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We Become What We Behold
Point the camera, pick the headline, and see what the crowd becomes.
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About We Become What We Behold
We Become What We Behold is a short interactive piece by Nicky Case about media, attention, and how stories spread. You look down on a small town of circles and squares who mostly ignore each other. Your only tool is a camera. Whatever you photograph becomes the next news headline on a big screen, and the townsfolk react to what they see.
At first the pictures are harmless, but the game quietly nudges you toward drama. What happens next depends on the moments you choose to frame. It takes about five minutes to finish and is designed to leave you thinking about the loop between what gets covered and how people behave.
How to play We Become What We Behold
Move your camera frame around the town and click to snap a photo. Each picture becomes a TV headline that every resident watches. Ordinary scenes, like someone wearing a hat, spark mild curiosity. More provocative moments, such as one shape bumping into another, make the crowd reactive and change how groups treat each other. The core loop is simple: observe, photograph, and see how the headlines shape the town. There is no score or fail state; instead, the game advances based on what you capture, leading to an ending that reflects the cycle it explores.
Controls
| Mouse Move | Aim the camera frame |
| Left Mouse Click | Take a photo |
| Tap (touch screens) | Aim and snap on mobile |
Tips & strategy
- Watch the townsfolk for a moment before shooting; the most interesting events happen briefly.
- Try photographing calm, everyday scenes first to see how little reaction they get.
- Pay attention to how each headline changes the characters' behavior on screen.
- Play it more than once and notice how the pacing pushes you toward certain shots.
- Read the headline captions closely; they carry much of the game's commentary.
Game features
- Five-minute interactive story
- Camera-based single-click gameplay
- Minimalist shapes with expressive animation
- Thought-provoking commentary on media cycles
We Become What We Behold FAQ
What is We Become What We Behold about?
It is a short game about how news coverage and attention can influence people. The shapes in the town react to whatever you photograph, and sensational pictures lead to stronger reactions. The game explores how those reactions feed into more coverage, creating a cycle. It is meant to make you reflect rather than to be won.
Who created We Become What We Behold?
It was made by Nicky Case, a designer known for interactive explainers such as Parable of the Polygons and The Evolution of Trust. Released in 2016, it shares their style of using simple shapes and short play sessions to illustrate social ideas in a way anyone can grasp quickly.
How long does it take to finish?
Most people finish it in about five minutes. There is no score, level list, or failure state, so you simply keep taking photos until the story concludes. Because it is so brief, many players go back through it a second time to pay closer attention to the details and captions.
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