Falling sand games have been around for a long time (as early as 2005, according to the Wikipedia). They provide a canvas for artful exploration, creativity, and are just all-round relaxing fun.

SandSpiel by Max Bittker is no exception. It’s a fantastic sand simulation combining a lot of great elements from the originals, from the base sand and water, through to lava, wood, fungus, and ice.

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http://sandspiel.club 🔥❄️🌷💧🌳🌋🍄 come play with sand! I’ve been working hard on this game since October. It’s not perfect yet (the controls are pretty confusing!) but i wanted to start sharing it. If you have some time to play around, I hope you enjoy it and I would love to hear what you think! my goal is to make a cozy game where people can use their curiosity to explore, and for that exploration to also be creative and communal. my goal is also to make cool volcanos and explosions

A post shared by Max Bittker (@maxbittker) on Dec 15, 2018 at 1:27am PST

The aim of the game is to create. Pouring water and seeds onto the ground will result in plants and flowers blooming. Drop some lava onto it and it all goes up into smoke.

People are really getting creative with this… it’s well worth your time to drop into the gallery and browse the creations!

Now, I’m a little late writing about this (it was released in late 2018), but it was too fun not to share. Max has also written up a great “making of” article, digging into the inspirations, aspirations, and more.

If you’re looking for something unique as a gift, or for that personal flair, then look no further than KnitYak.

KnitYak started off as a kickstarter, launched by Fabienne “fbz” Serriere, with the goal of creating generative knitwear, and wow-oh-wow was it a success.

By basing all the designs off generative algorithms, KnitYak is able to make each item a one-off.

new backer update, 541 scarves have shipped so far, 93 left to ship: https://t.co/NKkPOhkauf pic.twitter.com/yJzvNgcJTJ

— KnitYak (@KnitYak) May 7, 2018

Looking through the catalog, you can recognize some of the generative algorithms that defined the art-space, from the Mandelbrot set to the Cellular Automata. There’s something very beautiful about pulling an algorithm out of the computer, and turning it into something you can physically touch and hold.

Belgian game studio, creatively named Studio Waterzooi, have been hard at work on their first title: Please, Touch the Artwork.

Slated for release on iOS, The Google Play store, itch.io, and more.

I have to say, it looks like a wonderful combination of abstract art and a calming, zen gameplay with some puzzling twists.

Looking at the trailer, we can see that every piece of the game, right down to the minimalistic main character, has been inspired by different pieces of art.