It seems that every other person at Jefferson is playing Agar.io on their laptop.  As a relatively new game, Agar.io has absolutely taken off and experienced a widespread following.  Agar.io is offered completely for free, and is currently only available on PC.

The game setup is simple, and only takes a few minutes to get used to.  You begin the game as a small colored ball, known as a cell.  You control the cell by using your mouse, and consume small inert dots on the white field by hovering over them.  As you grow larger, you try to eat other cells that are smaller than yourself, while avoiding being eaten yourself.  You also have the option to eject mass or split to increase your range.

A danger in the game is inconspicuous looking green blobs.  These green blobs cause larger cells to explode when touched, leaving them prone to attack.  Since larger cells move more slowly than smaller cells, these green blobs become a more serious threat as you grow larger.  However, the green blobs prevent any few cells from monopolizing the field for any length of time.

Adding to the mix, players can choose to name their cells.  Certain names, such as country names, will cause your cell to adopt a unique “skin” or design.  Due to a lack of community guidelines, many players chose profane, offensive or politically charged usernames, generally for a humorous effect.

Players can also opt to play on team mode, wherein balls of the same color work together to defeat other teams.  When first beginning the game, you can also specify which general area you want to be in, such as East America or China.  Players may also choose to change the color scheme or to spectate on the game.

Despite the deceptively simple setup, Agar.io is absolutely addicting.  You can go from being a new cell to being the largest player on the field in less than fifteen minutes.  The game splits players off into different servers and keeps a running ranking list of the ten largest players on each server.

While getting eaten by a larger cell is frustrating, and the game occasionally experiences lag, on the whole, Agar.io is a worthwhile and fun game.  The user friendly controls and simple setup add to the game experience without making the game boring.  Agar.io definitely deserves the hype.