User:TheMetaphorer/sandbox

.io games are a category of MMOs that are typically played in a web browser, such as Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari, etc. These games were popularized in April 2015 by the hit game agar.io.

Mechanics
A .io game is usually hosted on a website with a TLD of .io and the domain name pertaining to the content of the game. .io games connect the client to a network of servers around the world using WebSockets "What Technology/stack Is Slither.io Built On? • /r/webdev." Reddit. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 July 2016. . and slither.io have mobile apps available for download. However, as a result of being played on a mobile device and without a keyboard or mouse, many players complain that the mobile games are harder to play than their web browser counterparts.

Gameplay
.io games are usually games where several players on one server are pitted against each other in an everlasting free-for-all. The methods of combat vary from game to game. For example, in agar.io, players that are cells eat each other in order to gain mass. In slither.io, the goal is to become the longest snake, by eating the remains of killed snakes. Snakes die via collision with another snake. Some games are more complex than this, and may have different game modes, where there may either be teams or a primary objective to complete. Throughout the games, the common goal of self preservation still remains.