The B.C. (Before CryptoPunks) Era of LarvaLabs, Now On-Chain

TL;DR

The EBURP Collection unearths a niche, but significant pre-blockchain chapter that by LarvaLabs’ own account inspired the creation of the Cryptopunks collection, and with it the digital collectible movement more broadly. It’s a narrative told in three acts:

1. Historical Genesis (2004): GURK was LarvaLabs’ first mobile app venture in 2004. It’s more than a game; it’s a digital fossil, an echo from a time when Matt Hall and John Watkinson embarked on a journey that would eventually transcend the pixelated boundaries of mobile screens, landing them amidst the blockchain revolution.
2. Open-Source Odyssey: The altruistic unveiling of GURK assets through the E.B.U.R.P. (“Eight-Bit Universal Role Playing”) Engine wasn’t just an act of open-source generosity; it was an ideology, a precursor to the decentralized ethos that later became synonymous with LarvaLabs.
3. Immutability via Ethscriptions: Fast forward through time, the meticulous etching of these digital artifacts onto the Ethereum ledger via the Ethscriptions protocol is not merely a technical endeavor. It’s a homage, a reincarnation of vintage creativity within the modern, immutable annals of blockchain.

As you delve into the subsequent sections, you’ll unravel the nuanced journey of GURK, the altruistic open sourcing of its assets, and the modern-day reincarnation of these digital relics on the blockchain. It’s a narrative that not only reveres the past but embraces the future, offering a unique blend of collectible allure, technological novelty, and a respectful nod to the creators’ original intent. This collection is more than a mere assembly of pixelated characters; it’s a living narrative, a journey from the rudimentary screens of Nokia phones to the immutable ledgers of Ethereum, signifying a full circle in digital art evolution.

GURK’s Historical Provenance

Before Matt Hall and John Watkinson founded LarvaLabs in 2005, they were experimenting across a range of projects at the intersections of technology, design and digital art. It was during this time they launched their first mobile app, GURK, an 8-bit role-playing game (RPG) designed for Nokia phones.

While the game itself wasn’t a commercial success (only one copy sold for $3.99), the game showcased Matt & John’s capability in creating engaging digital experiences within the constraints of the mobile platforms of that era (see GURK infosheet, the entire filesize had to be <64K). After GURK, they went on to form LarvaLabs, where they built a robust business designing mobile apps (Sidekick, IOS and Android). Meanwhile, that GURK ethos of innovation under constraints would serve them well as they embraced new challenges posed by blockchain technology. As many now know today, their creative finesse, coupled with a robust technical acumen, would eventually lead to the birth of iconic NFT projects like Cryptopunks, Autoglyphs, and Meebits.

The Open-Sourcing of GURK Assets

In 2013, John Watkinson took the initiative to open-source a portion of GURK’s artwork via the E.B.U.R.P. (“Eight-Bit Universal Role Playing”) Engine. This significant move was done through an (at the time) obscure GitHub repository, which housed a collection of byte-perfect 16x16 pixel character sprites. These sprites encapsulate an early period in LarvaLabs’ creative continuum, representing a form of digital artistry that predates the blockchain era.

The act of open-sourcing directly by one of the LarvaLabs’ co-founders not only showcases a commitment to sharing creative work with the broader community but also establishes a form of legitimacy to the assets. These assets weren’t just random digital artifacts; they were open-sourced directly by a LarvaLabs co-founder, providing them with a clear lineage and connection to the creative minds behind LarvaLabs.

Furthermore, this commitment to the open-source community, promoting decentralization, collaborative problem-solving, and knowledge-sharing is echoed time and again in LarvaLabs’ approaches (see Cryptopunks contract, Punks marketplace, Flutter Web data visualization, etc.). This ethos aligns with the broader values of the blockchain and digital art communities, further enhancing the relevance and significance of these assets.

