Genetish

Genetish 1.0, by Tobias Peciva, is a graphical diversion rather than a game in the traditional sense. The application draws a set of generated images, asks the user to pick a favorite, and then breeds a new generation based on that selection, producing surprisingly intricate visuals from a simple feedback loop.

How it plays

Each round Genetish presents a grid of candidate images. Choosing one seeds the next generation, gradually steering the output toward whatever shapes, palettes, or textures the viewer finds most appealing. The author warns that the process is highly addictive and well suited to taking one's mind off work.

Options and output

Several controls govern the size, type, and appearance of the generated images, letting users tune the diversion to taste. The header bills the results as truly amazing under the right settings, with thousands of colors strongly recommended over the 256-color minimum.

Requirements

Genetish requires a PowerPC Macintosh running System 7 with a 256-color monitor; thousands of colors is preferred. Documentation is included in the package, and the author maintained a project page at dd.chalmers.se/~peciva/software/genetish.html.

Author

Tobias Peciva distributed Genetish through Info-Mac and listed peciva@kagi.com for correspondence and registration handling, in keeping with the era's Kagi-based shareware payment model.