What do you say about a chance to find US$1 million in Bitcoin? Was that a yes
? If so, then you should start playing Satoshi’s Treasure, a game co-created by Eric Meltzer, co-founder of Primitive Ventures. The game consists of a series of logical clues that help players locate the keys for the Bitcoin trove.
How does Satoshi’s treasure work?
Eric Meltzer describes the game as the Bitcoin version of Ready Player One
. He divided the keys to the wallet containing Bitcoin worth US$1 million into 1,000 keys. In order to move funds to their own wallets, players must collect a minimum of 400 keys.
So, how can players get these Bitcoin keys? What rules must they obey? First of all, there are just some very basic rules, such as do not harm others, do not enter other people’s private properties and do not destroy anything. Other than that, there are no rules and no ways to get hold of the clues ahead of time. To ensure fair chances for everyone, Eric Meltzer partnered with Zcash co-creator Ian Miers and other 18 persons to create the clues.
Players can discover these clues after solving logical puzzles. The puzzles are all over the internet as well as in the physical world. Thus, the players have the whole wide cyber and real world to explore.
But where exactly should players look for clues?
According to Eric Meltzer: There are some clues that are very scavenger hunt-y, and clues where it’s purely logic puzzles or math problems.
So far, the official website of the game has released the first clue, called Geostationary Orbit
. If you want to be notified of these clues, you can register on the website with your email address or phone number.
Also, Meltzer and the other co-creators of Satoshi’s Treasure plan to launch an app at a later date. The app would help players keep track of the clues and the collected keys. It would also be used for sponsorship and partnerships with external brands. However, players will not need to install the app to continue playing.
Who provides the funds for the winnings?
The game creators were the ones who contributed the funds for Satoshi’s Treasure. Eric Meltzer donated a sizable part of the bounty. The rest of the Bitcoin needed to reach US $1 million comes from an anonymous angel investor.
Thus, players can rest assured that the bounty is out there and ready to be found. Thousands of players from all over the world have already joined the quest for Satoshi’s Treasure. Some of them are even teens.
Could gaming be the best way to familiarise the youth with Bitcoin?
Satoshi’s Game could actually be more than just a game. Whether they intended it or not, the creators have made many young people curious about Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. The concept of the game, involving collaboration between the players, promotes crypto education.
In this way, young people can obtain hands-on information about how blockchain technology works and how they can use Bitcoin in real life. Therefore, even if they do not discover any of the keys, players are not left empty-handed. They will acquire useful information which will serve them in the future.
