Slither.oi is a mobile app game that was created in 2016 but really gained popularity in 2017. Slither.io is very similar to the classic phone game Snake, but it is a multiplayer version with more dramatic reactions and higher stakes.
Today we are going to look at some of the educational values of Slither, the skills the game develops, and if the game is too violent for your children.
How Educational Is Slither.io?
Slither.io isn’t designed as an educational game. Just like Snake is made for recreational purposes.
There are no math questions to help you get to higher levels, nor are there any obvious educational snippets of information slid into the stylistic background.
This game was made to simply be fun, and it is aimed at both adults and children.
What Is The Objective Of The Game?
You might be wondering why someone would create another version of Snake, but the answer comes from the Pac-Man-like additions to the concept.
The players control a worm that wiggles around the screen, eating pellets. Other players are on the screen at the same time, also trying to eat these pellets. The more pellets are eaten, the bigger the worm grows, and the aim of the game is to get as big as possible.
If players touch another worm’s head, the body explodes, and they have to start again.
The aim is to become the longest worm that the server has ever seen.
Every player has access to the scoreboard, so they can see how they rank against other players from around the world.
What Skills Does Slither.io Promote?
Although this game isn’t aiming to be educational it does promote some great skills in your children.
Without digging deep into the game, you can automatically see four skills that this game can develop. They are “Dealing with Failure”, “Multitasking”, “Reading Maps” and “Strategizing”.
Dealing With Failure
When you play Slither.io, you will be up against other people who have been on the game for much longer than you. This means that they will have a lot more skills and strategies to beat their opponents.
New players need to deal with failure fast because they won’t be able to take out all of the other worms on the board.
As they progress in the game and learn their own strategies, losing will become more upsetting. This is a great way for children to learn that losing can help you learn better ideas for the next round and that you can still have fun even if you aren’t the best.
Multitasking
There are lots of different pellets that a character can eat. If a worm dies, “death” pellets lie where the player once was. These pellets will make you larger than a normal pellet and so they become highly sought after.
When your children see these pellets drop, they will have to navigate through the other desperate worms to eat the bigger pellets and grow in size.
They will then have to make sure that their long body isn’t in their way as they balloon. Your children will have to think about the consequences of getting bigger in a heavily populated area and weigh up the risk of being killed in the process.
This multitasking process needs to happen quickly as changing your mind last minute could cause a new problem of escape.
Reading Maps
A skill that has been lost to many of the modern generations is the ability to read maps. Over the decades, it has become clear that most people do not explore the wilderness anymore and so never learn how to read maps.
However, a surprising subgroup of people have managed to hold onto this skill, and these are gamers. Gamers who explore large online areas pick up on how to read maps as they play their games.
Playing simple games like Slither.io allows kids to understand their bearings, locate important areas, and visualize themself on the map.
Strategy
Thinking fast, understanding consequences, and seeing your moves two steps ahead can give you a great start in life no matter where you apply this logic to. It is also the same way for you to become a giant worm on Slither.io.
One of the best strategies to become large is to circle around another player until they have to where to go, but hit themselves or hit you. When they do either of those things, they will lose their game, and the “death” pellets are then locked in your circles, so no one else can get them.
This way of thinking will help your children learn how to weigh up the problems around them and lower the risk of defeat.
Is Slither.io Violent?
Despite all this talk of “death” pellets and beating the opponent, Slither.io isn’t a violent game. When someone fails or “dies,” their worm isn’t hacked up and bloodied. Instead, they turn into little balls which other players can eat.
Although the game isn’t visually violent, it does encourage its players to attack other players to earn these larger pellets. It is very unlikely for you to grow large without taking down another person.
The question of violence is boiled down to visual versus mental. If you are happy with your children playing against each other with fun, bright colors, then this game isn’t violent.
If you worry that any concept of hurting another person may be too much for your children, then Slither does have an aspect of attacking in its games, so it should be treated with caution.
Where Can You Download Slither.io?
Slither.io is available almost everywhere. The main three platforms are through a web page, an iOS device, and an Android device.
It might be easier to play the game on a desktop or on an iPad, as both of these technologies have large screens. Desktops do have a bigger advantage, as your keyboard will make controlling the worms easier.
What Kind of Advertising Does Slither.io Use?
When a worm dies, you are shown an advertisement that you have to watch before you can respawn into the game.
The advertisement is aimed at a large audience, which means that it isn't always suitable for children. If users shut down the app and then reload the game, an advert will still appear, so you cannot get past the advertising premise.
This is because the game needs to make money somehow but doesn’t want to force all of its users into paying for the game.
If you would rather pay than wait for possibly inappropriate adverts to be flashed to your children, the price is relatively low. It is a one-time payment, so you don’t need to keep on top of any charges.
You can also be sure that your children won’t waste your money buying online coins or powers up, as the creator, Steven Howse, didn’t want rich players beating poorer players simply because they could afford the additions. This means that there is no in-game buying.
Pros And Cons
There isn’t much wrong with Slither.io, and that is reflected in its super high rating on Google Play and the App Store. That being said, it is easier to way up your options when there is a pros and cons list, so let’s drive-in!
Pros:
- Free App
- Lots Of Fun
- Simple Objective
- Helps Kids Deal With Failure
- Helps Kids Learn To Multitask
- Helps Kids Learn To Read Maps
- Helps Kids Learn To Strategize
- Non-Violent Game
- Available On Every Platform
Cons:
- Adverts Aren’t Aimed At Kids And So Can Be Inappropriate
- One Time Payment To Avoid Adverts
- Not Educational
Final Verdict
Slither.io is a fun and harmless game which children can play without parents worrying about who they might be talking to. Although the game isn’t educational, it allows children to learn a plethora of skills that can help them concentrate in school and deal with the possible points of failure in their lives.
One of the biggest takeaways from the game is the way you can learn from others to gain strategies. This technique will teach your children that it is okay to ask for help and learn as you go.
Our favorite part of the app is how much it reminds us of the classic phone game Snake, which means that kids are joining in this fun experience, and we can re-join in too! It is a fantastic way to bond with your children.
