Twitch Plays Pokémon is so 2014...nowadays, it's all about playing Pokémon Red inside someone's avatar on Twitter.
Yeah, we're not joking - Gameloft Montreal programmer Constantin Liétard (@screenshakes) managed to somehow assemble a script that updates his Twitter avatar every 15 seconds, which is playing the Game Boy classic.
At the time of writing, there are nearly more than eight thousand replies. Not much has played out yet, as the creator has reset the game a few times to improve command inputs and add new functionality that saves the frames. The story so far is the selection of the starter pocket monster, Squirtle.
Although finishing a game this way might seem like a near-impossible task, Twitch began its own journey with Pokémon Red and went on to complete seven seasons' worth of Pokémon games.
We thought 2021 might get a little bit wild, but this idea has already well and truly surpassed our expectations. Will you be participating in this new social media experiment. Tell us down below.
[source twitter.com, via videogameschronicle.com]
Comments 35
How would you even go about making something like that?
That's pretty impressive, I don't know what else to say.
Get ready for playing mario on twitter.
That’s absolutely insane! I love these projects, it’s fascinating seeing how they work and I much prefer people studying the same stuff as me to be using it for total nonsense like this than finding new ways to bleed people dry. Who needs tech billionaires when you can play Pokemon in your Twitter avatar?
Technology is incredible!
Watch Nintendo take it down.
that's literally the coolest thing I've ever seen. Surprised it was done with this game, rather than Doom!
I really hope they win the game
I saw this earlier, was very impressed! I wonder what will be possible 25 years into the future from now? Age of Calamity played in the air conditioning light of a car?
@Eel
@Tyranexx did they stop... saying that?
What a legend.
This is pointless, but that's why it's so novel. I adore projects that are completed just because the creator can. Who knows, perhaps the coding used in such a project will kickstart something positive elsewhere!
This is the stuff I'm learning programming for, awesome!
@ancientlii The original Japanese has always been "Kagaku no chikara tte sugee!" throughout the series which directly translates to "The power of science is amazing!" They couldn't fit that in two lines of 16 characters so they used "Technology is incredible!" for the GB games. But apparently they officially switched to the former since Sun/Moon (except for Let's Go, which is still Technology is incredible as a throwback). I didn't watch Pokemon XY anime dub but Ash was saying the same phrase whenever Clemont whipped up a cool mecha.
just watch out for the pokemon renaming or you gon have a banned twitter account
@HADAA oh so it's still in every game, didn't mean word for word
That's a fun idea and honestly doesn't seem that hard to implement. I wonder how long Twitter stores old profile icons since each frame seems to have its own url.
Pokémon Red, first time available with buttery smooth 1/15 frames per second!
This is pretty cool and I wouldn't mind seeing how the journey goes.
@Deltarogue
I don't know if there are things about Twitter that make this harder than necessary, but my first idea would be something like this:
Let an emulator with Pokemon Red run in background and run a script on your computer doing the following things (obviously not actual code, just to make the idea clear):
1: Open up twitter page in text form.
2: Count how many times certain words have been used (with rules like "only one per post"), like "Up" or "Down".
3: "press" corresponding button command on emulator.
4: Take screenshot
5: Upload screenshot via URL as profile picture (whether this is easy or not depends on Twitter)
6: Delete all comments on Twitter account via URLs as well.
6: Wait 15 seconds
7: Repeat from step one.
How easy it is depends mainly on how easily Twitter can be accessed like that, I think, especially considering security measures.
Details change according to that, which is why those lines I wrote lack details on what to do.
At least that would be my first idea, without having much thought put into it.
Though I do feel like I am forgetting something...
@Kirgo if you had it only check posts from the last 15 seconds, you wouldn't have to make it delete things, would you?
@Nevets
True, I simply misread the news and thought that it is deleted every 15 seconds, thats why I included it.
It is either way not necessary, you are right.
....What the....? o_0
insert more words here so I can post the stupid comment
@ancientlii Basically, there's been some variation of that phrase in each main series game so far. Usually said by a middle-aged NPC. Though I can't prove this is in Sw/Sh yet as I haven't played one of the two.
@TheLightSpirit Anyone who honestly believes that "Twitter is a horrible website now" was never really the target audience for this bit of play (that actively disproves their thesis) to begin with.
@Deltarogue compiles what button presses are the most common every 15 secs, a program inputs that in an emulator most likely, takes a screenshot, uploads the screenshot as his avatar. Rinse, repeat.
@Tyranexx yep it's in Shield and Sword too.
@TheLightSpirit Lol, no. I don't use Twitter, but remember, it's a private company.
I love it! But 15 seconds mey be too long.
That's silly, good fun!
Update: Nintendo itself has given some input as well! "Seize and desist". I wouldn't be surprised in any case.
Does it run at a consistent 1fp15s? I suspect there's some noticeable input lag...
@Eel Haha, I figured as much! They can't kill a good series trope!
@TheLightSpirit Are you trying to say that you were just describing the broad evolution of the site, and that it's purely a coincidence that you were condemning it and accusing its operators of being nefariously suspension-happy mere days after its banning of the almost-certainly most polarizingly controversial (and 100% non-gaming-relevant) account in the world?
Because if so, then ok, but your timing of finding this hill to die on is awful.
@TheLightSpirit Cool, then allow me to offer my apologies; I'm happy to hear I had you read completely wrong, and I can totally agree that this is super duper not a place for getting into that.
Let's both just have a big ol' humble laugh at how badly some things can be misinterpreted from one person to the next, then, and go our separate ways with no hard feelings, if possible. Best wishes to ya'.
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