You Can Play Pokemon Crystal in a Twitter User’s Profile Picture

Constantin Liétard, the programmer behind a unique Pokemon experiment last year, is back again with a fun new way to play a classic Pokemon game. Liétard launched a new project on Twitter today that allows users to collectively play Pokemon Crystal via his Twitter profile picture. Anyone can “play” by responding to the tweet below with one of several button commands, each of which line up with the original Game Boy buttons. Replies are pulled every 15 seconds from Twitter, with a button command chosen based on the responses compiled over the previous 15 seconds. You can check out the Tweet that launched the new experiment below:

Liétard launched a similar experiment last year when he launched a similar program focused on Pokemon Red. It took over a month for players to collectively beat that game, but they eventually crowdsourced their way to victory against the Elite Four. It took over 95,000 commands to beat Pokemon Red, so we’re likely in for an even longer haul given there’s twice as many gym battles (and two whole regions to explore) in Pokemon Crystal. So far, “players” have inputted over 11,000 commands into the experiment. 

The original Pokemon games have become a popular source of crowd gameplay and other game experiments, starting with the popular channel Twitch Plays Pokemon. In that experiment, players attempt to collectively beat Pokemon games using the Twitch chat function, although each command is given equal weight. Other more recent experiments include a series of fish “playing” Pokemon via their movements in their tanks. 

The Pokemon Crystal experiment is a good way for Pokemon fans to pass the time as they wait for the release of Pokemon Legends: Arceus. The new Pokemon game is a re-imagined Pokemon experience, in which players explore the Hisui region (the Sinnoh region, but largely uninhabited) and collect information about Pokemon for an early Pokedex. The game will feature new styles of combat, new Pokemon, and a new focus on exploration and travel in a way we haven’t seen from Pokemon games before.