Classic games like Pac-Man and Tetris can now be played on Bitcoin and Dogecoin thanks to the innovative Ordinals and Doginals protocols. These protocols allow media like artwork and games to be inscribed onto the blockchain, preserving them for eternity or simply for the novelty of the concept. Ordinals, launched in early 2023, enables users to inscribe media onto individual satoshis on the Bitcoin blockchain, while Doginals offers a similar functionality on Dogecoin. These advancements have led to an explosion of experimentation on Bitcoin, with developers creating fungible tokens and expanding the Ordinals tech to create richer apps and games.
To play games on-chain, users can access them through a web browser, similar to playing a web game. The games run in the browser window, and players can control characters or complete actions using their keyboard and mouse. However, due to storage limitations, these on-chain games can only support relatively simple gameplay, making classic titles like Pac-Man, Zork, and Tetris ideal candidates for inscriptions on Bitcoin and Dogecoin. Original games like Super Doginals, a beat-’em-up arcade-style game, are also starting to appear on these protocols.
The motivation behind inscribing games on-chain varies. Some people may be experimenting with the capabilities of these protocols, while others see the blockchain as an immutable way to preserve games on a decentralized network. For example, the creators of the Bitcoin Pizza collection inscribed a Super Nintendo emulator on Bitcoin, allowing users to play digital copies of classic 16-bit games. Regardless of the reasons, the end result is that classic games can now be played via Bitcoin and Dogecoin, providing a unique and innovative gaming experience.
With the continued development and adoption of protocols like Ordinals and Doginals, we may see more games and applications being inscribed on blockchains in the future. As long as these networks remain active, players will have access to a growing library of games that can be played directly from the blockchain. The intersection of gaming and blockchain technology opens up new possibilities for preserving and experiencing classic games in a decentralized and secure manner. So next time you hear about Pac-Man running on Bitcoin or Doom playable on Dogecoin, you’ll know that it’s not just a headline—it’s a reality in the world of blockchain gaming.
