Bautista, Judiel Benedict L.

January 10, 2020

STEM 22

Slithering Name Attacks Kaleidoscopic Evolution Securely

(S.N.A.K.E.S.)
The game being critique is the ignition for the continuous development of mobile
games. The widespread release of mobile phones with keypads also rises the popularity
of its entertainment feature. With such simple controls using the up, down, left, and right
key button provided children of that generation great times of enjoyment. Compared to
the games as of today, the game being talked about is quite simple yet started a complex
and diverse variety of applications. A millennial when ask, will remember the most iconic
game of their generation – the snake.
Tracing back to where it all began, the game started slithering by the year 1997
when the phone Nokia 6610 was first released to the market. According to Mel Magazine
(2019), “Taneli Armanto is an unsung hero of mobile gaming”. He is the creator of the
game that has ignited the evolution from arcade to mobile gaming. Going back to the
year 1995, Armanto is a software engineer in the country of Finland. He was employed
at Nokia’s company. At that time, the company was fast-growing and would later release
the upcoming Nokia 6110. Due to having a background knowledge in gaming, he was
assigned to create “some cool little games”. Next thing we knew, Snakes peaked the
climax in technology and entertainment industry in the past. They added, “Snakes is
considered the first major mobile game, the title launched an industry now worth a
potential $100 billion”. The game first originated at an arcade game called Blockade in
1976, along with Nibbler, Worm, or Rattler Race, the gameplay was retained.
With its purpose in providing little entertainment to the generation where
technology is starting, it became a great turning point to ignite the industry for a better
source of leisure and enjoyment. Nowadays, there are many competitors for the classic
game, some are: slither.io and snake rivals. The game is just a snake that nibbles up a
fruit which will make it longer, running to itself will make the game over and restart. The
game will end until all space at the screen is consumed by the snake. Modern game
developers saw this opportunity to make the game better with the access of advanced
technology software and easier access to utilities needed in creating a game. Slither.io
and Snake Rivals provided better control which entailed a smooth like graphics just like
how a snake slithers, 3-dimensional entities and a much more complex gameplay.
Moving on the pros and cons of the classic game, Banerjee (2018) described it as
“Growing and Evolving Snake”. He added that the game has contributed significantly
towards the past days of gaming in mobiles. The progression of Nokia phones also
resulted the company to make better versions of the game, which was Snake Xenzia,
which was comparable to the Snakes 2 version, that would run on displays with a
monochromatic color scheme. The improvement moved on from graphics of Snake Ex.
Next was a 3D version called Snakes 3 which has same intentions and goal of Snake Ex
along with its graphic designs.
In addition, William Austin (2018) listed his pros and cons for the game. First, were
tangible interfaces where it addresses if the pressable keypad can support the movement
Bautista, Judiel Benedict L. January 10, 2020
STEM 22

of the game. It was easy for a child to control rather than complex games in an iPhone.
The con was its dimensions the it needed to be played at. Although it was a lot better
than needing a costly computer or phone. Next was wearable interface, Austin suggested
having a controller by the gesture of looking where you want to turn the snake by means
of a glass wear. A pro is that people who have glasses will be a lot faster to cope up but
a con was based on a user’s judgement if the glasses might be too annoying. Lastly,
shareable interface, Austin tackled about having game interactions between others, as
Snakes is a one-player game.
As an overall evaluation of the game that made an industry worth $100 billion
dollars, it is one of the greatest achievements of human creativity. Sparking a 4-controlled
movement game to give birth to millions of other gaming genres was a big spot for
history. The game exhibited simplicity and it is beauty yet unique at its time. The game
proved its worth to be played, worth to become a time-killer, and worth to be loved by
many young children who was just introduced to the gaming industry. The snakes
showcased how innovation can remold the past for a better future in the industry.
To recommend a possible improvement for the game, retaining its iconic 4-
controlled movement is nostalgic however young generations of today finds fun along
challenges. Tweaking its mode of movement is one way to spice things a little. Also,
rather than single cycle of gameplay, including missions and levels would be a way to
keep a player in using the game. Retaining its purpose to entertain children and make
memories is a must keep recommendation for its next versions.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Austin, William (February 5, 2018). The Snake Game: Comparing interfaces. Retrieved
from https://medium.com/@austinwd/the-snake-game-comparing-interfaces-
ae8e85cce0a2
Banerjee, Prasid (February 27, 2017). A brief history of snake. Retrieved from
https://www.digit.in/features/mobile-phones/a-brief-history-of-snake-33913.html
Myers, Quinn (October 2018). An oral history of “snake” on nokia. Retrieved from
https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/snake-nokia-6110-oral-history-taneli-
armanto
Wright, Chris (March 14, 2016). A brief history of mobile games: In the beginning, there
was snake. Retrieved from https://www.pocketgamer.biz/feature/10619/a-brief-
history-of-mobile-games-in-the-beginning-there-was-snake/