“1 in 8 billion”: what is this little online game that has gone viral that allows you to live someone else’s life on Earth?

A new small online game created using AI is going viral. Accessible for free since October 5, it is called “1 in 8 billion”, and its concept is simple: live the life of one of the four babies born every second on Earth. Concretely, a life is assigned to the user in a completely random way: he can be born anywhere in the world, in a rich or poor family, be intelligent, withdrawn or on the contrary very sociable, be successful in his business, or not.

Then an incredibly real life is created as the simulation game progresses. Created in a few hours by Jin Hwi-eus, a South Korean developer, the game is based on real statistics from the UN, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank, which gives this terribly realistic side to the game. “I came across it on the social network X, and I spent three hours on it without stopping.

I have lived thirty lives. It’s hyperaddictive, we have the impression of being God,” confides Guillaume, a teacher in his thirties, for whom this game “brings us face to face with the emptiness of life.” On social networks, “1 in 8 billion” causes a lot of reaction.

On TikTok, a tech influencer claims that the game “took her to the heart”, before reporting that many of her subscribers also shed a little tear. Posted five days ago, his video already has 150,000 likes.

It must be said that the game is particularly immersive, with indicators of health, happiness, knowledge and relationships that evolve over the years, as well as one's assets and income, life choices to make, or even priorities for the year to be determined (work, health, family, etc.). Please note, the game is intended for ages 15 and over. Sensing a good deal, a smart guy took the concept and the name of the game to make an application.

Available in the Apple App Store for 24 hours, it is already the fourth most downloaded app in the simulation category.

Machine-translated from French