Curiosity winner weighs in on 'life changing' prize and the perks of being a god

Edinburgh, Scotland resident Bryan Henderson started playing Peter Molyneux's social media experiment, Curiosity: What's Inside the Cube?, an hour before its end. Now, the 18-year-old gets to be a digital god.

Curiosity, a free mobile game from 22Cans, challenged players to slowly tap away layers on a gigantic cube. The goal was for one person to break through, revealing a secret prize that Molyneux promised would be "life changing." Five million downloads and six months later, Henderson scratched through the final layer.

"It took a really long time for it to sink in, the fact that I had won, along with finding out about Godus and my involvement in it," Henderson told Polygon. "Seeing my name across the Internet has blown my mind, and I think it's still sinking in."

In a previously recorded video, Molyneux explained that the prize winner would gain the ability to become a digital god. Specifically, the deity in 22Can's upcoming title, Godus.

"You will have fame," Molyneux said. "You will have fortune. And you will have the power to introduce morals into a game."

As the game's winner, Henderson will be able to "intrinsically decide on the rule Godus is played on," Molyneux said, and will share the game's success. Each time people spend money on the title, an undisclosed portion will go to Henderson.

"I think I'll be a pretty nice god, but getting to mess with people sounds like it could be fun."

Henderson had a choice to share the long-awaited secret or keep it to himself — an option that never crossed his mind.

"I didn't even think about keeping it for a secret," Henderson said. "I guess I just didn't want everyone to be disappointed."

He's already told a few friends and family, who were "way more excited" about the prize than he was.

"My mum has taken the duty of telling the rest of the family," Henderson said.

As for whether or not Molyneux's prize is life changing, he doesn't disagree.

"I couldn't be happier or more excited," Henderson said. "I think I'll be a pretty nice god, but getting to mess with people sounds like it could be fun."