Agar.io

Agar.io
File:Agar.io.png Agar.io game play with ECU, the highest scorer in the game's history (although not in this game), winning. The score in the game was over 12000.
Developer(s)	Zeach
Platform(s)	Browser, client
Genre(s)	top-down strategy action game
Mode(s)	Multiplayer

Agar.io (sometimes spelled Agario adapted away from URL form) is a massively multiplayer action browser game played in a top-down perspective, developed by stormfront user Zeach. It was originally known as Mitosis: The Game before a domain name was found for it. In Agar.io, the player manipulates a circular cell using the mouse and keyboard buttons. The goal of the game is to enlarge the cell by swallowing non-player cells which are randomly scattered around the map, as well as other players' cells that are smaller than the player's. Originally a browser game, Agar.io entered Steam Greenlight and was subsequently "Greenlit" by the community, with the developers indicating that they planned to add more features not available in the web version of the game.

Agar.io has quickly become popular worldwide. Before the Turkish 2015 elections, Agar.io had been used in Turkey for political reasons; some political parties have also used Agar.io in campaign posters as a symbol of support. The Hürriyet Daily News stated that it resembles the country's politics.^{[ npov?]}

History

The game was invented on 4chan, cognitively. The channers were asked how they would like the game rules.

Gameplay

The objective of the game is to grow a player-controlled cell. The player grows their cell by swallowing non-player cells scattered around the map and other smaller player-controlled cells, while trying to avoid player-controlled cells that are larger.

In the browser version of Agar.io, the player can manipulate their cell using the mouse cursor to navigate, the 'W' key to eject a portion of the player's mass, and the space bar to split their cell into two equal, smaller cells. Smaller cells are much faster than their bigger counterparts. One can also hide behind viruses if they are smaller than the virus.

There is also an option to use skins in the game, which change the background of your cell into a certain image.

Viruses will split a player into many, smaller cells if the player is larger then the virus. If a player is smaller than a virus, it can hide behind it or in it. Viruses can also be shot into by pressing "W" and pointing at them at the same time. If the virus is shot into enough, it will eject another virus out of it. If a player manages to eject the virus into another cell, that cell will split into small pieces. this is commonly referred to as "sniping"

Stategy

Alliances are known as teams.

Game modes

There are 3 game modes in Agar.io. The game modes are FFA (Free-for-All), Teams, and Experimental. More modes are proposed, some slight tweaks of the current modes.

FFA

File:Agario FFA example gameplay.png

Agario FFA example gameplay. Note: b is a very prolific player. ECU is thought to be played by the same person(s) that play as b although this is not confirmed. Others think it is a play on /b/, the name and url code for "Random" boards on many English language imageboards.

File:Agario FFA example spectate.png

Agario FFA example where the 'Spectate' option is chosen. Alliances are often formed as seen with this rank 1 player appealing to all players in the leader board. The leader board originally displayed rank 1 though rank 5 then expanded through rank 10 as the game exploded in popularity around early May.

FFA (Free-for-All) mode is the basic, first, and most popular mode of the game, where players try to become the biggest cell.

Teams

In the teams mode, the cells are one of three colors, and one color cell cannot eat the same color. (Ex: Red cannot eat red, but can eat green and blue) Players try to get their color to have the majority of the mass on the server.

Experimental

Experimental mode is similar to FFA mode, except that viruses are moved when shot into, not split, and there are red viruses that spew out mass.

Reception

Agar.io has received positive reception. Jon Fingas of Engadget described the game as "a good abstraction of the fierce survival-of-the-fittest competition that you sometimes see on the microscopic level." The Yorkshire Standard calls it "extremely addicting", but criticized it for being somewhat repetitive and frustrating. Brett Makedonski of Destructoid said that "it felt so good to eat a guy."

Reaction

Websites

Reddit

There are at least 2 subreddits dedicated to a topic of Agar.io. The by far most important subreddit is r/Agario/ which has been critical in the development and evolution of the game.

Turkey

It has been used in major political campaigns.

United States

Many citizens like to try to find situations to take pictures to post that "remind them of agario". This practice has become so widespread and notable many consider it a meme.

Gallery

• Agar.io game play with ECU, the highest scorer in the games history (although not in this game), winning.
  Agar.io game play with ECU, the highest scorer in the games history (although not in this game), winning.
• Player b on Agario as a single blob of almost 2000 mass. b appears sporadically and elusively across the game rooms usually within the East United States playing field.
  Player b on Agario as a single blob of almost 2000 mass. b appears sporadically and elusively across the game rooms usually within the East United States playing field.
• A 1-blob hiding whitin a 4-blob. Although, 1-blobs passing through 2-blobs is somewhat common, it is more difficult to pass though and more so to enter a (n>2)-blob. Difficulty of intrusion increases as mass increases and parasite-host-ratio increases. In this example we see a 1-blob at the center of a 4-blob whose blobs are not much bigger. This is a extraordinarily rare and accomplished feat.
  A 1-blob hiding whitin a 4-blob. Although, 1-blobs passing through 2-blobs is somewhat common, it is more difficult to pass though and more so to enter a (n>2)-blob. Difficulty of intrusion increases as mass increases and parasite-host-ratio increases. In this example we see a 1-blob at the center of a 4-blob whose blobs are not much bigger. This is a extraordinarily rare and accomplished feat.
• Agario swarm by virus baiting is a form of Agario baiting whereby a swarm baits a larger blob to eat its "remnants" tricking the predator into getting "REKT" by colliding with at least 1 virus. The strategy is not foolproof.
  Agario swarm by virus baiting is a form of Agario baiting whereby a swarm baits a larger blob to eat its "remnants" tricking the predator into getting "REKT" by colliding with at least 1 virus. The strategy is not foolproof.
• Agario blob hits virus as growing by consumption. The blob eaten (not pictured) was trying to eat a blob in a blob group, in this case a 3-blob. The blob group suddenly regrouped as one blob barley large enough to eat the attacking blob. The extended area reached the nearby virus so the blob swarm split.
  Agario blob hits virus as growing by consumption. The blob eaten (not pictured) was trying to eat a blob in a blob group, in this case a 3-blob. The blob group suddenly regrouped as one blob barley large enough to eat the attacking blob. The extended area reached the nearby virus so the blob swarm split.
• Sometimes the gaming room is new enough where players can achieve leader board status with mass much smaller than is usually needed. In this case a blob attained rank 4 with a mass of 98 staying as a 1-blob.
  Sometimes the gaming room is new enough where players can achieve leader board status with mass much smaller than is usually needed. In this case a blob attained rank 4 with a mass of 98 staying as a 1-blob.

External links

• Agar.io website
• Agario subreddit on Reddit