The Paperclip Game — Do You Dare to Play?

The estimated reading time for this post is 3 minutes

I didn’t mean for it to happen.

I was checking out Twitter on Friday night around nine 9pm when I saw that the Paperclip game was trending. Curious, I checked it out and saw that this tweet started the trend:

My new game, in which you play an AI who makes paperclips: https://t.co/KAEIvW6usc pic.twitter.com/AjItc7DhX1

— Frank Lantz (@flantz) October 9, 2017

Again curious, I clicked on the link to the Paperclip game. Creating paperclips using artificial intelligence sounded interesting enough for me to check it out.

Little did I know my addiction had just begun. Quickly I was hooked.

The Universal Paperclip game is a build-your-own-universe-game, similar to Sim City and Farmville. But instead of building cities or farms, you build a business manufacturing, marketing and selling paperclips. Although it can be played on a mobile device, it was designed for playing on a computer.

Frank Lantz, a game developer from New York tweeted the game to share it with others for entertainment and as a warning against the power of artificial intelligence (AI).

“It is meant to be a light and funny game, but at the same time it does represent something truly horrific. I hope that the pleasure that people get from dipping into this experience is made richer by the ideas and the context, that they come away with a little bit of insight into the ideas behind the conversation about AI safety and the values-alignment problem.”

The game is aesthetically plain. Don’t expect graphics, characters, stories or special effects. You don’t need to sign into an account or connect to Facebook to play. No instructions are given, you’re on your own to figure out how to play.

But that’s a big part of the fun.

Note: those with epilepsy may want to avoid this game as it flashes at times.

The game teaches important skills, including:

• working with big numbers, such as septillion, octillion and tredecillion (assuming you do well in the paper clip business)
• running a business, including when to automate, how to power your business, and timing of buying your supplies
• investing in your company versus investing in a stock portfolio
• doing good in the world, as in some of the more generous actions have mighty rewards
• math, as you calculate numbers to make your decisions
• economic analysis, as you make decisions based on what’s best for the business, what’s best for you and what’s best for humanity
• quantum computing, of course…

The game also lets you make decisions such as how much time should be spent on operations versus creativity, working versus thinking.

I knew I wasn’t alone in my obsession with making paperclips when I glanced at my Amazon Echo Show and saw a story about the viral Paperclip game…

Players start off slowly, by making individual decisions on how to grow the business. You have to buy supplies and price your product properly to make sure the income and expenses line up.

The game offers Projects that give you new skills if you buy into the Project. You may get the opportunity to automate a function or increase the efficiency of production.

Some Projects are counter-intuitive, you may not want to invest in them because they seem unwise. But by investing in them, you may be unlocking future opportunities that will greatly benefit you.

It’s not just me…

I CAN'T STOP PLAYING THE PAPERCLIP GAME

— Ellen Murray ♿🚲 (@ellenfromnowon) October 9, 2017

You also get to try your hand at Strategic Modeling tournaments, with different strategic plans. Yomis are the reward for playing in the tournament, which you can use for projects.

Overnight, I earned about $7 billion dollars. I’m not entirely sure, but I don’t think that’s real money. I’ll let you know if I’m wrong.

Your Thoughts

Have you played the Paperclip game? Did you get hooked too? Do you have any tips for playing the Paperclip game?

Share your thoughts in the Comments section below! (No spoilers, please.)

* Paperclip image courtesy of Daniel MacDonald via Flickr and Creative Commons