How to play
How to play 1 in 8 billion
One life, about an hour, four decisions a decade. Here is the loop, the controls, and what the numbers on screen are doing.
The loop
- Be born: the country is drawn for you.
- Choose a focus for the year: study, work, health, family, or rest.
- Answer the decisions that come up.
- Watch the years pass, then reach the end.
The controls
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| ❚❚ | Pause or resume the year. |
| 1× 2× 4× | Change how fast a year passes. |
| Focus | Bias this year's events toward one area. |
| Decisions | Two or three options; each moves the odds. |
| Auto | Let the game choose and watch. |
What the four stats do
Health raises or lowers the yearly risk of dying and affects whether you can keep working. Happiness is how satisfied the person is. Knowledge affects exams, job offers and starting pay. Relationships affect marriage, family and loneliness in old age. Higher numbers raise the odds; they never decide the outcome.
Pace and length
At 1×, a year takes about a minute, so a full life runs 60–90 minutes. At 4× it is closer to 20 minutes. You can pause at any point; the current life is saved in this browser.
Endings
Every life ends. The summary shows the country, the age at death, the cause, and the years you lived. There is no score — the point is the distribution, not a win state.