Black & White is a 2001 god game developed by Lionhead Studios and published by Electronic Arts. Players take on the role of a newly born deity, guiding a tribe of worshippers across a series of islands while training a giant, AI-driven creature that acts as the player's physical avatar. The game is notable for its innovative gesture-based spellcasting system, where the player draws symbols with the mouse to trigger miracles, and for its highly detailed, seamlessly zoomable 3D world. The creature AI, which learns from the player's actions through a behavioral feedback system, was a technical showcase at the time, though its practical implementation proved divisive. Black & White includes a single-player campaign and a multiplayer mode where players pit their trained creatures against each other.
The Vault · 2001
Black & White
The god game that forgot to be fun.
black-and-whiteWindows 95/98god-gameStrategy
Screenshots
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PreservationHow to Play TodayYour options for running this game in 2026
Original Hardware
Original CD required; runs on Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000, or XP. Installation from disc may demand compatibility tweaks on newer systems.
Emulation / Other Options
Not an emulated title; it's a native PC game. On modern Windows, use the fan-made 'Black & White: Modern Setup' patcher or run a Windows 98 virtual machine.