Snake like on the Nokia 3310! But this time you program your own Battlesnake and let it make decisions on it’s own to beat each level.
UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE
After last Friday’s workshop, on Sunday the 19th of July at 18:00, there will be a tournament. Come to the Arcade Workshop tent, to follow the tournament LIVE!
Subscribe to this tournament with your localhosted or (Replit)hosted snakes on this URL: https://play.battlesnake.com/tournament/emf2026-4707244c36
For games running on your badge, instructions will be provided at start of the tournament.
I participated in a Battlesnake workshop during EMF 2022, and it struck me as a simple and fun way to learn some logical thinking. After the workshop, I continued to build my Battlesnake to achieve more levels. It is kind of addictive (in a good way)! This EMF I will pay forward what I learned: the battle continues!
In this workshop, we will follow the instructions that Battlesnake provides on their website; setting up your server and building your very own snake. Doing it together and see if your result matches that of other participants is a fun way to get started with this.
If we have time, we’ll also build Battlesnake on the EMF Tildagon badge! Find the details in the “App Store”
We may organise a tournament the next day to give people a chance to try out their Battlesnakes against each other.
WHERE: Arcade Workshop tent
WHEN: During EMF 2026: Friday July 17th – 11:00 – 13:00
TICKETS: Get your tickets with help of the lottery here
At the start of EMF, the workshop documentation will be uploaded here. Stay tuned!
What is Battlesnake?
Battlesnake is a competitive programming game where your code is the controller.
In the game, each Battlesnake is controlled in real-time by a live web server, responding to the Battlesnake API. It navigates the game board based on your algorithm, trying to find food, avoid other Battlesnakes, and survive as long as possible.
This workshop will help you deploy your first Battlesnake using a Python Starter Project, by following the steps from the battlesnake.com website. This project implements just enough code for a simple Battlesnake that moves randomly (and not much else).
As a Battlesnake developer, you can use any tech stack you would like
If you’re not sure which language to choose, try starting with Python or JavaScript as they’re both widely supported and popular in the Battlesnake community. In the workshop we will follow the Python starter pack, but if you are more comfortable with JavaScript (or any of the other languages), please use what suits you best.
During the workshop, we will follow this guide: Battlesnake workshop EMF2026
If you want to run your Battlesnake install locally, follow this additional guide: Battlesnake workshop EMF2026 – LOCAL
