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Scroll through the playable post and drag the unhappy shapes to new spots to see how society shifts. Works best on a desktop or laptop.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Parable of the Polygons

How do I play Parable of the Polygons?
Scroll through the playable post and interact with the little shapes. When a shape is unhappy, drag it to an empty spot until everyone is satisfied. Later sections let you run automatic simulations by adjusting sliders and pressing buttons.
Is Parable of the Polygons free to play online?
Yes! Parable of the Polygons on PlayBrain is completely free to play in your browser. No downloads, no sign-ups, and no ads blocking gameplay.
What is Parable of the Polygons about?
It is a playable post about how small individual biases can add up to large-scale segregation, even when no single shape wants a segregated world. It is based on the Nobel Prize winning work of economist Thomas Schelling on segregation models.
Is Parable of the Polygons educational?
Yes. It is a beloved teaching tool for understanding emergent behavior, the Schelling segregation model, systems thinking, and how harmless individual choices can produce harmful collective outcomes. It is used in sociology, economics, and computer science courses.
Who made Parable of the Polygons?
It was created by Vi Hart and Nicky Case. The project is released into the public domain (CC0), which is what lets PlayBrain self-host the original open-source build.
Does it work on mobile?
It plays best on a desktop or laptop because of the drag-and-drop shapes and wide simulations, but the controls are click, drag, and tap based, so it can also work on a tablet.

About Parable of the Polygons

Parable of the Polygons is a "playable post" about the surprising math of segregation. You are introduced to a society of cute triangles and squares who are perfectly happy living in a mixed neighborhood, with one small catch: each shape feels a little uncomfortable if it is too outnumbered by the other kind. As you drag unhappy shapes around and run the built-in simulations, you watch this tiny, seemingly harmless preference snowball into a deeply segregated world that no individual shape actually wanted. The piece is a hands-on illustration of economist Thomas Schelling's famous segregation model, and it has become a classic teaching tool for emergent behavior, systems thinking, and how collective outcomes can diverge from individual intentions. Parable of the Polygons was created by Vi Hart and Nicky Case and released into the public domain (CC0), which is what lets PlayBrain self-host the original open-source build for you to play here.

How to Play

  1. Scroll down through the playable post to read the story and reach each interactive.
  2. Drag any shape that is frowning to an empty square until it becomes happy.
  3. Use the sliders and buttons in later sections to run the automatic segregation simulations.
  4. Notice how a tiny individual preference can snowball into a fully segregated neighborhood.

Credits: Parable of the Polygons by Vi Hart and Nicky Case, released into the public domain (CC0). Source: github.com/ncase/polygons