Choose the part you want more of
These four recommendations share an interest in people and the consequences of small actions. Each takes that interest in a different direction. All four links lead to the creators’ websites.
We sampled their opening interactions on desktop, using the official browser versions. The comparisons below cover those samples and the creators’ descriptions; they are not full playthrough reviews.
| Game | What you do | Choose it for | Time guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Evolution of Trust | Choose cooperation or cheating and read the payoff. | A clear, choice-driven explanation of trust. | About 30 minutes, according to the creator. |
| The Wisdom and/or Madness of Crowds | Draw connections between people. | Networks, social influence and interactive diagrams. | About 30 minutes, according to the creator. |
| Parable of the Polygons | Drag unhappy shapes to empty spaces. | A spatial model of bias and neighborhood sorting. | No completion estimate observed. |
| Coming Out Simulator 2014 | Choose what to say in a conversation. | Personal storytelling and difficult conversations. | About 20 minutes, according to the opening. |
Scroll across the table if any columns are off screen.
The Evolution of Trust — for choices and consequences
Nicky Case’s interactive guide begins with a coin game: you choose whether to cooperate or cheat, then see what each player receives. The feedback explains the choice before the guide moves toward repeated encounters.
It is our first pick if WBWWB left you thinking about how people respond to one another. The explanation takes center stage, and the decisions are explicit. Take time to read the payoff explanation before continuing.
In our sample, we completed the introduction and two teaching choices. Both produced a payoff diagram and an explanation. The questions used different opponent choices, so this was a check of the interaction rather than a comparison of winning strategies.
Crowds — for changing the connections
The Wisdom and/or Madness of Crowds is Nicky Case’s interactive guide to human networks. You draw connections between people and explore what their network lets them see.
This is a useful next step if the spread of attention in WBWWB interested you. Here you can edit the connections directly, with explanatory text alongside the diagram.
We drew a connection in the opening tutorial, then added one in the first example about the proportion of a person’s friends who binge-drink. The displayed proportions changed with the new connection. We did not play the later contagion chapters.
Parable of the Polygons — for a model you can move around
Vi Hart and Nicky Case call this a playable post on the shape of society. Its first rule is simple: a shape wants to move when fewer than one-third of its neighbors are like it. You can move an unhappy shape into an empty spot.
Choose it if you want to inspect how a local preference can change the pattern of a neighborhood. It uses a simplified model of bias and segregation; the authors also note that real life is more nuanced.
We moved the unhappy triangle in the opening example into the empty spot in a mixed group. Its original spot became empty and its expression changed. The later automatic simulations and adjustable thresholds were outside this sample.
Coming Out Simulator — for a personal story
Coming Out Simulator 2014 is Nicky Case’s “half-true story about half-truths.” The author describes playing a semi-fictional version of them while working out how to speak to conservative parents about being queer.
Choose this when you want to follow a conversation and decide what to say. The opening explicitly mixes dialogue that was said with things that could have been said. Treat it as a personal narrative, with the tension carried by the words you choose.
We went through the narrator’s setup and chose a response in the first main-story conversation. The answer appeared in the exchange, the other character responded, and a new set of choices followed. We did not reach the family conversation, compare branches or check endings.
Content notes before you choose
These are topic notes from the official text and the opening samples, not an age rating or a complete list of every scene.
- Trust: the introduction discusses wartime deaths; the wider theme includes betrayal and retaliation.
- Crowds: an early example concerns heavy drinking. Later official text mentions suicide and mass shootings when discussing contagion.
- Polygons: bias, social segregation and diversity, explored through an abstract model.
- Coming Out Simulator: coming out, family tension and strong language. The family premise comes from the author’s description; our sample stopped earlier.
What we checked, and how to use the time estimates
On October 18, 2026, we opened the official pages, read the instructions, performed the interactions described above and checked the visible response. These were opening samples in a desktop browser. We did not complete all four works or test them on physical phones, Safari or Firefox.
The times in the table come from the creators’ opening text. They are planning estimates, not our measured completion times. Reading speed and experimentation will change how long you spend. We did not find a completion estimate for Polygons in the material reviewed.
Coming Out Simulator’s official page also links to a separate mobile web version. We did not test that version. For the path we sampled, use the official desktop browser links above.
This page describes premises and early interactions without revealing the endings. If you still want to understand WBWWB’s ending, its separate guide puts the plot details behind spoiler controls.
Two different directions to try here
For a break from dialogue, Sandspiel lets you draw materials and experiment with how they react. A Dark Room begins with a fire and slowly adds resource management and exploration. Both have their own controls and guides on Play Games Daily.
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