Making of Six Degrees

How an interactive star map of video game history went from a napkin idea to a 3D constellation of thousands of games, connected across five decades of influence.

Chapters

Click a chapter to explore the tech behind it.

From a music influence graph to a 3D galaxy of games. The idea, the inspiration, and the question that started it all.

Inspiration Influence Demo

Data & Relationships

28 relationship types, IGDB metadata, curated influence chains, and the challenge of modeling how games actually connect.

IGDB Graph Demo

Force-directed layout in three dimensions. Instanced rendering, Louvain clustering, nebula overlays, and making it feel like a place.

Three.js Clustering Demo

Timeline playback, the pathfinder, Steam library import, and turning a reference tool into something personal.

Timeline Pathfinder Demo

560 commits in 49 days. An AI experiment, a holiday marathon, and the story of building something you've never built before.

Process Claude Demo