History Main / RisingUpTheFoodChainGame

In this game, you start out as a small creature--typically a fish or something aquatic, since underwater environments seem to lend themselves to this kind of gameplay. There are many other creatures around you: some are smaller than you, some are bigger than you. If you touch one bigger than you, you are eaten, and die. If you touch one smaller than you, they are eaten, and they die — but you get slightly bigger. This allows you to eat slightly bigger creatures than you previously could. There may be a maximum size to reach to win, or maybe it goes on forever. Maybe you reach the biggest size, ending all difficulty, and the game doesn't end, because it's hard to get there and they didn't think to program an ending. They often count your score: it's a classic style of arcade game. Because it's really simple to make, play, and understand, this type of game existed on a lot of early video game platforms, including consoles, plug-and-play games and arcade games. The first one of this type is not currently known with certainty. Multiplayer variants have risen in popularity since ''[[VideoGame/{{Agario}} Agar.io]]'' .

* The ''Visitor'' Flash game series involves an alien slug that eats animals and gains their form and abilities, with the ultimate goal of eating a human.

* ''[[VideoGame/SharkShark Shark! Shark!]]'' on the Intellivision.

In this game, you start out as a small creature, typically a fish. There are many other creatures around you: some are smaller than you, some are bigger than you. If you touch one bigger than you, you are eaten, and die. If you touch one smaller than you, they are eaten, and they die — but you get slightly bigger. This allows you to eat slightly bigger creatures than you previously could. There may be a maximum size to reach to win, or maybe it goes on forever. Maybe you reach the biggest size, ending all difficulty, and the game doesn't end, because it's hard to get there and they didn't think to program an ending. They often count your score: it's a classic style of arcade game. Because it's really simple to make, play, and understand, this type of game existed on a lot of early video game platforms, including consoles, plug-and-play games and arcade games. The first one of this type is not currently known with certainty. Multiplayer variants have risen in popularity since ''[[VideoGame/{{Agario}} Agar.io]]'' .

* ''VideoGame/{{Osmos}}''

* ''VideoGame/OdellLake'' (1986) for UsefulNotes/AppleII and UsefulNotes/Commodore64, which might have been the UrExample.

* ''VideoGame/FeedingFrenzy'' series by Ceator/PopCap.

* ''Hungry Space'' is a [[RecycledInSpace space monster version]]. The space creatures even resemble fish.

* ''VideoGame/FeedingFrenzy'' series by PopCap.

* The Flash game ''Bobulous'' has you eat smaller enemies (and avoid larger ones, of course) that are ColorCodedForYourConvenience. Features [[EvolutionPowerUp growing in size after each level]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Cubivore}}''

Note that you must only be able to defeat creatures smaller than you, most of the time (not counting power-ups). See also MusclesAreMeaningful.

* ''VideoGame/{{flOw}}'', by [=ThatGameCompany=] for PS3, also a Flash game: You start as what is apparently a fish, that eats things, to become bigger fish which help you eat the eat fish that tried / try to eat you.

* ''VideoGame/{{Cubivore}}''

* ''[[VideoGame/{{Agario}} Agar.io]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/{{Slitherio}} Slither.io]]'' (multiplayer) are multiplayer games of this type — in Agar.io you control blobs/amoebas and in Slither.io you control snakes. They are available online in the browser and have some power-ups as well (splitting your amoeba on demand for example).

* ''VideoGame/{{flOw}}'', by [=ThatGameCompany=] for PS3.