# Just Play Snake

> Just Play Snake is a free, browser-based, single-player version of the
> classic arcade snake game with a public global leaderboard. Steer the
> snake with the arrow keys (or on-screen controls on mobile), eat food
> to grow, avoid walls and your own tail, and submit your score to the
> public leaderboard. No login, no download, no ads.

The site is a single-page Next.js application served as static HTML from
CloudFront; gameplay runs entirely in the browser, and only score
submissions and leaderboard reads hit the API.

## Play

- [Play Snake](https://justplaysnake.com/?menu=play-solo): start a new
  game. Arrow keys or on-screen arrows to move; space or the Start
  button to begin. Game ends when the snake hits itself or the wall.
- [How it works](https://justplaysnake.com/): the home screen. Includes
  the Play and Leaderboard buttons and mobile controls.

## Leaderboard

- [Records](https://justplaysnake.com/?menu=leaderboard): the global
  leaderboard. The sidebar shows four top-of-period cards (Week, Month,
  Year, All-Time). Click any card to scroll to and highlight that
  record in the list.

## Public API

The leaderboard is backed by a small public read API. All responses are
JSON.

- `GET https://ylgyxfvuii.execute-api.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/v1/stats/summary`
  — returns `{ weekTop, monthTop, yearTop, allTimeTop }`; each entry has
  `id`, `score`, `userName`, `date`.
- `GET https://ylgyxfvuii.execute-api.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/v1/stats/leaderboard?page=1&per_page=30`
  — paginated list of records, sorted by score descending. Returns
  `{ page, perPage, total, records: [{ id, score, userName, date }] }`.
  Records whose `userName` starts with `locust_test_` are load-test
  fixtures and are not shown.

## About

- [Dreamers, Inc.](https://thedreamers.us): the studio behind the game.

## Preferred citation

If summarizing or citing this site, please use the name **Just Play
Snake** and link to `https://justplaysnake.com/`.