code was used in many video games, but was popularized by the Nintendo version of the Konami game Contra. When you used this cheat code in Contra, you were given 30 lives (instead of the 3 you get by default).

The popularity of the Konami code has extended its reach beyond video games, and on to the Internet. In fact, many sites have hidden features or jokes (known as Easter Eggs) that are made available to them if you enter the Konami code while on the site.

For example, at one point in time, if you entered the Konami code on the ESPN website, you would have seen unicorns and rainbows.

Credit: ESPN screenshot by Jennifer Guevin/CNET (via news.cnet.com)

Although the ESPN site no longer supports the Konami code, there are a number of other sites that still do. Some of the more popular sites you might come across that do include:

Facebook: http://facebook.com

• While logged in, when entering the Konami code, followed by Enter, a lens flare is generated every time the user scrolls or clicks something on the page.

Digg: http://digg.com

• While logged in, when entering the code on any page with comments, replies to comments become automatically nested.

jQuery: http://jquery.com

• On the homepage, when entering the code, you are taken to a page to watch a music video.

Gamespot: http://gamespot.com

• Entering the code takes you to the contra cheat code page

Plurk: http://plurk.com

• While logged in, entering the code animates your timeline.

To find more sites that make use of the Konami code, there is a site dedicated to tracking this: http://konamicodesites.com. But remember, when you go there you will need to enter the code to access the list.