We Become What We Behold is a brief point-and-click game that delivers a sharp social commentary. You simply photograph everyday moments among round and square characters, but those snapshots ripple outward, gradually transforming the whole community into comic—and unsettling—media-driven cycles.
A Miniature Social Experiment In We Become What We Behold
“We Become What We Behold” is an original piece by developer Nicky Case. First released in October 2016 and refreshed two years later, it isn’t an intense action title or a sprawling RPG. Instead, it functions as a compact sociological experiment that runs about five minutes and leaves lingering questions.
The central maxim is crucial: “We shape our tools, and then our tools shape us.” In this game the “tools” are the camera and the media.
Simple, Powerful Gameplay
Gameplay is deliberately minimal. You play from above as a sort of sky-bound observer with one task: use the mouse to photograph the tiny residents below. The scene is a small world where “normal peeps”—quirky figures with round or square heads—go about their routines.
But each photo is more than a frozen moment. It appears instantly on the in-game “news”—a TV set at the center of the screen—for everyone to see. That broadcast is where everything changes: your choice of what to highlight begins to steer society influencing how characters behave and what becomes important.
The Journey From “Like” To “Boom!” - Game Milestones
Fancy Man With The Hat
A character with a hat stands out. Snap his picture and the hat quickly becomes fashionable. The crowd scrambles to imitate him. Youve sparked a trend.
When A Trend Becomes Boring
If you keep featuring hats, people tire of them. “Who wants to see boring things?” — suddenly hats fall out of favor. Youve watched a trend fade.
The Lovers
A sweet square-round couple appears. Photographing them seems harmless, but the news headline transforms affection into scandal: “LOVE IS CONTAGIOUS?” The pair are shunned. Its a sharp example of how media framing can twist something beautiful into fodder for outrage.
The Angry Person
Then comes a red character yelling. A single image of them alone is neutral. The game even prompts you: “CATCH ‘EM DOING SOMETHING.” But when you capture an act of aggression, the coverage escalates and the public reaction intensifies.
The Death Spiral Of Negative News
After the angry image airs, the world shifts dramatically. Fear and anger spread faster than any fashion trend. The “normal peeps” begin to distrust and exclude one another. Simple physical differences between square and round heads, once trivial, become sparks for conflict.
The more conflict you photograph, the more hatred you broadcast, and the more chaotic society becomes. A vicious loop forms: sensational coverage leads to panic and division, which produces more sensational events to report, accelerating toward an inevitable, tragic outcome.
The Deep Message Behind Simple Pixels
The Power Of Media
The game highlights how media does more than reflect events—it helps create them. Our perception is shaped by what gets amplified, and people can start to imitate the behaviors they see spotlighted.
Negative News Spreads Faster
Fear and anger are magnetic and propagate rapidly, easily drowning out kind or mundane stories. “Who tunes in to watch people get along?” becomes a bitter critique of what audiences and outlets prioritize.
Responsibility Of The Camera Operator
You, the player, stand in for journalists, content creators, and social media users. Every photo, every share, nudges public attention. How you choose to report matters.
Conclusion
We Become What We Behold is a short social experiment disguised as a simple game. Each camera click acts like an editorial decision, and the cascade that follows demonstrates how tiny moments can be blown up, distorted, and used to steer an entire community. Its a powerful reminder of how collective attention can be manipulated and how harmless-seeming loops of content can spiral out of control.