Quantifying the Vices and Virtues of Snakes and Ladders Through Time

Across three historical and modern Snakes and Ladders boards, this study uses large-scale simulation to measure how much each snake and ladder shapes the time needed to win. The boards examined are the 1998 Milton Bradley 100-square game, the 72-square Vaisnava board, and the 84-square Jaina board, with each condition run for 100,000 games. The central argument is that a game element's influence cannot be inferred from its physical length, because placement and interaction with other elements, particularly near the endgame, produce effects that are often non-proportional.

The results illustrate this point clearly. The Milton Bradley board averages about 40 spins per game, and its chutes lengthen play far more than its ladders shorten it. On the Vaisnava board, the full game averages roughly 100 spins, with snake K producing an outsized slowing effect, while the longest ladder, B, contributes only modestly because it carries players past the winning square and forces a return. On the Jaina board, the average game runs about 110 spins, and only ladders I and J, which lead directly into the heavens, substantially accelerate victory, while the long ladder A has negligible impact.

Beyond raw timing, the analysis finds that snakes generally lengthen play in rough proportion to their size, whereas ladders show inconsistent and sometimes inversely proportional effects. Repetitive cycles of play, driven by snake T on the Vaisnava board, emerge as a defining feature of that variant, and nearly half of Jaina players never use snake X. The authors conclude that board placement and cultural meaning can matter as much as physical dimensions, linking the game's mechanical vices and virtues to its spiritual origins and to the shift in emphasis seen in the modern commercial version.