You’re staring at a tiny, pixelated screen within your screen. There are little "Peeps" walking around—some have square heads, some have circles. You control a camera lens. That’s it. That is the entire premise of Nicky Case’s 2016 browser game. But if you've ever spent ten minutes on X (formerly Twitter) or scrolled through a heated Reddit thread, you know that We Become What We Behold isn't just a game. It’s a mirror. A really ugly, precise mirror.
The game is short. Most people finish it in less than five minutes. Yet, nearly a decade after its release, it remains one of the most poignant critiques of the attention economy ever designed. It captures a cycle we’re all stuck in. We see something. We capture it. We broadcast it. Then, the world changes to fit the frame we chose.
Honestly, it’s kind of terrifying how little has changed since 2016. If anything, the "circles vs. squares" dynamic has only shifted from pixelated characters to our actual neighbors.
The Cycle of the Camera Lens
In We Become What We Behold, your only job is to snap photos of interesting things. At first, you try to capture nice things. A couple sharing a moment? The "audience" (represented by a ticker tape at the bottom) gets bored. They don't want peace. They want "juice."
Nicky Case, the developer, is known for creating "playable simulations" that explain complex social systems. Case uses a concept called "systems thinking." Basically, it's the idea that the rules of a space dictate how people behave within it. In this game, the rule is simple: only the weird, the violent, or the hateful gets views.
When you photograph a square-headed person wearing a silly hat, everyone starts wearing hats. You’ve created a trend. But when you photograph a stray moment of tension—say, a circle yelling at a square—the game shifts. The ticker tape screams. The audience fixates. Suddenly, everyone is yelling.
This is the core of the "We Become What We Behold" philosophy. It’s not just that we watch the news; it’s that the act of reporting the news changes the behavior of the people being reported on.
Why Negativity Sticks
There is a biological reason why the game’s "hate cycle" feels so real. It's called the negativity bias. Humans are evolutionary wired to pay more attention to a threat than a reward. A bush rustling because of a tiger is more important than a bush rustling because of a breeze.
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In the digital age, this translates to "hate-watching" and "doomscrolling."
- Algorithms prioritize engagement.
- Engagement is often highest when people are angry.
- Creators notice what gets views and do more of it.
You see it everywhere. A creator starts out making helpful DIY videos. One day, they post a rant. That rant gets 10x the views. Slowly, their entire channel becomes a series of rants. They become the "angry person" because that is what the lens—and the audience—demanded.
Breaking Down the "Peeps" Logic
The genius of Case’s design lies in its simplicity. The characters aren't people; they're "Peeps." By stripping away identity, the game forces you to look at the mechanics of tribalism.
When you snap a photo of a "crazed" square, the caption reads something inflammatory. It doesn't say "One person is acting out." It implies "Squares are dangerous." We do this constantly in real life. We take a 15-second clip of a person having their worst possible day, upload it, and let the world decide that this person represents an entire demographic, political party, or generation.
The game eventually reaches a breaking point. The screen becomes filled with noise, screaming, and violence. The final "photo" you take isn't even of a person; it's just the inevitable explosion of the system you helped build. It’s a grim ending. But it’s a necessary one if we want to talk about how to actually fix our relationship with media.
The Feedback Loop We Can't Escape
Most people think of media as a one-way street. Media creates content, and we consume it.
Case argues it’s a loop.
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- Selection: We choose what to look at.
- Amplification: The things we look at get more resources and attention.
- Mimicry: Other people see what is being amplified and begin to imitate it to gain their own "views" or social standing.
- Internalization: We eventually believe the amplified version of reality is the only reality.
It’s a feedback loop that feeds on itself until the original "truth" is completely lost. In the game, the circles and squares lived in peace until the camera arrived. The camera didn't just record the tension; it invented it by rewarding it.
Is There a Way Out of the Frame?
If We Become What We Behold is a warning, how do we actually heed it?
It’s not as simple as "deleting social media." We live in a connected world. However, we can change our role as the "photographer." Every time you share a post, every time you "like" a controversial take just to show how much you disagree with it, you are snapping a photo. You are telling the algorithm: "Give me more of this."
Psychologist Paul Slovic has written extensively on "fading affect bias" and how we become numb to large-scale tragedies but hyper-fixated on individual stories of conflict. Case’s game forces us to confront that numbness. When the screen is full of peace, we find it boring. When it’s full of chaos, we can't look away.
Practical Steps to Stop the Cycle
You don't have to be a victim of the "Peep" logic. There are ways to navigate the modern web without becoming what you behold.
Stop Rewarding the Outrage
The next time you see something that makes your blood boil, don't quote-tweet it. Don't comment "This is disgusting." Every interaction, even a negative one, tells the system that the content is "valuable." If you want something to go away, starve it of oxygen. Total silence is the only thing the lens can't monetize.
Seek Out the "Non-Juicy" Stories
In the game, the couple in love is considered boring. In real life, these are the stories that actually sustain us. Actively look for "slow media." Read long-form articles that don't have a clickbait hook. Follow people who discuss nuances rather than shouting slogans. It takes more effort, but it recalibrates your brain's reward system.
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Recognize the "Frame"
Everything you see online is cropped. Just like the camera in the game, a TikTok or a news clip is a tiny slice of a much larger environment. Ask yourself: What is being left out of this frame? Who is holding the camera, and what do they gain by me feeling angry right now?
Diversify Your Input
If you only behold one type of "square" or "circle," you will eventually become a caricature of your own beliefs. Break the algorithm by following people you disagree with—not the loud, extremist versions, but the thoughtful, reasonable ones. It makes the "othering" process much harder.
Final Insights on the "Behold" Philosophy
Nicky Case’s work reminds us that we aren't just passive observers of our culture. We are the architects of it. Every click is a vote for the kind of world we want to inhabit. If we continue to behold the loudest, meanest, and most divisive parts of ourselves, that is exactly what our society will become.
The game ends with a simple, haunting message about the cycle of violence. But the hidden message is that the camera can be turned off. We can choose to look at the "Peeps" who are just walking, living, and being human, rather than the ones who are screaming for our attention.
Take Action Now:
- Audit your feed: Unfollow three accounts today that consistently make you feel angry or superior to others.
- Pause before the "Share": If you're sharing something because you're outraged, wait ten minutes. Most of the time, the urge to amplify the "noise" will pass.
- Support nuanced creators: Find the "boring" educators and the quiet builders. Give them the "juice" usually reserved for the screamers.
We really do become what we behold. So, for the sake of your own sanity, start beholding something worth becoming.