diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 7fa69a3..ddf9d87 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -34,14 +34,22 @@ If no seed is provided, the game can either generate a seed of zeroes, or a rand
 new_game = Game(12, 12, random=True)
 ```
 
-Once the game board is populated, call the `start()` method. The game will start on a background thread and update the full game board as well as a number of informational instance variables:
+Once the game board is populated, call the `start()` method. The game values and state will be initialized so you can interact with the board one step at a time. You can also use this method to re-initialize the game:
 
 ```python
 new_game.start()
+```
+
+You can also instruct the game to self-run with the `start_thread()` method. The game will start on a background thread and update the full game board as well as a number of informational instance variables:
+
+```python
+new_game.start_thread()
 
 new_game.current_board # hold the complete game state after each step
 new_game.live_cells # the count of live cells on the board
 new_game.generations # the number of steps elapsed in the current game.
+
+new_game.stop_thread()
 ```
 
 It's also possible to call the `run_generation()` method and control the game state yourself from one iteration to the next:
diff --git a/py_conway/game.py b/py_conway/game.py
index a1d5b7f..dc7da7c 100644
--- a/py_conway/game.py
+++ b/py_conway/game.py
@@ -38,6 +38,9 @@ class Game:
     two-dimensional board of any size.
     """
 
+    generations = 0
+    live_cells = 0
+
     def __init__(self, width: int = 6, height: int = 6,
                  seed: list = None, random: bool = False,
                  enforce_boundary: bool = True):
@@ -56,8 +59,6 @@ class Game:
                     side.
         """
         self.board_size = (width, height)
-        self.live_cells = 0
-        self.generations = 0
         self._thread_active = False
         self._enforce_boundary = enforce_boundary
 
@@ -193,17 +194,24 @@ class Game:
                     break
                 self.run_generation()
 
-    def start(self):
+    def start_thread(self):
         """Run the game automatically on a background thread."""
         thread = Thread(target=self._run, args=())
         thread.daemon = True
         thread.start()
         self._thread_active = True
 
-    def stop(self):
+    def stop_thread(self):
         """Stop a game currently running on a background thread."""
         self._thread_active = False
 
+    def start(self):
+        """Initialize important game properties."""
+        self.current_board = deepcopy(self.seed)
+        self.state = GameState.RUNNING
+        self.generations = 0
+        self.live_cells = self._count_live_cells(self.current_board)
+
     def run_generation(self):
         """Run a single generation across all cells.
 
@@ -212,6 +220,9 @@ class Game:
         Once every cell has been checked against Conway's three rules,
         the entire state grid is updated at once.
         """
+        if (self.state != GameState.RUNNING):
+            return
+
         # Get a deep copy of the state to track cells that will need
         # to change without affecting the outcome for other cells
         # in-generation

refactor start to start_thread and have start just change state.
