How to Play 1 in 8 Billion
This page explains one part of the game. It is an independent copy, not the official site. The life itself starts on this language’s homepage.
What do I do first?
Open this language’s homepage and press Be born. That is the way in. This page only names the controls you will see there.
Step 1: choose a world
The four buttons are The past, Today, The future and Any world. On this copy, choose Today. The past, The future, and a past or future result from Any world need era.js, which is not included, so those lives stop with the game’s loading message.
Step 2: how the country is drawn
Choose Babies born now or The 8 billion alive now. Babies born now weights each place by annual births. The 8 billion alive now weights it by population. The line Where you were actually born (optional) only stores a comparison in this browser. It does not choose the life.
Step 3: choose a pace
About 30 min, About 1 hour and About 1.5 hours are how long the game aims to take to reach that life’s expectancy. They are not the age at death, and choices pause the clock. The pressed default is About 1 hour.
Step 4: be born
The draw is random. Read the birth record it actually produces, then start the life.
- Leave the world on Today.
- Choose Babies born now or The 8 billion alive now.
- Choose About 30 min, About 1 hour or About 1.5 hours.
- Leave Where you were actually born (optional) blank, or set it only as your own comparison.
- Press Be born and read the place, the name and the odds line.
- Press Begin this life. The character starts at age 0.
Step 5: live the year
Each year you set a focus. When a decision opens, time waits until you choose. Pause stops and resumes the clock. The life screen keeps its own status readings; this page does not replace them.
Speed and auto mode
During the life the speed buttons are 1×, 2×, 4×, 8×, 12× and 16×. They change how fast years pass. They do not change the country or the statistics. Next decision moves toward the next decision and does not end the life. Auto mode chooses for you. On a phone, the extra commands sit under ⋯.
When the life ends
The result stays on the page. Finished lives remain in this browser, so the same browser can open them again. Press Be born on the homepage to draw another life.
If it will not move
If a past or future world reports that the other era failed to load, switch to Today. If a life looks frozen, look for an open decision, or see whether Pause is on. A background tab can also hold the clock.
Common questions
Short answers for the first session.
What should I choose first?
Choose Today, then Babies born now or The 8 billion alive now, then a pace, then Be born.
Can I name the country?
No. The draw is weighted and random. Where you were actually born (optional) does not force it.
How many minutes is one life?
About 30 min, About 1 hour and About 1.5 hours are paces, not a timer that kills the character.
Can I see the result again?
Yes, in this browser, from the homepage after the life ends.