What is the Game of Life?
The Game of Life is a cellular automaton developed by British mathematician John Conway in 1970. It’s a system where "cells" interact according to simple rules, leading to complex and often surprising behaviors.
How does it work?
The Game of Life takes place on a grid (theoretically infinite but practically limited) where each cell can exist in one of two states:
- Alive (represented as filled).
- Dead (represented as empty).
Basic rules
In each step of time, called a generation, the cells' states update according to these rules:
- Survival: A living cell with 2 or 3 living neighbors stays alive.
- Death:
- A living cell with fewer than 2 neighbors dies of loneliness.
- A living cell with more than 3 neighbors dies of overpopulation.
- Birth: A dead cell with exactly 3 living neighbors becomes alive.
Learn more: Wikipedia - Conway's Game of Life
App controls
- Play/Pause(P): Start or stop the evolution of the game.
- Shuffle(S): Generate a random board layout.
- Reset(R): Clear the board and start fresh.
- Draw(D): Enable or disable drawing mode to create your own pattern.
- Color(C): Change the color of the cells.
- Boundaries(B): Decide if cells wrap around the edges of the board or are confined within boundaries.
- Neon(N): Add or remove a neon glow effect on the cells.
- Grid(G): Toggle the visibility of the grid lines.
- Speed(▴▾): Control the speed of generations.
- Size(◂▸): Change the size of the cells. Smaller cells result in a larger grid.
Use the keyboard shortcuts in parentheses to quickly interact with the app.
Experiment and have fun!
The Game of Life has no objectives or winners: it’s a tool to explore creativity and logic. Try different setups, observe what happens, and create your own patterns.