Based on the classic cellular automaton Game of Life (GOL classic), the premise of GoL2 is similar, in that the players create an initial configuration on the grid and the cells will then evolve (give life or die) based on the game rules.

Grid:

The grid is the surface or points in space on which the game takes place. It’s a 2 dimensional grid made up of square cells

Cells:

Each cell has two possible states. Alive or dead.

Generations:

Each step in time is called a generation. Think of it as a moment in time where the grid is in a specific state. When the grid is evolved (changed to the next state) then the next generation is displayed.

Evolution, Energy + Cell Behavior:

Every cell interacts with its eight neighbors, which are the cells that are directly horizontally, vertically, or diagonally adjacent.

A useful way to think about this is that at any point in time each cell contains either a unit of energy (alive) or no energy (dead).

As the game is evolved through each generation the state of the cells on the grid is determined as follows:

Any live cell with fewer than two live neighbors dies, as there is not enough energy for it to survive.

Any live cell with more than three live neighbors dies, as there is too much energy.

Any live cell with two or three live neighbors lives, unchanged, to the next generation as there is sufficient energy to maintain life.

Any dead cell with exactly three live neighbors comes to life.

The are four primary differences between GoL2 and GoL classic:

• GoL2 is played on a fixed grid (15x15) as opposed to the classic game of life which takes place on an infinite grid.
• GoL2 allows multiple players to take action on the same grid, which is a variant on the original, which was set in single player mode.
• In order to interact with the game you must connect a web3 wallet and submit any move you make in the game as a transaction to the Starknet blockchain.
• In GOL classic users can press “Play” to observe what happens in future generations, in GOL2 the game must be evolved one generation at a time and can be evolved by any user.

The are four primary differences between GoL2 and GoL classic:

• Infinite mode
• Creator mode
• Snapshots

Let’s dig into each of them and explain how they work.

Infinite mode is a single game with multiple players and no end point. The goal is to give life to cells which in turn will change the course of the game for everyone who is playing.

Gameplay:

In order to give life you must first earn GOL tokens, here’s how it works:

• When in infinite mode you can evolve the game via the 'Evolve' button. This will take the grid in its current state and then progress the game to the next generation, based on the GoL rules.
• For every evolution you make, you will earn 1 GOL token.
• Each time you evolve the game, a snapshot will be automatically generated and saved in the snapshots area (more on this below). This is essentially a unique image which is a representation of your specific move in the game.
• You can then use the earned GOL token to give life to a cell on the grid.
• Any player can then evolve the grid to observe how the cells behave and you can observe how your input will impact the game.

Creator mode contains multiple games created by the community. You can observe these games or evolve them to earn GOL tokens. 10 GOL tokens gives you the ability to create (or spawn) your own game and share it with everybody.

Gameplay:

In order to create your own game you must first earn GOL Tokens, here’s how it works:

• On navigating to the creator mode main screen you are presented with numerous games to choose from.
• When you enter into a specific game you can simply observe it being played OR get involved by clicking the ‘Evolve’ button. This will take the grid in its current state and then progress the game to the next generation, based on the GoL rules.
• You can evolve a game via the 'Evolve' button. This will take the grid in its current state and then progress the game to the next generation, based on the GoL rules.
• For every evolution you make, you will earn 1 GOL token.
• Once you have earned 10 GOL tokens you can then choose to create a new game by clicking on the ‘+ New game” button.

Each time you evolve the game in infinite mode a unique snapshot of your play is generated and stored here.

Gameplay:

Browse and share your personal unique GoL2 snapshots.

• Snapshots houses a collection of unique images that represent each evolution play you made in infinite mode.
• You can click into an individual snapshot to see it’s details.
• Clicking into a snapshot also gives you the option to share it via social media.