Reviving Classics: Bitcoin’s Blockchain Gaming Boom

Thanks to the Ordinals protocol, the Bitcoin blockchain has become a hub for preserving digital content, with over 65 million bits of media, including playable video games, inscribed in the past year. This novel application allows users to etch games and other applications directly onto the blockchain, ensuring their longevity as long as the network exists.

While some view this as merely a novelty, others see it as a critical method for preserving classic games that are otherwise vulnerable to being delisted and lost in digital obscurity.

The fascination with blockchain gaming is evident in several ambitious projects. One of the most intriguing is Pizza Ninja’s digital recreation of the Super Nintendo, announced in January 2024. This Ordinals project allows owners of specific assets to legally play public domain games or their own ROMs through a custom emulator inscribed on Bitcoin.

Following this, the team expanded their offering to include an emulator for the more advanced Nintendo 64 console, applying newer compression technologies to accommodate the larger system.

Among the fully self-contained games on Bitcoin, the Pac-Man inscription stands out. Ordinals inscription #189,058 not only replicates the original arcade hit but also includes variations like Ms. Pac-Man and the Sesame Street-inspired Cookie-Man. Similarly, Tetris has been brought to the blockchain, inscribed as #35,043,603. Despite some quirks in the controls, it offers a faithful rendition of the classic puzzle game.

Other notable gaming inscriptions include a Doom-esque game and the text-based adventure Zork, one of the earliest video games to be inscribed on Bitcoin. These projects highlight the diverse potential of the Ordinals protocol to host everything from simple experiments to complex game emulations.

Shifting focus slightly, the BitBoy One is set to introduce a Game Boy-like experience that not only supports play-to-earn games on Bitcoin but also allows for the play of classic titles from platforms like the Super Nintendo and Sony PlayStation. This device, anticipated to retail for around $500, promises a blend of nostalgic gaming with modern blockchain functionality, including decentralized physical infrastructure network (DePIN) capabilities for airdrop farming.

The continued development and inscription of games on Bitcoin’s blockchain signal a growing trend in the crypto gaming space, where the preservation of digital classics meets modern technological capabilities. This blend of nostalgia and innovation not only caters to gamers but also preserves cultural artifacts in a permanently accessible format.