[Project] Bitcoin Arena: decentralized games and prediction markets

[bitcoin-arena]

Hi there,

We built Bitcoin Arena: games and prediction markets on Bitcoin. It is fully decentralized. There is no company running the rounds, no central server and no custodian. Anyone can run a node, and anyone can offer an app. It's live on testnet4, and we need people outside the team to try both.

There's no token and nothing to buy. Test sats are free and have no value.

Anyone can run a node

• Install it on Windows, macOS or Linux. A setup window walks you through it.
• Post a bond on Bitcoin and take a seat.
• Host apps, verify rounds and earn a share of the fees.
• No permission needed. Your bond is your ticket in.

Anyone can offer an app

• Write your game and sign it, and any node can host it.
• The nodes replay every round with your rules.
• There's no approval and no listing fee.
• You earn 2% of every paid round in your app.

How a round stays honest

• A Bitcoin block hash draws the committee of nodes, so nobody picks who decides.
• Stakes lock in a Fedimint federation run by the nodes.
• A result counts only when 5 of 7 nodes confirm the same one, and anyone can object for 10 minutes.

How you can help

• Run a node on testnet4 and tell us where setup was hard.
• Build a small app and tell us what's missing in the docs.
• Play Tick Tock, Next Block, Rock Paper Scissors or the 15-minute Bitcoin Up or Down market and try to break it.
• Since the game is still on testnet4, there will not be many players. Bots will automatically join the games.

Would you run a node or build an app on this? If not, what's stopping you? Honest criticism helps us most. Reply here or join us:

Discord: https://discord.gg/9zZbASZyue
X: https://x.com/bitcoinarena_io

Try it: https://bitcoinarena.io/?utm_source=bitcointalk&utm_medium=forum
Run a node: https://docs.bitcoinarena.io/#run
Build a game: https://docs.bitcoinarena.io/#game
Source Code: https://github.com/bitcoinarena

Thank you very much for your feedback.

Best regards,
Bitcoin Arena Team

[Vod]

• Install it on Windows, macOS or Linux. A setup window walks you through it.
• Host apps, verify rounds and earn a share of the fees.

Would you run a node or build an app on this?

People here are wary of running unknown processes on their machines - more so than the general public.  If you are dealing with crypto, it takes a single command in a low priority/useless/unremarkable subroutine to assign a variable to the private key which you then send to your server.

[bitcoin-arena]

• Install it on Windows, macOS or Linux. A setup window walks you through it.
• Host apps, verify rounds and earn a share of the fees.

Would you run a node or build an app on this?

People here are wary of running unknown processes on their machines - more so than the general public.  If you are dealing with crypto, it takes a single command in a low priority/useless/unremarkable subroutine to assign a variable to the private key which you then send to your server.

Fair point, and you're right to be wary. That's why everything is open source: read the code, scan it with your favourite AI, and check for yourself that nothing touches your keys. If you'd rather not run anything, the games work in your browser on testnet with free test sats.

Don't trust, verify.