In 1970, John Conway came up with a 1-player game called Game of Life. The Game of Life is a mathematical game that simulates 'colonies' that grow or die based on how crowded or lonely they are and is known for the way it creates a beautiful organic display out of randomness.

Here is a design for a simple electronic project that plays Conway's Game of Life. Make one kit and keep it on your desk, or attach multiple kit modules together to create a large display.

Originally created by Dropout Design, this revision adds a few extra features. You can build the boards from the schematic and open source firmware, or buy full kits from the Adafruit or Make Magazine online shops. The kit is very easy to make and an excellent first electronics project. It is perfect for workshops since at the end everyone can connect their completed module together.

Features:

• Each kit displays a 4x4 grid (16 LEDs)
• Connect as many kits as youd like, in any configuration, to create a larger game board
• Runs off of 2 AA batteries, but can be easily modified to run off of USB or wall-wart power
• On/Off button to save power, also for resetting the display
• Automatically resets if the colony has died or stagnated (regeneration)
• Backwards compatible with older versions