Playing snake

Snake is a simple game, usually for one person. You steer a line around a box, and the line grows longer each time it eats. You have to keep it from running into the walls or into its own body.

How a game works

The head of the snake keeps moving forward on its own. You choose when it turns left, right, up or down.

In the usual one-player game, the tail follows the head. So the snake stays the same length while it moves.

Each piece of food the snake eats makes it longer. Many versions use apples or eggs as the food.

A longer snake is harder to keep clear of its own body. One 1982 version for the BBC Micro also made the snake faster as it grew.

Where the game came from

The snake game began with Blockade, an arcade game released in 1976. Its makers first tried it out in public at a miniature golf course.

Blockade was a game for two players. Each player steered a line that left a trail behind it, and whoever lasted longer won.

Those early games showed plain lines and blocks. Later, people turned the idea into a game for one player, where a line with a head and a tail grows each time it eats.

The first known version for a home computer came out in 1978. The game is simple and needs very little computing power, so people have made hundreds of versions of it.

In 1996 the games magazine Next Generation put the snake game at number 41 in its list of the 100 best games of all time. It pointed to the quick reactions and the thinking ahead that the game asks of a player. In 1998 a version came built into a mobile phone, and interest in snake games grew again.

Tips for a longer game

• Think a few moves ahead as well as the next turn.
• Before you turn towards the food, look for a way out on the far side of it.
• Keep the open part of the box in front of the snake's head, especially once the snake is long.
• Watch the tail. As the head moves, the tail moves on too, and the square it leaves is free. Just after the snake eats, the tail stays where it is for a move.
• If the game speeds up, take the long and safe way round to the food.

Playing safely and taking breaks

The National Cyber Security Centre suggests keeping what you share online to a minimum. It advises players to keep their personal information from other players inside a game. When you install a game, it suggests using official sources and app stores.

The NHS advises that children and young people aged 5 to 18 cut down the time they spend sitting or lying down. It also suggests that they break up long spells of not moving with some activity.

Useful links

• The snake game and its history (Wikipedia)
• Online gaming for families and individuals (National Cyber Security Centre)
• Gaming (Get Safe Online)
• Physical activity guidelines for children and young people (NHS)