"A video game is a fidget spinner with a story". -- @mitchellfchan via @matto__matto I started tinkering with making a Gameboy game with my kiddo and in the process started to wonder if something like this could be put fully on chain. Gameboy games are compiled C code and you can't compile C in a browser environment (without some trickery) which is a deal breaker for putting something like a generative ROM based game fully on chain in a way that's compatible with @artblocks_io. But then I started digging deeper into how this all works, had to teach myself a ton of things (did you know Gameboys don't have an operating system and games are essentially "bare metal" programs that write directly to memory registers? I didn't lol) and figured out a workaround that I started experimenting with more meaningfully and it turns out it works! Learning curve was insanely steep and this is hands down the most ambitious project I've ever worked on, but I set out to build a fully on chain generative (every copy is unique) Gameboy Advance game (with downloadable ROM playable on an emulator or loaded on a cartridge on a physical Gameboy Advance (or Gameboy Advance SP)) using the "Pixel Man" self portrait as a protagonist, commenting on the journey I and many of us have been on over the years. Shared the concept in an Uber early this year with Mitch as he was wrapping up Zantar and as he told me more about his ambition with his trilogy I became increasingly inspired to bring my little experiment to reality. Then a combo of @derekedws offering me the @glitchmarfa residency and @redbeardnft always pushing me to be my best self got me across the line and here we are today. Seriously hardest thing I've ever done, but it's been a wonderful experience working with Derek and @magey_mage and also the @generativegoods team. Side note: Mitch's three part project Zantar (part story part video game) debuted via @nguyenwahed is one of the greatest and most ambitious projects ever and I strongly encourage you to check it out. The first act, an interactive story called Overture, is a sensory experience leveraging the absolute best of the digital medium. Check it out here: I'm eternally inspired by Mitch and his work and think y'all will enjoy the project if you take a moment and dive into it. 🍻