As soon as it appeared, Ants became an instant hit for the Internet Gaming Zone, or "the Zone" as it would quickly be dubbed by its more die-hard users. This was due in part to loyal fans having followed it from Spike's World. However, because the Zone was still in its infancy players wanted a game that would be simple, easy to use and understand, and could almost guarantee that there would be little to no problems in playing it. "Ants" met these criteria. A single game could take no more than twelve minutes. It was easy and clean enough for children to play, but addictive and strategic enough for adults to enjoy it too. The popularity and population soared, reaching almost record levels in a short period of time, sometimes hosting over 500—or more—players in four to six game rooms at once.