In recent days, a theory has gone viral on social media that the Bitcoin logo allegedly first appeared in 1991 — in an old video game. Posts show screenshots, make loud conclusions, and hint at strange coincidences.
The BeInCrypto editorial team found out what in this story is true and what is information pulled by the ears.
What is bitcoin in simple terms — how cryptocurrency works
The source of discussions was the game Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers by Sierra On-Line, released in 1991. Inside the game world, a fictional currency called Buckazoids is used. The player's balance is displayed in the interface, where you can also see a stylized coin with the letter B and vertical stripes.
The screenshots of this element are real and have long been stored in game archives. The symbol does indeed look familiar when viewed from today's perspective. It is this visual similarity to the modern bitcoin symbol that led to the version of it being the 'first logo of cryptocurrency.'
Read also: What does bitcoin look like — the history of the logo of the first cryptocurrency
At the same time, in the game itself, the sign is strictly used as a designation for Buckazoids. It does not carry any additional meaning and does not go beyond the in-game economy.
Bitcoin was launched in 2009. Its recognizable symbol with the letter B and two vertical stripes began to be used in 2010. The familiar orange circle appeared even later. The symbol ₿ was added as the official currency sign to the Unicode standard only in 2017.
The game Space Quest IV was released nearly 20 years before these events. The game's creators could not use the logo or symbol of bitcoin, as cryptocurrency did not even exist as a concept at that time.
The sign from the game is exclusively related to Buckazoids. The letter B logically refers to the name of the currency, while the vertical stripes are a common graphic device for denoting money. A similar logic is used in many currency symbols. Therefore, in this case, the conspiracy theorists were mistaken.
Recall that earlier BeInCrypto published a guide to explain the principles of bitcoin even to grandmothers.
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