Is it possible to “insert” a game into a QR code with a capacity limit of less than 3KB?

Appeared since 1994, but it is not until recent years that QR codes have really been widely applied in many different fields. Short for Quick Response Code, a QR code is a type of encrypted information that can contain many different types of data, quickly redirecting the user to another link or website after scanning with the camera. smartphones or barcode readers.

Theoretically, QR codes are just as much a storage medium as a floppy disk, a CD or even a hard drive. It is true that they do not hold too much data, but in essence, you can still “store” your necessary information inside and can retrieve it whenever and quickly.

QR codes are becoming more and more popular and applied in many different fields.

So, can we create a game and save it in a QR code? Of course, if you just attach a link to an online game on the web, it doesn’t say anything, because anyone can easily do so. It is worth discussing here whether the QR code can store 100% of the code of a game, so that when the scan is complete, gamers can immediately enter the game.

In theory, this idea is completely feasible, but of course we cannot dream of blockbuster games with terrible configuration. QR codes can be used to store binary data. That means that whatever your computer can save, the QR code can also “weigh” those things.

However, in reality, this is a very difficult problem, and the main problem lies in the storage capacity. There are different types of QR codes, with different designs and capacity limits. In particular, version 40 is the largest version, which can hold up to 2953 bytes, which is less than 3KB, a rather modest number for programmers and game developers. Even an “archaic” storage medium like a 3.5″ floppy disk has a capacity of 1.44MB, or 1,474,560 bytes, which is almost 500 times more than a QR code version 40.

QR codes are also a type of data storage medium, but their capacity is a bit low.

On the contrary, the positive point is that unlike image and audio data, the lines of code are quite “lightweight” and do not take up as much space. Although 3KB is very small, in reality, people have made games that are even lighter than that. There have been mini-game projects completed in the boot sector of the floppy disk, with a capacity of only about 512bytes. Or a pretty epic game tape of the Atari 2600 system is also limited to 4KB in size.

So, in summary, we can completely program a game and save it in a QR code, with a capacity of less than 3KB. Speaking of books, tips and evidence, YouTuber Matt KC decided to try this challenge. Initially, he wanted to program a jigsaw puzzle, simple in both gameplay and design. But because he wanted to widely share his work (if successful) with the online community, he decided to change because he didn’t want to get into copyright trouble with Tetris company.

In the end, Matt KC decided to “finalize” with a game that can be said to be a classic that anyone has ever been fascinated with: Snake – snakes of prey. The interesting point of Snake lies in the flexible gameplay, not the graphics, which is very suitable for a game project with extremely low capacity limits like this. In addition, Mat KC also wants his version of Snake to have as many familiar features as possible, such as reading the player’s quick controls (helping your “snake” turn quickly in the direction of the player). the correct keystrokes you pressed without delay); Or you can go through from the right side of the screen to the left, from below to above.

Snakes of prey, a game that is both light and simple, everyone likes, is a very reasonable choice for Matt KC’s test, especially when the size limit is less than 3KB.

So how did this YouTuber overcome this less than 3KB limit to “stuff” a complete game into a QR code? Please watch the video below.

If you want to experience or reprogram a similar game yourself, Matt KC has also provided a full range of related tools here . However, from this test, the YouTuber did not forget to warn about potential security risks inside the QR code. Besides linking to fraudulent websites, crooks can also save malware directly into this type of code to find opportunities to attack user devices and steal information and data inside.

According to YouTube