Game of Life in Tableau

Just heard the news that Professor John Conway has succumbed to COVID-19. Really sorry to hear that. John is the inventor of the Game of Life which has a huge influence in computer science. I would like to dedicate this implementation of Game of Life in Tableau to him, a great mathematician and educator! RIP

Last year, I decided to give the Game of Life a run in Tableau, after a few earlier projects in cellular automata. It took me awhile to get all the logic right. In the process, I have written probably one of the most complex Tableau formula of my life. But I enjoyed every bit of it.

Yes, we can do it in Tableau and here is the workbook.

There is no play button for it because it's not based on paging. We can play it only one step at a time via the slider. Hope that Tableau can play it automatically in the future!

RIP, Professor Conway! Your legacy will stay alive for a very long time.