The Worm Eats You
Nibbles is one of those games that we all probably cut our teeth on. For some of us it was one of the first games we played, for others it was the first game we ever programmed. It's been ported to calculators for goodness' sake. Nibbles is one of those little quick time wasting games that we can spend 10 minutes or less playing, or accidentally waste several hours. It's almost hypnotic in its simplicity. It would easily fit on mobile devices, for you to pull out when you're waiting for a crossing light to change, or just waiting for a friend to arrive. You play as a worm or a snake, or whatever your imagination can conjure up to identify the long yellow line on the screen. The more numbers you eat, the longer you grow, so there's a touch of TRON's light cycle game to it as well. The addition of a second player makes things about as more chaotic as you'd expect. Nibbles is one of those games that belongs in the hall of fame for the early days of computer gaming history. It's the kind of game that other games might include as a mini-game, like a hacking exercise, or as a “party game†in a collection. Like Space Invaders, don't let it's simplicity fool you into thinking that it's easy. Soon enough, you'll see how hard it can get.