diff --git a/tests/test_conway.py b/tests/test_conway.py
index da4e9a3..76decfc 100644
--- a/tests/test_conway.py
+++ b/tests/test_conway.py
@@ -82,6 +82,8 @@ def test_3_x_3_single_cell_single_run():
             [0, 0, 0]]
 
     test_game = Game(3, 3, seed)
+    test_game.start()
+
     test_game.run_generation()
     assert test_game.current_board == create_zeros(3, 3)
 
@@ -97,6 +99,8 @@ def test_3_x_3_three_neighbors_single_run():
                       [0, 0, 0]]
 
     test_game = Game(3, 3, seed)
+    test_game.start()
+
     test_game.run_generation()
 
     assert test_game.current_board == expected_state
@@ -113,6 +117,8 @@ def test_3_x_3_four_neighbors_single_run():
                       [1, 1, 1]]
 
     test_game = Game(3, 3, seed)
+    test_game.start()
+
     test_game.run_generation()
 
     assert test_game.current_board == expected_state
@@ -129,6 +135,8 @@ def test_4_x_3_three_neighbors_single_run():
                       [0, 1, 1, 0]]
 
     test_game = Game(4, 3, seed)
+    test_game.start()
+
     test_game.run_generation()
 
     assert test_game.current_board == expected_state
@@ -158,6 +166,8 @@ def test_increment_live_cells_after_update():
             [0, 1, 0]]
 
     test_game = Game(3, 3, seed)
+    test_game.start()
+
     test_game.run_generation()
 
     assert test_game.live_cells == 8
@@ -165,6 +175,7 @@ def test_increment_live_cells_after_update():
 
 def test_update_generations_count_after_each_generation():
     test_game = Game(2, 2, [[1, 0], [0, 1]])
+    test_game.start()
 
     test_game.run_generation()
     test_game.run_generation()
@@ -183,6 +194,8 @@ def test_3_x_3_four_neighbors_two_runs():
                       [1, 0, 1]]
 
     test_game = Game(3, 3, seed)
+    test_game.start()
+
     test_game.run_generation()
     test_game.run_generation()
 
@@ -234,6 +247,8 @@ def test_ensure_that_live_cells_count_is_accurate_before_run():
             [0, 0, 0, 0]]
 
     test_game = Game(4, 4, seed)
+    test_game.start()
+
     test_game.current_board[0][0] = 1
 
     test_game.run_generation()
@@ -243,6 +258,8 @@ def test_ensure_that_live_cells_count_is_accurate_before_run():
 
 def test_no_seed_ensure_live_cells_count_is_accurate_before_run():
     test_game = Game(4, 4)
+    test_game.start()
+
     test_game.current_board[0][0] = 1
     test_game.current_board[0][1] = 1
     test_game.current_board[0][2] = 1
@@ -259,7 +276,7 @@ def test_still_life_game_will_continue_to_run():
             [0, 0, 0, 0]]
 
     test_game = Game(4, 4, seed)
-    test_game.start()
+    test_game.start_thread()
 
     assert test_game.state, GameState.RUNNING
 
@@ -271,11 +288,11 @@ def test_still_life_game_can_be_stopped():
             [0, 0, 0, 0]]
 
     test_game = Game(4, 4, seed)
-    test_game.start()
+    test_game.start_thread()
 
     assert test_game.state, GameState.RUNNING
 
-    test_game.stop()
+    test_game.stop_thread()
 
     assert test_game.state, GameState.FINISHED
 
@@ -325,6 +342,31 @@ def test_enable_boundary_wrapping_on_board():
                       [0, 0, 0, 0],
                       [0, 0, 0, 0]]
 
+    test_game.start()
     test_game.run_generation()
 
     assert test_game.current_board == expected_board
+
+
+def test_dont_run_generation_when_game_not_started():
+    test_game = Game(random=True)
+
+    test_game.run_generation()
+
+    assert test_game.generations == 0
+
+
+def test_start_can_be_used_to_restart_the_game():
+    test_game = Game(random=True)
+
+    random_seed = test_game.current_board
+
+    test_game.start()
+    test_game.run_generation()
+    test_game.run_generation()
+
+    assert test_game.current_board != random_seed
+
