Snake (video game genre)

Video game genre

This article is about the video game genre. For the Nokia phone game in that genre, see Snake (1998 video game).

"Snake game" redirects here. For the early board game, see Mehen (game).

Snake on a TRS-80

Snake is a genre of action video games where the player maneuvers the end of a growing line, often themed as a snake. The player must keep the snake from colliding with both other obstacles and itself, which gets harder as the snake lengthens.

The genre originated in the 1976 competitive arcade video game Blockade from Gremlin Industries where the goal is to survive longer than the other player. Blockade and the initial wave of clones that followed were purely abstract and did not use snake terminology. The concept evolved into a single-player variant where a line with a head and tail gets longer with each piece of food eaten—often apples or eggs—increasing the likelihood of self-collision. The simplicity and low technical requirements of snake games have resulted in hundreds of versions, some of which have the word snake or worm in the title. The 1982 Tron arcade video game, based on the film, includes snake gameplay for the single-player Light Cycles segment, and some later snake games borrow the theme.

After a version simply called Snake was preloaded on Nokia mobile phones in 1998, there was a resurgence of interest in snake games.

## Gameplay

[edit]

A single-player game, where both the head and tail move, and each item eaten makes the snake longer

The original Blockade from 1976 and its many clones are two-player games. Viewed from a top-down perspective, each player controls a "snake" with a fixed starting position. The "head" of the snake continually moves forward, unable to stop, growing ever longer. It must be steered left, right, up, and down to avoid hitting walls and the body of either snake. The player who survives the longest wins. Single-player versions are less prevalent and have one or more snakes controlled by the computer, as in the light cycles segment of the 1982 Tron arcade game.

In the most common single-player game, the player's snake is of a certain length, so when the head moves the tail does too. Each item eaten by the snake causes the snake to get longer. Snake Byte has the snake eating apples. Nibbler has the snake eating abstract objects in a maze.

## History

[edit]

Snake on an IBM PC rendered in a text mode Snake on a Telmac 1800, CHIP-8, published 1978[1]

The Snake genre began with the 1976 arcade video game Blockade[2][3] written by Lane Hauck and Ago Kiss[4] and published by Gremlin Industries.[5] It was cloned as Bigfoot Bonkers the same year. In 1977, Atari, Inc. released two Blockade-inspired games: the arcade game Dominos and Atari VCS game Surround.[6] Surround was one of the nine Atari VCS launch titles in the US and was sold by Sears under the name Chase. That same year, a similar game was launched for the Bally Astrocade as Checkmate.[7] Mattel released Snafu for the Intellivision console in 1982.

The first known home computer version, Worm, was programmed by Peter Trefonas for the TRS-80 and published by CLOAD magazine in 1978.[2] Versions followed from the same author for the PET and Apple II. An authorized version of the Hustle arcade game, itself a clone of Blockcade, was published by Milton Bradley for the TI-99/4A in 1980.[8]

The single-player Snake Byte was published in 1982 for Atari 8-bit computers, Apple II, and VIC-20; a snake eats apples to complete a level, growing longer in the process. In Snake for the BBC Micro (1982), by Dave Bresnen, the snake is controlled using the left and right arrow keys relative to the direction it is heading in. The snake increases in speed as it gets longer, and there is only one life.

Nibbler (1982) is a single-player arcade game where the snake fits tightly into a maze, and the gameplay is faster than most snake designs. Another single-player version is part of the 1982 Tron arcade game, themed with light cycles. It reinvigorated the snake concept, and many subsequent games borrowed the light cycle theme.

Starting in 1991, Nibbles was included with MS-DOS for a period of time as a QBasic sample program. In 1992, Rattler Race was released as part of the second Microsoft Entertainment Pack. It adds enemy snakes to the familiar apple-eating gameplay.

In 1998, the mobile game Snake was released for Nokia 6110.[9] The game was popular, and Nokia released a series of reiterations, including Snake II, Snake EX, Snake EX2, Snake III, Snakes, Snake Xensia and Snakes Subsonic. As the game graphics and gameplay evolved, it became less popular.[10]

### Later games

[edit]

