Before ‘Candy Crush’ and ‘Angry Birds’, this was the game in which mobile phone users were glued to their screens.
‘Snake’ was added to the Nokia 6110 in 1997, and it quickly became a global phenomenon.
Its simple concept involves controlling a snake to pick up pieces of cellular food, all while avoiding obstacles such as its tail and the edge of the screen.
Mobile games replaced devices whose primary functions were making calls and sending SMS texts to a handheld game console.
As the game turns 25 yesterday, MailOnline asked experts why the concept of a snake chasing a piece of food has stood the test of time.
Video game developer Qualley’s William Cox thinks the frustration he feels when he loses a game of Snakes is what makes it so addictive.
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, he said: ‘You’ll always want to come back for more with Snake – it’s easy and it frustrates you in a carefully balanced way so you don’t have to start again from scratch every time. Be willing
‘Beating your own or your friend’s high score is extremely satisfying.’
‘Mobile games succeed or fail based on their core gameplay and mechanics – everything else is a bonus. The simplicity of snake controls helps to make it addictive.
‘I played Snake so much that I managed to fill the screen and beat the game.
‘It’s iconic and part of the history of the game industry, as well as nostalgia for many of us playing our first games on our first phones.’
The phone game ‘Snake’ (pictured) was added to the Nokia 6110 in 1997, and quickly became a global phenomenon. Its simple concept involves controlling a snake to pick up pieces of cellular food, all while avoiding obstacles such as its tail and the edge of the screen.
Taneli Armanto developed the game from a version played on a Macintosh computer, as it could be modified to fit 48 x 84 black-and-white pixels without copyright issues.
history of snakes
1977 – Blockade released – An arcade game where two players move their characters leaving a solid line behind them that they must avoid.
1977 – 1992 – Bigfoot Bonkers, Worm, Nibbler, Rattler Race etc released – Games similar to Blockade were released on various consoles including home computers.
1997 – Snake added to Nokia 6110 – Developed by Taneli Armanto, the first Nokia iteration of the game was released.
2002 – First color version released on the Nokia 9290 Communicator – The fourth Nokia iteration of Snake supported multiplayer via Bluetooth and Infrared.
2005 – 3D versions released on Nokia phones – ‘Snake’ and ‘Snake 3’ were available on the company’s first smartphones.
2017 – Snake is released on Facebook Messenger and the Google search engine.
2021 – Reboot version of Nokia 6310 with Snake released.
Simon Lee, CEO of app development agency Glance, said Snake was the first mobile game where the player was pitted against his skills.
He told MailOnline: ‘There were no levels and no enemies to kill, it was pure reaction speed and the most basic of game mechanics – pure one-handed game play.
‘It’s a great example of simplicity where the lack of levels is replaced by your own reactions and choices to create an increasingly difficult experience.
‘Its simplicity and short game loop – how long before you give up – meant it was the first truly pick-up-and-play type of game while waiting for a train or bus.
Snake was actually conceptualized in 1976 by the video game company Gremlin Interactive as a two-player arcade game called Blockade.
Players will use the arrow keys to move their character, leaving a solid trail behind, and try to dodge by hitting the other player or their respective trails.
After a few more iterations, Finnish company Nokia launched Snake for its monochrome 6110 phone and was programmed by Tanelli Armanto.
Armanto conceived the idea for the game after the product marketing team was requested to develop a game that would take advantage of infrared links.
While Snake is best known as a single-player game, it was possible to play against a friend using the infrared feature.
The developer told online publication It’s Nice That that he was also inspired by a similar two-player game he had seen on Macintosh computers.
Unlike the other potential contender Tetris, the Snake game can be modified to fit at 48 x 84 black-and-white pixels and without copyright issues.
The code for Snake was written line-by-line in the programming language C.
In the game, a player controls the movement of a cellular snake contained inside a box with a pixelated piece of ‘food’.
The object of the game is to lead the snake towards the food to ‘eat’ it, and later a pixel will be added to the end of its tail, increasing its length.
Then a new piece of food will pop up to aim at a new location within the box, while the moving snake must avoid touching its tail and the wall of the box.
Snake was launched by Finnish company Nokia for its monochrome 6110 phone (pictured) and was programmed by Tanelli Armanto in 1977.
Video game developer Qualley’s William Cox thinks the frustration he feels when he loses a game of Snakes is what makes it so addictive. Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, he said: ‘You’ll always want to come back for more with Snake – it’s easy and it frustrates you in a carefully balanced way so you don’t have to start again from scratch every time. be interested.’
Mr Cox said: ‘It was a good game technically because it understood exactly what it needed to prioritize.
‘The 2D pixel style gave you enough detail – “snake” and “food” come alive in your own imagination.’
Armanto said that he deliberately delayed a bit before the snake hit the wall to allow a player to ‘save’ it and make the game more enjoyable.
But according to Mr. Cox, the tough curve also helps keep players hooked.
He said: ‘You can jump without a tutorial and it gets you started easily, the challenge is gradually increasing.
‘Anyone can play as a result – that’s why Snake is so beloved after 25 years.’
Mr Lee said: ‘It used the same effect that Tetris employed, speeding up until you’re playing and getting more frantic until you make a mistake.
Unlike Tetris, which resets a moderate tempo each level, Snake with its absence of levels means it’s only a matter of time before you lose.
‘This anticipation is getting faster and faster with the frantic nature of things, making it a very addictive game.’
There have been nine Nokia sequels to Snake so far since it was added to the 6110 handset, the most recent to be played on Facebook Messenger in 2017.
A quarter century after its release, the legacy of the simple game lives on as an entire genre of video games across multiple platforms.
There are more than 420 Snake-like games in the App Store alone, which came after Apple’s iPhone in 2011 overtook Nokia’s popularity.
Experts believe that the fact that the phone was pre-installed helped contribute to its success.
Mr Cox, who has over 15 years of experience in the gaming industry, said: ‘We have the luxury of choice these days, but when Snake was pre-installed on Nokia phones, mobile gaming was new.
‘It was a shared experience – I remember playing it with my friends at breaktime in college.
‘There are multiple versions – multiplayer, on different devices, leaping to social media – so each generation of players has explored it in a new way.
‘I love the endless choice, colorful style and polish of today’s mobile games, but elegant simplicity is still at the heart of the industry.
‘Snake was a game that anyone could play.’
Do you have what it takes to be a professional gamer? Experts reveal ideal age, physique and diet and say 9-inches is the optimal hand
MailOnline has done research to find out the true age, physique, diet and even hand size of professional players.
E-sports physician Dr. Lindsay Migliore concluded that the optimal finger span for gamers is 9 inches (22.8 cm) and palm width is 3.4 inches (8.7 cm).
According to Professor Ingo Frobos of the German Sport University Cologne, professional gamers can burn 420 calories in a two-hour gaming session, so they need to be in peak physical condition.
He said that on average, a professional gamer’s career is very short and usually ends in his mid-20s.
read more here
What does it really take to be a professional gamer? MailOnline has done research to find out the true age, physique, diet and even hand size of professional players.
