Game of Life's Rules

Description

The Game of Life is a cellular automaton created by John Horton Conway in 1970.
This simulation, which is not really a game, allows you to see the evolution of the state of several cells (dead or alive) according to a set of simple rules.

The cells, represented by squares, are arranged on a 2-dimensional grid of theoretically infinite size.
A dead cell is represented by a white square, in contrast a living cell is represented by a colored square.

Example of a grid with 8 deads cell and 1 living cell in the center.

The only interaction of the "player", or the user, is to define the starting state of the grid.
The simulation evolves by itself by applying the evolution rules to each grid cell, while the player observes its evolution.

Rules

The rules of the Game of Life define in what state will be a cell in the next round.
They are all based from analysising the state of her 8 cells neightbors
The rules applied are:

1. A living cell with 2 or 3 neighbors remains alive. Represents a stable state of life
2. A living cell with less than 2 neighbors or more than 3 neighbors dies. Represents cell death by subpopulation or overcrowding
3. A dead cell with exactly 3 neighbors becomes alive. Represents the birth of a cell
4. In all other cases a dead cell remains dead. Represents a stable state of death

The moment when all the rules are applied to each cell, or when the whole state of the grid changes visually, is called a tick.

Video

Here are some videos to learn more about the subject.