Snakes and Ladders is a terrible game - Here’s how to improve it

The Easter bank holiday weekend is coming, and with it (and a forecasted weekend of rain), there’s a chance you’ll be playing some board games with the family. As many of you know, I’m a fan of board games, but unfortunately some of the family favourites are simply terrible games. Snakes and Ladders is, for me, the worst offender.

At its core, Snakes and Ladders epitomises the concept of randomness. Players roll a dice, move accordingly, and face the consequences of landing on a snake or climbing a ladder. So why is it a terrible game? There's no strategy, no decision-making involved—just sheer luck dictating the outcome, you have no control over what happens.

So why is such a seemingly flawed game still popular, especially among children?

The answer lies in understanding the distinction between a toy and a game. While toys encourage open, imaginative play, playing a game can be defined as “voluntarily taking on unnecessary obstacles to create the possibility of struggling to overcome them”. For younger children, Snakes and Ladders serves as an introduction to this concept. The simple act of moving along the board, teetering on the edge of encountering a snake or ascending a ladder, provides a sense of anticipation and excitement and overcoming the obstacles (snakes) to get to the top before everyone else.

Moreover, watching adults, including their own parents, navigate the game with no more control than they have themselves adds an extra element of joy as everyone is on the same level - adults don’t have an advantage in Snakes and Ladders. However, as children grow older, the novelty of randomness wears thin. They want a sense of control over their destiny within the game. Landing on that snake is no fun when you realise you couldn’t do anything to get around the obstacle.

Here’s a simple solution: introducing choice into the gameplay. By rolling two dice (steal an extra one from Monopoly) and allowing players to select which one to use, the game suddenly becomes more engaging. Children weigh their options, see the two different outcomes and experience the satisfaction of choosing the best outcome, particularly when they make the decision to take a lower numbered dice to avoid landing on a snake, it allows them to show that they’re mature/clever enough to not take the obvious result and choose the lesser-looking result that gives them a better outcome. Even the occasional loss of choice due to rolling a double adds an element of unpredictability without sacrificing control entirely.

But the changes don't stop there. As children mature the game can improve further. Incorporating some simple maths into dice rolls adds an educational element while allowing players to exercise their creativity and problem-solving skills (“I rolled a 3 and a 5, I can add them together to make 8, or perhaps I can do 5-3 to make 2, which takes me to a ladder!”) Suddenly, landing on a space isn't just a matter of chance—it's a calculated decision and far more rewarding when a child has not only determined their destiny, but crafted their own.

By simply adding an extra dice and changing the way players use it, you can rescue a potentially terrible game this weekend. Good luck, and let me know how it goes!

Final note: grown-ups should always be stuck with one dice. Allow the kids to outsmart you ;)