The Game of Life was invented by mathematician John Horton Conway, who passed away on April 11, 2020, and is best known simply as Conway. Throughout his life, he achieved many significant accomplishments in mathematics, but if there’s one that stands out above all, it’s the already mentioned Game of Life.
What Is the Game of Life?
This game consists of a few very simple rules and an even simpler mechanism. Yet, despite its apparent simplicity, the game has managed to surprise everyone who has had the chance to play it.
Everything revolves around a grid made up of small squares (each the same size). Each square represents a cell, which can be in one of two states:
- Alive (represented by white)
- Dead (represented by black)
With just a couple of basic rules and these two states, the Game of Life was born. The rules are as follows:
- A living cell with 2 or 3 living neighbors stays alive. If it has more or fewer, it dies due to overpopulation or loneliness, respectively.
- A dead cell with exactly 3 living neighbors comes back to life. If it has more or fewer, it remains dead, again due to overpopulation or loneliness.
This opened the door for many people to a whole new world, and many questions began to arise.
The Most Interesting Automata
Since the game was created in 1960 by John H. Conway, many fascinating configurations of automata have been discovered.
An automaton is a group of living cells that, through repeated steps in the game, achieves a specific kind of movement.
The first one is shown here, where three vertical cells alternate to form a horizontal row, then flip back again. This process repeats cyclically, as in the example:
The second example is shown below. With this configuration of cells, the automaton moves until it eventually hits something that causes it to disappear.
Try Coding It Yourself
You can also try programming it yourself using tools like Scratch or programming languages such as Python with the PyGame library, by following this video from Dot CSV:
Final Thoughts
What if each of us is just a single cell in this vast game? What if, at any moment, a neighboring cell approaches and makes us disappear? What if that tiny cell is something as small as slipping in the shower or tripping over a stone while out for a walk? Before that happens, remember to LIVE.
Now more than ever, we must remember that LIFE IS URGENT, as Pau Donés once said.
