Do you ever think about firsts? First love, first bike ride, first break-up? What about the first game you ever played? Pac-Man, Snake, Super Mario… ring any bells? You might be wondering what all that has to do with our topic. Newsflash, all your favorite original games were made with 8-bit graphics. The mention of these games sure got you nostalgic. Therefore, it is no surprise that 8-bit NFT is the current big thing!
Why with all the graphic advancements in technology would we ever go back to primitive digital art? The secret keyword is nostalgia. A special first-time feeling you want to experience again. Let’s dive into this quick guide that will take your knowledge about 8-bit NFTs from zero to pro in a few mins!
What Are 8-bit and Pixel Art?
The use of these two words can be a little confusing. In a nutshell, the use of 8-bit graphics is called pixel art. If we dig a little deeper into history, pixel art dates back to the 1970s. However, this specific kind of art boomed in popularity after game app developers adopted this style for game design in the 1980s and 1990s. OG gamers, wanna feel a bittersweet sense of aging? The big gaming whales of the 8-bit era are The Atari 2600 and Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).
Pixel
Fun fact, the term pixel stems from combining the words picture and element. Simply put, a pixel is the building block of a digital image. Any digital image, video, or text that we see on any digital display device such as our tablets, phones, computers, and laptops, forms by combining pixels. A really nostalgic example of pixel graphics is Super Mario, Pokemon, and Zelda. Oh, the good old simple days!
8-bit Style Origins
Due to the microprocessor technology at that time, computers in the 70s and 80s were mainly capable of storing and processing a maximum of 8 bits per data block.
If pixels are the building blocks of images, bits are the building blocks of pixels. The maximum number of colors that can be displayed at one time in 8-bit art is 256. Each of these colors is made up of 8 parts red, green, and blue. 16-bit means 65,536 colors and 34-bit means 16,777,215 colors. The more bits, the more colors, the clearer the resolution.
In the current era of 32-bit and 64-bit processors, the 8-bit graphic is no longer restricted to 8-bit color palettes or low-resolution monitors. 8-bit became a style targeted and intentionally used by artists or game developers. The use of 8-bit style is not technical anymore but rather brings back the golden age of gaming. Think how Fortnite and Minecraft exist in the same era where each has its own graphic style. It’s totally fine if you’re a lover of both games, that’s the whole point!
Gaming
The 80s arcade room was heaven for most teenagers. Pac-man, Donkey Kong, and Tetris were big hits, and yes they are perfect examples of 8-bit pixel art. Adam Sandler’s movie Pixels comes to mind, highly recommend it for all my nostalgic peeps out there! Anyway, back to our point. The arcade room slowly vanished after Nintendo came out with its 8-bit gaming system “NES”. Games were accessible from our homes as soon as the first portable devices like Game Boy were developed!
From the ‘90s to today, gaming is obviously in non-stop development. Especially, when a huge portion of it is present online. Today, we can enjoy our favorite games across computers, tablets, laptops, and mobile platforms. Not only that, but the overall game portfolio is endless. For example, one can find and play various retro-slot casino games online for free and for real money across computers and portable devices.
What Is 8-bit NFT?
NFT stands for non-fungible token. A unique digital asset present on the blockchain. As we know now, NFTs are a form of digital art. Our first interaction with an NFT is the digital on-screen display image. You may have already connected the dots by now. 8-bit NFTs are unique digital artworks with an 8-bit design style.
Usually, 8-bit NFT collections are 2D avatars from the shoulders up. You can use these pixelated creations as digital profile pictures. 8-bit avatars are created algorithmically, meaning that each one is unique. Some mint in large runs. This means that you’ll get 10,000 of one particular avatar, but you’ll only have 2 or 3 unique owners. It’s cool to mention Meebits, which are changing the world of 8-bit NFTs by creating 3D pixel avatars! It may be a wild dream but my witcher senses smell a Meebit x Minecraft collab in the air.
3 Top 8-bit Collections
Cryptopunks
Pioneers of the NFT phenomena and first adopters of the 8-bit NFT style are none other than the titans of the blockchain. First launched in 2017, CryptoPunks have achieved legendary status, raking in millions for a single NFT. Long story short, Cryptopunks are classics that stood the test of time with their impressive floor price after 5 years of launch! At the time of writing, their floor price is 67.49 ETH. This means that the MINIMUM price you will pay to own a crypto punk today is $107,518.49!! That sure felt like a summarized summary, right? Don’t worry, chainwitcher won’t ever leave you hanging! Check out our origins of NFT and Cryptopunks Review blog posts.
Moonbirds
I am not biased but these owls have a powerful charm about them. Moonbirds are a super impressive 8-bit NFT collection. Why? it sold around $200 million in the first 48 hours of release. This collection of 10,000 utility-enabled PFPs features a richly diverse and unique pool of rarity-powered traits. Let’s talk numbers, the floor price of a Moonbird NFT today is 13.7 ETH which translates to $21,490.46! Each Moonbird unlocks private club membership and “nesting” perks the longer you hold them. Did I get you curious enough? Then quickly jump onto our Moonbirds NFT Review.
8-bit Universe
Let’s do a little fun experiment. Type 8-bit NFT into google. What pops up first? 8bituniverse! The creators must be doing something right with this one. The NFT collection was first launched in August 2021. At that time each 8 Bit Citizen minted for 0.08888 ETH. Despite having three undoxxed project creators, the NFT project sold out in 17 minutes! They surely touch every nostalgic 8-bit-style lover’s heart. Their promise is to exist in both the real and digital world. As they also aim to create and develop a digital and real-life community for the 8-bit metaverse early citizens. So basically their NFTs are tickets for entering the 8-bit metaverse. Do check out their website video, it’s fairly impressive.
Can I Create My Own 8-bit Art?
Short answer? YES. A million times yes!
Long answer, the hype over 8-bit NFT styles made it easier for anyone to create their own! I mean who wouldn’t want to at least try playing around with 8-bit graphics? There are lots of websites and applications out there that ease this creative process. Here are two of the most user-friendly ones :
This is a really easy-to-use website. All you need to do is choose any picture you like. Upload it to the website. Then they generate it into 8-bit pixel art! Literally, any picture you think of. Even one of yourself.
If you wanna take your love for 8-bit art style to another level, 8biticon is the chaperone you need. This website enables you to custom-create your own 8-bit NFT avatars! It comes with a full package, from minting to having a spot on Opensea. Here’s a helpful guide if you’re interested in the idea of minting your own 8-bit NFT collection!
The main takeaway is that 8-bit graphics have a special place in our hearts. Whether you want to own or create an 8-bit NFT, I officially declare that you now have all the necessary information to navigate the 8-bit world! Until next time, keep the hype up for your chainwitcher.