This is We Become What We Behold unblocked: Nicky Case's original five-minute game runs above, served from wbwwb.com itself, so it opens in an ordinary browser tab on a school Chromebook. Free, no download, no account. Aim the camera, click, and watch what the crowd becomes.
We Become What We Behold: a park, a camera, a TV
We Become What We Behold is a tiny game by Nicky Case, first released in 2016. The title card says it plainly: "playing time: 5 minutes", followed by a warning that the program "contains scenes of snobbery, rudeness & mass murder". Press the red PLAY button and two quote cards set the theme: "We become what we behold. We shape our tools and then our tools shape us." The game credits Marshall McLuhan, then adds, honestly, "(misattributed)".
Then you are in a grey park full of little peeps, round circles and boxy squares, wandering between the grass marks. In the middle stands a TV on a pole. You are the camera: a square viewfinder follows your mouse, and a click takes a photo. The photo appears on the TV with a red news chyron under it, and the peeps nearby stop to watch.
What they watch changes them. Photograph a gentleman in a bowler hat and the chyron reads "OOH NICE HAT"; a moment later everyone who saw it is wearing one. Photograph the circle and square who are in love, and it is "GROSS, GO GET A ROOM". Then a square arrives who screams at people, and from there the story is up to what you choose to broadcast. You can play it in about five minutes, and it stays with you a lot longer.
Controls & mechanics
| Action | Control | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Start | Red PLAY button on the title card | Two quote cards, then the park |
| Aim the camera | Move the mouse (or drag a finger) | The square viewfinder follows the pointer |
| Take a photo | Click (or tap) | The shot goes to the TV with a headline |
| Pause | Click outside the game | It pauses; click anywhere on it to resume |
| Keyboard | Not used | The whole game is mouse or touch |
How to move the story along
- Nothing is news: A photo of empty grass or ordinary peeps gets "WOWWEE, IT'S NOTHING" or "just a normal peep". The story waits until you catch something interesting.
- Start with the hat: The gentleman in the bowler hat is the first story. Put him fully inside the frame and click; the crowd copies him.
- Then the lovers: After the hats, look for the circle and square walking together with hearts. Broadcasting them is the next step.
- Catch the action, not the aftermath: In Act II the game asks you to catch peeps "doing *something* interesting": the screaming square mid-scream, or who they are screaming at, in the same frame.
- Frame both sides: Headlines like "CIRCLE FEARS SQUARES" need the scared one and the scary one in one photo. Wait until they are close together.
- Watch the TV: The small crowd around the TV is your audience. Whatever they watch, they become. That is the whole game.
Key features
- The original build: Nicky Case's own English release of We Become What We Behold, public domain, served from this site.
- Five minutes long: One sitting from the title card to the credits, then a secret after them.
- Mouse or touch: Aim and click. No keys, no menus, no account.
- Nicky Case's other games: The Evolution of Trust, The Wisdom and/or Madness of Crowds, Adventures With Anxiety and Coming Out Simulator 2014, all on this site.
- A game with a point: It is short satire about how news coverage feeds on conflict. Good for a class discussion, or a quiet moment afterwards.
- Heads up: The last act has cartoon guns and death. It is not graphic, but it is not for young kids.
Game info
- Title: We Become What We Behold
- Developer: Nicky Case
- Category: Nicky Case Games
- Platform: Web browser (HTML5)
- Developer: Nicky Case · We Become What We Behold (2016) · public domain (CC0), original build served from wbwwb.com
Pro tip: When a headline says "ya gotta catch 'em doing *something* interesting", wait until the peep is mid-action and both sides are inside the frame before you click.
