Conway's Game of Life
Watch life emerge from simple rules
10 gen/s
Generation:
0
Population:
0
Click or drag to draw cells. Select a pattern and click to place it.
How It Works
The Grid
An infinite 2D grid of cells, each either alive (colored) or dead (empty). Each cell checks its 8 neighbors every generation.
The Rules
- Underpopulation: A live cell with fewer than 2 neighbors dies
- Survival: A live cell with 2-3 neighbors lives on
- Overpopulation: A live cell with more than 3 neighbors dies
- Reproduction: A dead cell with exactly 3 neighbors becomes alive
Emergent Patterns
Still Lifes
Stable patterns that don't change
Oscillators
Patterns that cycle through states
Spaceships
Patterns that move across the grid
Why It's Fascinating
From just 4 simple rules, incredibly complex behavior emerges. The Game of Life has been proven to be Turing complete - meaning you could theoretically build an entire computer inside it!
Created by mathematician John Conway in 1970.