https://github.com/jeffasante/number-sense
A web-based game inspired by the mysterious data refinement work seen in Apple TV+'s "Severance".
https://github.com/jeffasante/number-sense
Last synced: 7 months ago
JSON representation
A web-based game inspired by the mysterious data refinement work seen in Apple TV+'s "Severance".
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/jeffasante/number-sense
- Owner: jeffasante
- License: mit
- Created: 2025-01-18T22:23:30.000Z (over 1 year ago)
- Default Branch: master
- Last Pushed: 2025-01-18T22:41:56.000Z (over 1 year ago)
- Last Synced: 2025-01-18T23:21:47.492Z (over 1 year ago)
- Language: HTML
- Size: 0 Bytes
- Stars: 0
- Watchers: 1
- Forks: 0
- Open Issues: 0
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: readme.md
- License: LICENSE
Awesome Lists containing this project
README
# NumberSense: Emotional Data Refinement Game
> [Play the Game](https://jeffasante.github.io/number-sense/) | [GitHub Repository](https://github.com/jeffasante/number-sense)
A web-based game inspired by the mysterious data refinement work seen in Apple TV+'s "Severance". This project recreates the unsettling experience of selecting numbers based purely on emotional response, without knowing their true meaning.
## Overview
In the TV show "Severance", employees perform the mysterious task of "refining" numbers based purely on how they feel, without understanding what the numbers represent. This project recreates that experience as an interactive web game.
The idea that workers are using pure emotional intuition to sort numbers, completely divorced from their meaning or context, is both absurd and eerily familiar. It reflects how many modern jobs involve manipulating abstract data without fully understanding its real-world impact or significance. The workers become human algorithms, processing information based on trained responses rather than genuine understanding.
What makes it particularly clever is how it inverts our usual relationship with numbers. Typically, we think of numerical work as logical and emotionally neutral. But by making the sorting criteria purely emotional ("these numbers feel wrong"), the show highlights how arbitrary and alienating much of modern work can be. The workers aren't even granted the cold comfort of logical rules to follow.
## Features
- **Intuitive Interface**: Clean, retro-terminal aesthetic matching the show's visual style
- **Dynamic Number Generation**: Creates patterns of numbers that may feel "wrong" or "unsettling"
- **Emotional Response System**: Hover effects reveal cryptic messages about number patterns
- **Mysterious Metrics**: Tracks various unclear measurements like "Emotional Resonance" and "Intuition Alignment"
- **Responsive Design**: Works across different screen sizes
- **Minimal Dependencies**: Built with vanilla HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
## Technical Implementation
### Core Components
1. **Number Generation**
- Uses `generateNumberGroup()` to create both "normal" and potentially "unsettling" number patterns
- Implements weighted randomization for number distribution
2. **UI Elements**
- Terminal-style interface with retro aesthetics
- Interactive grid system for number selection
- Hover effects with emotional response messages
- Metrics panel with mysterious calculations
3. **User Interaction**
- Click-to-select mechanism for number refinement
- Real-time metric updates
- Emotional prompt system
- How-to-play toggle functionality
### Key Features Breakdown
```javascript
// Example of number pattern generation
function generateNumberGroup() {
let groups = [];
// Creates mix of "normal" and "unsettling" patterns
if (Math.random() < 0.3) {
// Generates intentionally disturbing patterns
numbers = Array(4).fill().map(() =>
Math.floor(Math.random() * 9) + 1
);
} else {
// Creates more uniform patterns
let base = Math.floor(Math.random() * 9) + 1;
numbers = [base, base, base, base].map(n =>
n + Math.floor(Math.random() * 3)
);
}
return groups;
}
```
## Setup
1. Clone the repository
2. Open `index.html` in a web browser
3. No build process or dependencies required
## Customization
You can modify the game by adjusting these key elements:
- `emotionalResponses`: Array of hover messages
- `generateNumberGroup()`: Logic for number pattern generation
- CSS variables: Visual styling and animations
- Metrics calculation in `updateMetrics()`
## Contributing
Feel free to contribute to this project by:
1. Forking the repository
2. Creating your feature branch
3. Committing your changes
4. Opening a pull request
## License
This project is open source and available under the MIT License.
## Credits
- Created by [jeffasante](https://github.com/jeffasante)
- Inspired by the Apple TV+ show "Severance"
---
For questions or suggestions, please open an issue on GitHub.