2004 Mathematics Awareness Week:
Game of Life

The Game of Life, (or, simply, "Life") is not a game in the conventional sense. There are no players, and no winning or losing, at least not for the persons. Instead, once pieces are placed on a board, the rules of the game determine everything that happens later. Nevertheless, it can be fascinating to watch.

Life is played on a square grid, like a chessboard or a Go board but extending indefinitely in every direction. Markers indicate living organisms that can remain alive or can die depending on the rules of the game. Everything depends on the environment.

To learn how to play Life or to watch computer simulations of the game, just search on the Internet for "the game of life".