Recent Pokémon-Bitcoin Team-Up Is a Blockchain Disaster of Epic Proportions

The Blockchain network is a wonderful technological achievement. It opens new pathways in society, economies, and even in governing. However, there are also uses of the technology that can lead to unfortunate results. A good example of this is the recent Twitch event that involved combining the popular Pokémon franchise and Bitcoin. As of writing, the project is proving to be a disaster.

For some context to this story, four years ago, there was an event held on Twitch called “Twitch Plays Pokémon.” It was basically an experiment where the platform allowed viewers to input commands in the game. The character would move, interact with their environment, and accomplish goals via a crowdfunded effort. It became a cultural phenomenon, as Futurism notes.

In an attempt to replicate the event, a software engineer named João Almeida launched his own project titled “Poketoshi.” Much like “Twitch Plays Pokémon,” viewers are basically able to move the character in the game as they please. However, this experiment came with the added stipulation of requiring payment via Bitcoin.

That’s right. In order to play “Poketoshi,” players would need to pay for the privilege and this is accomplished through the system called the “Lightning Network,” The Next Web reports. Basically, it’s a platform that can process minor bitcoin transactions in real time.

Participants will need to spend 10 Satoshi if they want to input a command. This is equivalent to one ten-millionth of the value of a single Bitcoin. As expected, this didn’t take off with the audience on Twitch.

From the start of writing this piece to its end, the game did not progress at all. It’s clear that very few viewers on the platform were willing to subject themselves to such a complicated process just to play the game. This version of “Twitch Plays Pokémon” just made everything unnecessarily complex.

On the other hand, the success of the event might not have been the point. It seems this project was simply a means of showing how fast the “Lightning Network” can process Bitcoin transactions. The game was just a medium.