The Rules

The Game of Life is played on an infinite two-dimensional matrix of cells. Each cell has one of two states, called 'alive' and 'dead'. Given an initial pattern of cells, three rules are applied to determine the state of each cell in the matrix in the next generation:

1. If the cell has exactly two or three live neighbours and is alive, it survives to the next generation.
2. If the cell has exactly three live neighbours and is dead, it will be born into the next generation.
3. Otherwise, the cell will be dead in the next generation.

'Neighbour' means any cell adjacent to the cell, orthogonally or diagonally.