+    test_game.start()
+
+    assert test_game.current_board == random_seed

pip install -e .[dev]
parse_log_pytest
requirements.txt
pytest>=4.4.0 pytest-cov pytest-ordering pytest-subtests pytest-timeout pytest
3.9
requirements-dev.txt
pytest --no-header -rA --tb=line --color=no -p no:cacheprovider -W ignore::DeprecationWarning
attrs==25.3.0
coverage==7.8.0
exceptiongroup==1.2.2
iniconfig==2.1.0
packaging==24.2
pluggy==1.5.0
-e git+https://github.com/bsatrom/py-conway.git@bfadc3ba29d71097c2161c7a714dfec37a670307#egg=py_conway
pytest==8.3.5
pytest-cov==6.0.0
pytest-ordering==0.6
pytest-subtests==0.14.1
pytest-timeout==2.3.1
tomli==2.2.1

name: py-conway
channels:
  - defaults
  - https://repo.anaconda.com/pkgs/main
  - https://repo.anaconda.com/pkgs/r
  - conda-forge
dependencies:
  - _libgcc_mutex=0.1=main
  - _openmp_mutex=5.1=1_gnu
  - ca-certificates=2025.2.25=h06a4308_0
  - ld_impl_linux-64=2.40=h12ee557_0
  - libffi=3.4.4=h6a678d5_1
  - libgcc-ng=11.2.0=h1234567_1
  - libgomp=11.2.0=h1234567_1
  - libstdcxx-ng=11.2.0=h1234567_1
  - ncurses=6.4=h6a678d5_0
  - openssl=3.0.16=h5eee18b_0
  - pip=25.0=py39h06a4308_0
  - python=3.9.21=he870216_1
  - readline=8.2=h5eee18b_0
  - setuptools=75.8.0=py39h06a4308_0
  - sqlite=3.45.3=h5eee18b_0
  - tk=8.6.14=h39e8969_0
  - tzdata=2025a=h04d1e81_0
  - wheel=0.45.1=py39h06a4308_0
  - xz=5.6.4=h5eee18b_1
  - zlib=1.2.13=h5eee18b_1
  - pip:
      - attrs==25.3.0
      - coverage==7.8.0
      - exceptiongroup==1.2.2
      - iniconfig==2.1.0
      - packaging==24.2
      - pluggy==1.5.0
      - pytest==8.3.5
      - pytest-cov==6.0.0
      - pytest-ordering==0.6
      - pytest-subtests==0.14.1
      - pytest-timeout==2.3.1
      - tomli==2.2.1
prefix: /opt/conda/envs/py-conway

tests/test_conway.py::test_still_life_game_will_continue_to_run tests/test_conway.py::test_still_life_game_can_be_stopped tests/test_conway.py::test_dont_run_generation_when_game_not_started tests/test_conway.py::test_start_can_be_used_to_restart_the_game
tests/test_conway.py::test_game_init tests/test_conway.py::test_test_game_init_seed tests/test_conway.py::test_test_game_init_defaults tests/test_conway.py::test_test_game_init_board_default_seed tests/test_conway.py::test_test_game_3_x_3_check_cell_with_one_neighbor tests/test_conway.py::test_test_game_3_x_3_check_cell_with_two_neighbors tests/test_conway.py::test_test_game_3_x_3_check_cell_with_three_neighbors tests/test_conway.py::test_single_column_array tests/test_conway.py::test_3_x_3_single_cell_single_run tests/test_conway.py::test_3_x_3_three_neighbors_single_run tests/test_conway.py::test_3_x_3_four_neighbors_single_run tests/test_conway.py::test_4_x_3_three_neighbors_single_run tests/test_conway.py::test_3_x_3_empty_seed_no_live_cells tests/test_conway.py::test_3_x_3_seed_five_live_cells tests/test_conway.py::test_increment_live_cells_after_update tests/test_conway.py::test_update_generations_count_after_each_generation tests/test_conway.py::test_3_x_3_four_neighbors_two_runs tests/test_conway.py::test_default_game_state_ready tests/test_conway.py::test_start_game_changes_state_to_running tests/test_conway.py::test_empty_board_run_game_until_no_living_cells_left tests/test_conway.py::test_ensure_that_width_height_and_seed_match tests/test_conway.py::test_ensure_that_live_cells_count_is_accurate_before_run tests/test_conway.py::test_no_seed_ensure_live_cells_count_is_accurate_before_run tests/test_conway.py::test_ensure_that_seed_includes_valid_data tests/test_conway.py::test_generate_random_seed_generates_random_seed tests/test_conway.py::test_enable_boundary_wrapping_on_board
README.md py_conway/game.py
README.md py_conway/game.py