NORMALANT COLONY Play the game ↗

FIELD RECORD / OTTAWA, ONTARIO

A GAME.
A REAL COLONY.
TWO CURIOUS KIDS.

Normal Ant Colony began when a 12-year-old who loves making games teamed up with a 6-year-old who loves caring for ants. Now their digital colony and their real one are growing side by side.

PLAY NORMAL ANT COLONY ↗MEET THE REAL COLONY ↓

THE REAL COLONY / RIGHT NOW

01QUEEN
08WORKERS
•••EGGS
Counts change as the colony grows. The next update is coming soon.

01 / THE GAME

START SMALL.
BUILD BELOW.

You begin beneath a clover patch with one queen and five workers. Find food, send foragers, dig tunnels, build a nursery, protect the brood, and help the nest become a lasting colony.

Normal Ant Colony game showing five worker ants above a clover nest with the field ledger controls
LIVE BUILD / PHASE IOPEN THE GAME ↗
01

FORAGE

Choose food, send a worker party, and bring enough home to keep the colony healthy.

02

EXCAVATE

Switch underground, open new tunnels, and shape a safe nest chamber by chamber.

03

GROW

Support the queen and brood until eggs become workers and the colony can carry more.

02 / HOW IT STARTED

ONE BUILDS
WORLDS.
ONE WATCHES
THEM GROW.

The older sibling likes code, systems, and figuring out why a game feels fun. The younger sibling notices when the ants carry food, move their eggs, or change the way they use their home.

They brought those interests together with a parent to make Normal Ant Colony. Real observations inspire game ideas. Game questions send everyone back to the habitat to look more closely.

“What if the game grows at the same speed as our real colony?”

This is a parent-managed family project. The children are not identified and do not receive direct messages from visitors.

Editorial illustration of an observation ant habitat with tunnels and a hydration moduleILLUSTRATION / REAL COLONY PHOTOS COMING SOON

03 / THE LIVING COLONY

BENEATH
THE CLOVER,
FOR REAL.

Our Ottawa colony currently has one queen, eight worker ants, and eggs. We are watching how they feed, care for the brood, and settle into their habitat.

  • QUEENHealthy and laying
  • WORKERSEight and counting
  • BROODEggs under care
  • NEXT FIELD NOTEFirst progress video
WATCH ON YOUTUBE SOON

The family channel is being prepared. This button will link to it when the first observation video is ready.

04 / THE COLONY NEEDS MORE BUILDERS

KIDS CAN
MAKE GAMES,
NOT JUST
PLAY THEM.

The long-term plan is to open the code so young developers can learn from the project, suggest features, fix bugs, and add their own colony ideas with a parent or guardian.

GITHUB / OPENING LATERnormal-ant-colony

The source is still being prepared for public contributions. We will publish beginner-friendly setup notes, small starter issues, and a clear family contribution policy first.

GET THE OPEN-SOURCE UPDATE ↓

05 / WHERE THIS CAN GO

NOW

PLAY + OBSERVE

Grow a colony in the browser and follow the eight real workers caring for their queen and eggs.

NEXT

BUILD TOGETHER

Open the game code, invite parent-supported young contributors, and turn good ideas into releases.

LATER

EARN + EXPLORE

Play challenges, collect rewards, and let families put rewards toward habitats or locally available colony kits.

Any future live-ant offering will be parent-operated, local-first in Ottawa, species-appropriate, and built around animal care rather than impulse purchases.

06 / FAMILY FIELD NOTES

FOLLOW THE
COLONY.

Parents and guardians can join for game releases, real-colony updates, YouTube launches, and the eventual open-source invitation.

07 / QUESTIONS FROM THE TRAIL

Can my child contribute to the game?+

Not yet. When the repository opens, contributions will use a parent-supported process with small, clearly explained tasks. Adults will manage communication and review.

Can we buy ants now?+

No. The family is caring for its first colony and learning what responsible keeping requires. Any future offering will begin locally in Ottawa and will include suitable housing and clear care information.

Is the game free?+

Yes. The current browser game is free to play. Future optional rewards or products will be clearly separated from normal play.

Where can we watch the real colony?+

A parent-managed YouTube channel is planned. Join the field notes and we will share the link when the first video is ready.