This article was taken from the July 2012 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.
Remember being glued to Snake on your Nokia? Well, the serpent is back -- as a 3D avatar based on user-generated rules. "As you play, the levels mutate," says Truro-based game-developer Matt James. The game's objective is still the same -- "You're a snake, you collect objects, you avoid eating your tail" -- but a new algorithm lets it track your gameplay and throw up extra elements.
In 2010, James, now 34, met Lane Hauck, the creator of Snake's arcade progenitor, Blockade, in San Diego. Using Hauck's recollections, James wove a historical narrative into the game. "As you play, you can unlock areas that tell the story of Blockade," says James, "and pop-ups, audio and text chart the history of Snake."
The game, available on Xbox and PC, is called qrth-phyl. Meaning? "Like the game," says James, "it can be whatever you want it to be."
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
