CP2020 Game Design Analysis Journal: Snake

Snake game is a arcades video game originated in the late 1970s. The popularity of the snake game is perhaps maintaining until today. The snake game was founding its highest popularity when Nokia mobile phone made Snake game to be their standard pre-loaded game in 1988. That time, Snake audience and player became massively increased.

Snake game on Nokia mobile phone

Interactive
Snake is game is really really simple. A player controls the head of the snake which is represented in long thin creature emulating a real life snake, and he/she controls the direction of the snake head (left, right, up, and down) to avoid of hitting its own tail or walls as the snake will be moving and cannot be stopped while the game is in progress. The snake eats a piece of food which will make its tail grows longer and longer.

Setting
This game is originated during the late 1970s which confront the fact the the graphics at that time was still very simple and not good compared today. The setting of the game is there are walls that surround the playing area. The playing area's background is simply black. There is a hole in the wall which will allow the snake will go from one to another side of screen (like a portal). However, this is not necessary. There are a lot of customisation of the snake game. Some don't have wall, and some have walls.

Snake game on Nokia has different levels and play areas.

Concept
The game concept of Snake game is there is a snake and there is a piece of food appearing somewhere in the play area. The player needs to control the direction of the head of the snake (up, down, left, and right) and its body will follows to get the food and to avoid of hitting its own tail or walls. The snake will move and cannot be stop, and the snake also cannot go in reverse. After the snake ate the food, its tail will grows longer. Whenever the snake has eaten the food, another piece of food will appear somewhere in the play area.

Goal
The goal of the game is to get more points by eating the pieces of food.

Challenge
The challenge of this game is to avoid hitting the walls and its own tail. The more food the snake eats, the longer its tail, and the faster it slithers. The longer the snake, it will increase the difficulty of the game. It is also a strategy and requires the player to think the way to avoid the snake hitting its own tail as the tail will grow longer and longer.