https://conway-nextjs.vercel.app
Introduction
One day, while browsing the internet, I discovered Conway’s “Game of Life” and was immediately fascinated by it. Invented by the British mathematician John Conway in 1970, it is a classic example of a cellular automaton, a computational model based on a grid of cells that can be either alive or dead. This game, although seemingly simple, hides extraordinary complexity and has fascinated mathematicians, computer scientists, and science enthusiasts for decades.
The game takes place on a two-dimensional grid of square cells, each of which can exist in two states: alive or dead. The evolution of the cells occurs based on simple rules:
- Survival: A live cell survives to the next generation if it has exactly 2 or 3 live neighbors.
- Birth: A dead cell becomes alive in the next generation if it has exactly 3 live neighbors.
- Death: A live cell dies if it has fewer than 2 or more than 3 live neighbors.
These rules determine the evolution of the cells over time, creating surprising and complex patterns. Despite the simple rules, the Game of Life is known for its ability to generate continuously evolving structures, including oscillators, still lifes, and spaceships that move across the grid. Some patterns can even self-replicate, creating copies of themselves.
The Game of Life is an example of emergence, where complexity and global behavior emerge from local interactions and very simple rules. This phenomenon has been studied in mathematics, computer science, biology, and even in the social sciences. It has also proven useful in practical applications such as the simulation of natural phenomena and cryptography.
The beauty of Conway’s Game of Life lies in its ability to demonstrate that complex structures can emerge from simplicity. In a world increasingly dominated by complexity, this game reminds us of the importance of exploring and understanding the fundamental principles that drive the behavior of complex systems.
Developement and Release
I implemented the application using the Next.js framework and Vercel as the hosting service.
Main Features:
- Cellular Simulations: Allows users to create and modify grids of live and dead cells, following the rules of Conway’s Game of Life. Users can observe the evolution of cells over time and experiment with different patterns.
- Real-Time Visualization: Offers real-time visualization of simulations, allowing users to see how patterns emerge and transform as the simulations develop.
- Intuitive User Interface: Provides an intuitive and responsive user interface, enabling easy interaction with the simulation.
Key Technologies:
Vercel: A web development and hosting platform that allows developers to deploy web applications and websites quickly and scalably. It offers hosting features, code version management, and automation services to simplify the development and deployment of web projects. Vercel allowed me to connect my Git repository in just a few seconds and automatically start a build of the project. After the build phase, the application was deployed, and a URL (with a self-created domain) was generated.
Next.js: The choice of Next.js provides a solid foundation for the application, ensuring fast and optimized server-side rendering.
React: Next.js is based on React for user interface management, which facilitates the creation of interactive components.
HTML5 and CSS3: The use of standard web technologies ensures a consistent and well-designed user experience.
Final Goal:
The goal was to create an interactive interface that allows users to explore the world of cellular simulations and complex emergencies, just like in the original game. The app, although still in the testing phase, aims to provide an educational, creative, and fun experience for users, allowing them to explore the concept of complex emergencies through a classic and fascinating game. The simulation based on Next.js offers a robust platform for the application and promises to be an intriguing addition to the world of cellular simulations and interactive web applications. Further developments will follow to improve it and ensure any bug fixes.
Instructions for Use:
- Create an initial configuration by selecting cells
- Start the game by clicking “Start”
- At each interval, a generation is born following the rules of the game
- To pause, click “Stop”
- To reset, click “Reset”