Frustration and sorrow coursed through my veins when Delilah, my first Norn, died. Sorrow, because I had grown accustomed to her squeak, her endless curiosity, the popping sound of her affectionate Norn kisses, and frustration, because she had died young, brought down by disease shortly after childbirth, the victim of her creator's inattention and incompetence.
Her creator was me. I hatched Delilah in an incubator, named her, taught her the rudiments of language, fed her cheese and honey, and even provided her with a male partner for Nornish afternoon delights. She was my first attempt to play the artificial-life computer game Creatures. And she was my first failure.
If only I had known then what I know now. But I was carefree in my omnipotence and left the game running while I picked up my real-life daughter from day care. A few hours later, I found Delilah curled up in a fetal ball in an underground cave, unable to respond to my frantic entreaties. At the tender age of three hours (Norns have an average life span of ten hours), Delilah passed away.
OK, so I didn't weep. Artificial life is just that, artificial, and this was my first try. In the future, I was sure, I would train my Norns better and watch over them more attentively. I would take better advantage of Creatures' possibilities. Delilah was simply Norn 1.0. But that optimism presupposed that there would be a future. And of that I'm doubtful. Creatures is an impressive piece of work, an intricate rendition of out-of-control silicon biology. The world within the game is rich, the possibilities endless. Norns are challengingly unpredictable – it's not easy to keep them alive and breeding. This is a good thing: neither life nor a computer game should be too easy.
But do I really need artificial death? I've got enough problems changing real diapers and warming up milk bottles. I don't need Norns with runny noses. Then again, maybe I'm just not in the target demographic. Creatures is best aimed at the preparent generation. Just as my wife and I practiced child-rearing techniques on our Australian shepherd, perhaps a new generation will hone its parenting chops via hot software sims. A-life isn't just a game. Creatures: US$39.99. Mindscape: +1 (415) 897 9900, on the Web at www.cyberlife.co.uk/.
This article originally appeared in the February issue of Wired magazine.
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