In 2002, Snake was made available for download to Pocket PC through Peter's GameBox.[11] In 2004, TIM made Snake available for download through the Tim Wap Fast system.[12] In March 2013, NimbleBit released Nimble Quest, an action RPG snake game.[13] In 2015, Armanto released a spiritual successor to Snake in partnership with Rumilus Design called Snake Rewind.[14] In 2019, scientists tested the touch sensibility of the GLASSES screen cellphones playing Snake.[15] In 2020, Zanco Tiny T2 was launched with Snake installed.[16] In March 2020, OrangePixel released Snake Core with shooter elements.[17] In September 2020, Tree Man Games released PAKO Caravan about a car pulling trailers.[18] In December 2020, Retro Widget released Snake II for iOS home screen and Apple Watch.[19] In 2023, users recreated Snake using GPT-4.[20] In 2023, Spotify added Snake as a downloadable game inside of playlists with more than 20 songs.[21] In 2024, Nothing launched a Snake widget for their cellphones.[22] In March 2024, Pictoline released Quetzi, a snake game where the player controls Quetzalcoatl.[23] In April 2025, Tidepool Games released MageTrain, a roguelike snake game.[24]

A series of online Snake games were made. In 2016, Steve Howse launched Slither.io as a way to mimic the success of Agar.io.[25] In 2016, Kooapps released Snake.io and was later launched on Apple Arcade in 2023.[26] Snake.io was also released on Netflix and Nintendo Switch in 2024.[27][28] In February 2025, Appxplore (iCandy) released Snaky Cat, an .io battle royale snake game.[29]

Google has incorporated Snake games into its applications. In 2010, YouTube added Snake as a hidden game inside of their video player.[30] In 2013, Google launched Snake doodle as an easter egg for web browsers.[31] In 2019, Google added Snake inside Google Maps as an April Fools' Day prank.[32] In 2019, Google Chrome launched Snake Game for web browsers.[33] Google relaunched Doodle Snake in January 2025 to celebrate the Year of the Snake of the Chinese New Year.[34]

In 2025, the concept of Snake was adapted into an educational context. The open-source game Snakeleev[35] uses the established gameplay mechanics to help students learn the periodic table of elements. The game was developed as part of a science education project and is described in a peer-reviewed article published in the Journal of Chemical Education.[36] A 2025 season of the travel competition series Jet Lag: The Game, played in South Korea, was based on the game design.[37] Python Snake is often used to teach students how to program in Python and Pygame.[38][39]

## Legacy

[edit]

In 1996, Next Generation ranked it number 41 on their "Top 100 Games of All Time", citing the need for both quick reactions and forethought. In lieu of a title for a specific version, they listed it as "Snake game" in quotes.[40]