While all 216 of the unique GURK characters spanning across the 3 installments of the game were brought on-chain, only a curated subset of 92 characters (see below) was open-sourced in the E.B.U.R.P. GitHub repo, including 9 Heroes, 65 Enemy Creatures, and 18 Non-Playable Characters (NPCs). These 92 open-sourced assets form the core of the EBURP Collection. In adherence to the wishes of LarvaLabs co-founder John Watkinson, the other [non open-sourced] 124 characters were “burned” — transferred to the Burn address (0x00…dEaD) on the blockchain. This action ensures that while they are preserved on-chain for historical and archival purposes, they remain untradeable, honoring the creator’s intent. This mindful approach establishes a precedent for responsible practices within the burgeoning domain of digital collectibles, striking a respectful balance between preservation, collector engagement, and the creator’s wishes.

Bringing GURK Assets On-Chain

Fast forward to the present, and these byte-perfect open-sourced assets have been rediscovered and meticulously encoded on the Ethereum blockchain as the EBURP Collection via the innovative Ethscriptions protocol. Ethscriptions offer a streamlined avenue for creating and trading digital collectibles through the utilization of Ethereum’s calldata — a space within a blockchain transaction where data can be added without significantly impacting gas costs. This is a crucial aspect as it allows for a cost-efficient decentralized minting process for digital assets. Below is a simplified breakdown of how the Ethscriptions protocol brings digital assets, such as GURK’s 16x16 pixel character sprites, on-chain:

1. Data URI Conversion: First, the 16x16 pixel character sprites are converted into a Data URI format — a base64-encoded representation of the image’s data.
2. Hexadecimal Conversion: Next, the Data URI is then converted to hexadecimal format, more suitable for blockchain transactions.
3. Adding to Calldata: Then the hexadecimal data is added to the calldata field of an Ethereum transaction. This is akin to how one might use the “memo” field in a Venmo transaction to add a note, but in this case, it’s used to store the data representing the digital asset.
4. Transaction Processing: The Ethereum network processes the transaction, and the data within the calldata (in this case, the image) is recorded on the blockchain, effectively minting the digital collectible. The recipient of the 0 ETH transaction is recorded as the owner of this Ethscription.
5. Asset Verification and Trading: Once on-chain, the assets are verifiable and tradable on Ethscription marketplaces (e.g. Ethscriptions.com, ordex.ai and others in development).

A distinguishing feature of the Ethscriptions protocol from traditional NFT minting mechanisms (e.g., ERC-721) is its novel approach to ensuring asset uniqueness through a “first-come-first-scribe” principle. This makes it an ideal platform for ensuring authenticity when bringing assets on-chain. Once an asset is ethscribed, it’s uniquely registered on the blockchain based on a SHA256 hash of the file’s Data URI, precluding the possibility of duplicate registrations. Subsequent attempts to ethscribe the same content will not be honored by the protocol as a valid Ethscription since the hash will already be registered. Consequently, the 16x16 pixel GURK character sprites in the EBURP Collection will forever remain unique Ethscriptions, byte-perfect matches to the files open-sourced by LarvaLabs, accentuating the collectible value of these digital artifacts.

Notably, the legitimacy and long-term success of the EBURP Collection are intertwined with broader acceptance of the “first on-chain” concept for open-source assets and the recognition of Ethscriptions as a legitimate and innovative protocol within the blockchain community. As Ethscriptions is still in its nascent stage, and often inaccurately compared to Ethereum Layer 2 solutions, there’s a pathway of education and clarification that needs to be navigated. The promise of Ethscriptions lies in its ability to provide a cost-effective, decentralized means of minting and trading digital assets, which, if recognized and adopted, could significantly bolster the legitimacy and desirability of collections like EBURP.

In Closing

The EBURP Collection’s journey from a forgotten open-source treasure to an on-chain collectible opens up a fascinating chapter in the evolving narrative of digital art. The collection pays homage to LarvaLabs’ early digital journey, offers a unique opportunity to collect assets that influenced a cultural phenomenon, and underscores the potential of the Ethscriptions platform in transforming the way we create, own, and trade digital assets. Visit EBURP.art for more details, and follow on X for announcements regarding the forthcoming release of these assets.