Try out Google’s strangely mesmerizing Blob Opera – and don’t say I never got you anything for Christmas

Google’s Chrome Experiments are among some of the best and most creative instances where we see the open web at its strongest. Particularly in the Google Arts and Culture scene, they’ve placed a lot into crafting unique experiences that you can enjoy just by clicking on a link. Their latest experiment is no different – it’s a blob opera. Wait, what?

Yep, a handful of blobs who sing opera in varying pitches and tones based on how you drag them around. Forward and backward gives you different vowels while up and down change their pitch. The purple blob on the right is your bass, the teal one is your tenor, the green one is your mezzo-soprano and lastly, the red one is your soprano. All of this is done with machine learning because that’s why these experiments exist in the first place – to test the limits of what can be done through the Chrome browser with code.

Chrome Experiments is a showcase of work by coders who are pushing the boundaries of web technology, creating beautiful, unique web experiences. You’ll find helpful links throughout the site for creating your own experiments, and you can also explore resources like WebGL Globe and our workshop of tools.

Blob Opera is oddly satisfying to listen to on repeat. You don’t have to know anything about music to make it sound good either because Google does it for you with that machine learning I mentioned. What’s particularly awesome and the reason I’m telling you about this little “game” today is that they’ve added a toggle on the bottom right of the screen that drops Christmas hats onto your blobs and makes snow begin to fall around them. Then, a music player appears to the left of that toggle that allows you to play pre-recorded Christmas carols for your blobs to sing on repeat.

Most of them are good enough to become background noise – assuming Opera doesn’t hurt your ears. I personally kind of like it, especially Silent Night. Anyway, you can record your own little musical too if you want using the record button on the bottom left of the screen. You can then share it with your friends and family as a simple link. It’s a neat little bit of enjoyment for Christmas Eve, I think, and the kids may even love it while they try to pass the excruciatingly long day that they consider an obstacle to opening presents. Okay, go have fun with it or annoy someone who doesn’t like opera – just don’t say I never got you anything!

Try Blob Opera on Google Arts and Culture