On November 29, 2012, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City announced that the Nokia port of Snake was one of 40 games that the curators wished to add to the museum's collection in the future.[41]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Tieturi, February 1985. ISSN 0780-9778
2. ^ a b Gerard Goggin (2010), Global Mobile Media, Taylor & Francis, p. 101, ISBN 978-0-415-46917-3, retrieved April 7, 2011
3. ^ Rusel DeMaria & Johnny L. Wilson (2003). High score!: the illustrated history of electronic games (2 ed.). McGraw-Hill Professional. p. 24\. ISBN 0-07-223172-6. Retrieved April 7, 2011.
4. ^ Hague, James. "The Giant List of Classic Game Programmers".
5. ^ "Blockade video game, Gremlin Ind, inc. (1976)". Arcade-history.com. April 4, 2008. Archived from the original on June 11, 2011. Retrieved November 4, 2011.
6. ^ Blockade at the Killer List of Videogames
7. ^ Rusel DeMaria & Johnny L. Wilson (2003). High score!: the illustrated history of electronic games (2 ed.). McGraw-Hill Professional. p. 48\. ISBN 0-07-223172-6.
8. ^ "Retrogaming Times Monthly 7". My.stratos.net. January 1, 2005. Archived from the original on September 22, 2011. Retrieved November 4, 2011.
9. ^ Wright, Chris (14 March 2016). "A Brief History of Mobile Games: In the beginning, there was Snake". Pocket Gamer. Archived from the original on 25 March 2025. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
10. ^ Banerjee, Praseed (13 June 2017). "A brief history of Snake". Digit. Archived from the original on 25 March 2025. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
11. ^ "Veja programas gratuitos para Pocket PC". Folha de S. Paulo (in Brazilian Portuguese). 23 January 2002. Archived from the original on 26 March 2025. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
12. ^ "Confira programas disponíveis pelas operadoras para celulares". Folha de S. Paulo (in Brazilian Portuguese). 7 July 2004. Archived from the original on 26 March 2025. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
13. ^ "Nimble Quest Review". Gamezebo. Archived from the original on 2013-03-31. Retrieved 2013-03-29.
14. ^ Moon, Mariella (7 May 2015). "'Snake Rewind' modernizes the Nokia game for touchscreen devices". Engadget. Archived from the original on 5 June 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
15. ^ Augusto, Thaís (22 March 2019). "Cientistas dão primeiro passo para criar telas que se consertam sozinhas". Canaltech (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 26 March 2025. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
16. ^ Arbulu, Rafael (16 January 2020). "Esse é o menor celular do mundo e custa "apenas" R$ 543". Canaltech (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 26 March 2025. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
17. ^ Mieczkowski, Colin (3 March 2020). "Snake Core is a fresh, action-packed take on Snake". Pocket Gamer. Archived from the original on 30 March 2025. Retrieved 30 March 2025.
18. ^ Gregson-Wood, Stephen (8 September 2020). "Pako Caravan is the latest entry in Tree Men Games' series and it's available now for iOS and Android". Pocket Gamer. Archived from the original on 3 April 2025. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
19. ^ Putluck, Michael (9 December 2020). "'Retro Widget' brings original Snake game and more to your iPhone home screen". 9to5Mac. Archived from the original on 23 March 2025. Retrieved 23 March 2025.
20. ^ Lisboa, Alveni (16 March 2023). "GPT-4 criou uma versão de Pong em 60 segundos" (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 26 March 2025. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
21. ^ Almenara, Igor (28 June 2023). "Como jogar o jogo da cobrinha secreto do Spotify" (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 26 March 2025. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
22. ^ Almeida, Emanuele (5 December 2024). "Clássico jogo da cobrinha retorna em celulares da Nothing; veja como funciona" (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 26 March 2025. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
23. ^ "Quetzi". TouchArcade. Archived from the original on 1 April 2025. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
24. ^ Botadkar, Tanish (9 April 2025). "MageTrain brings spellcasting to the Snake formula, now available on Android and iOS". Pocket Gamer. Archived from the original on 13 April 2025. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
25. ^ Needleman, Sarah E. (17 June 2016). "As 'Slither.io' Goes Viral, Game's Creator Scrambles to Keep Up". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 21 March 2025. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
26. ^ Inc, Aetas. "スリリングだけどゆる～く手軽に楽しめる「Snake.io+」（今日から始めろApple Arcade #26）". 4Gamer.net (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-04-16. `{{cite web}}`: `|last=` has generic name (help)
27. ^ "Netflix Unveils 'Squid Game: Unleashed' and 'Monument Valley 3' at gamescom 2024". About Netflix. Retrieved 2025-04-16.
28. ^ reader (2024-11-15). "Les sorties et les promotions de la semaine sur Nintendo Switch". Nintendo-Town.fr (in French). Retrieved 2025-04-16.
29. ^ "Snaky Cat Launches Worldwide on Android and iOS". EIN Presswire. 6 February 2025. Archived from the original on 30 March 2025. Retrieved 30 March 2025.
30. ^ Greenfield, Mattew (28 July 2010). "Snake game hidden in YouTube: Procrastination squared". CNET. Archived from the original on 25 March 2025. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
31. ^ Baker, Shane (4 October 2024). "Exploring the Timeless Appeal of the Snake Game, from Nokia to Google". Expert Beacon. Archived from the original on 26 March 2025. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
32. ^ Boom, Daniel Van (1 April 2019). "Google adds Snake to Maps for April Fools' Day gag". CNET. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
33. ^ Yuge, Claudio (24 September 2019). "Chrome pode ter em breve uma página para games casuais, incluindo o da cobrinha". Canaltech. Archived from the original on 26 March 2025. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
34. ^ Magalhães, André Lourenti (21 January 2025). "Google celebra Ano Novo Chinês com "jogo da cobrinha"; veja como jogar" (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 26 March 2025. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
35. ^ "Snakeleev".
36. ^ Pietro Galizia, "Snakeleev: An Educational Game for Learning the Periodic Table of Elements", J. Chem. Educ. 2025, 102 (5), 1814–1828. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.5c00029
37. ^ "Inside the Game Design of Season 14". The Layover podcast. Nebula. Retrieved 2025-05-28.
38. ^ Maciel, Rui (15 April 2021). "Curso gratuito ensina a programar em Python usando o clássico "jogo da cobrinha"". Canaltech (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 1 June 2025. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
39. ^ "python snake game". Python Tutorials. Archived from the original on 1 June 2025. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
40. ^ "Top 100 Games of All Time". Next Generation. No. 21\. Imagine Media. September 1996. pp. 55–56.
41. ^ "MoMA | Video Games: 14 in the Collection, for Starters". Archived from the original on September 8, 2015. Retrieved March 24, 2016.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Snake (video game).

* List of snake variants on MobyGames
* Training AI to play snake game

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