In 1984, two men crammed eight galaxies into 22 kilobytes of memory. The game was Elite, and it proved that you didn't need to draw every star by hand-you just needed the right math. "e;The Infinite Seed"e; traces the history of Procedural Generation, the invisible artist behind the most expansive experiences in gaming. From the chaotic dungeons of Rogue to the infinite terrain of Minecraft and the quintillion planets of No Man's Sky, this book explores the delicate balance between chaos and order. It is a journey into the minds of developers who play god, setting rules rather than placing assets. How do you ensure a computer-generated world is interesting? How do you prevent an algorithm from building a castle upside down? This book is not just for coders, but for anyone fascinated by the concept of infinity. It reveals how simple rules can create complex beauty, and why the future of entertainment isn't about building bigger studios, but writing smarter seeds.

In 1984, two men crammed eight galaxies into 22 kilobytes of memory. The game was Elite, and it proved that you didn't need to draw every star by hand-you just needed the right math. "e;The Infinite Seed"e; traces the history of Procedural Generation, the invisible artist behind the most expansive experiences in gaming. From the chaotic dungeons of Rogue to the infinite terrain of Minecraft and the quintillion planets of No Man's Sky, this book explores the delicate balance between chaos and order. It is a journey into the minds of developers who play god, setting rules rather than placing assets. How do you ensure a computer-generated world is interesting? How do you prevent an algorithm from building a castle upside down? This book is not just for coders, but for anyone fascinated by the concept of infinity. It reveals how simple rules can create complex beauty, and why the future of entertainment isn't about building bigger studios, but writing smarter seeds.

In 1984, two men crammed eight galaxies into 22 kilobytes of memory. The game was Elite, and it proved that you didn't need to draw every star by hand-you just needed the right math. "e;The Infinite Seed"e; traces the history of Procedural Generation, the invisible artist behind the most expansive experiences in gaming. From the chaotic dungeons of Rogue to the infinite terrain of Minecraft and the quintillion planets of No Man's Sky, this book explores the delicate balance between chaos and order. It is a journey into the minds of developers who play god, setting rules rather than placing assets. How do you ensure a computer-generated world is interesting? How do you prevent an algorithm from building a castle upside down? This book is not just for coders, but for anyone fascinated by the concept of infinity. It reveals how simple rules can create complex beauty, and why the future of entertainment isn't about building bigger studios, but writing smarter seeds.