Cryptography games are games built to challenge your mental capacity and smartness.
With the presence of codes, complex riddles, puzzles, ciphers, and a touch of mysteries, Cryptography games offer a mind-stimulating experience where you must use various decryption methods and logical reasoning to advance.
Sounds interesting right?
This article will delve into the concept of cryptography, its history, types, and prominent examples. It’s an exciting read, so let’s quickly dive in.
Key Takeaways
- Cryptography is from the word “Kryptos” which means “hidden or secret” and is translated as “secret writing”
- It is a concept used in various fields such as computation, military, etc
- Cryptography games are fun and educative and were even played by monks
- Cryptography games combine fun and education in a mentally stimulating exercise.
The Concept of Cryptography
To know what Cryptography games are, you need to understand the concept of cryptography itself.
You might have once entered a website and asked to fill out a form say your email and password for updates.
Have you ever wondered how private information—passwords, and credit/debit cards are never stolen while being transmitted through the internet without being revealed?
The site's form uses secret codes, such as words, numbers, and symbols, programmed into the system to hide specific sensitive information. This technique is known as "Cryptography."
Originating from the Greek word "Kryptos" which means "secret or hidden", cryptography is translated as "a secret writing" and It is traced to the art of breaking codes or solving ancient hieroglyphics.
"Cryptography games combine education with entertainment to give an engaging and mentally stimulating experience."
This implies that Cryptography is the act of concealing and transmitting data and information in a form that only the intended person will receive the information with no access from a third party.
It is like passing a message to your best friend using codes, symbols, or expressions that only you two know, hiding a huge secret in plain sight. Everyone sees what you wrote but no one knows what It means, except the both of you, this is called "Encryption"—hiding a message within a message.
This format is used today to hide original messages and guard against malware or cyber-attacks using mathematics—usually arithmetic and numbers theory to conceal the message. It is used in numerous sections of the world today to secure sensitive data such as web browsing, sending emails, credit card or even cryptocurrency transactions.
Cryptography plays a crucial role in blockchain technology, forming the backbone of cryptocurrency security. The same principles used in cryptography games—like encrypting and decrypting messages—mirror how blockchain ensures secure transactions.
For instance, public and private keys in cryptocurrencies function as encryption tools: the public key encrypts a message or transaction, while the private key decrypts it, allowing only the intended recipient to access the data.
So, by playing cryptography games, you’re indirectly learning the foundational concepts behind cryptocurrency security and blockchain technology.
How Does it Work?
The first thing you need to know is that there is no single universal method for message encryption as it is creativity-based. There are so many ways of doing it, each one having its advantages and disadvantages but the most used is the public and symmetric key method of cryptography.
To understand cryptography in its simple form, we can take Caesar’s cipher which is the earliest form of cryptography. He was a genius in his time as he encrypted and transmitted confidential information between him and his officials.
He did this by changing the letters of the Roman alphabetical order so that it could only be decrypted by the recipient when they substituted the written letter for the corresponding letter in the original message to extract the hidden message. This is known as a Substitution cipher.
This illustrates two cryptographic elements that must be present—the algorithm and the key.
In Caesar's message, the algorithm just implies replacing an existent letter with another letter from the alphabetical order while the key is how many steps backward or forward in the alphabet you will need to move to get the letter to be replaced.
“Cryptography games mimic real-life methods like ciphers and secure messaging. Players use logical thinking and pattern recognition to tackle these puzzles, aiming to learn the basics of cryptography in an engaging way."
For example, say the word is DOO and the secret key is 4 steps backward in alphabetical order(A to Z). D will be replaced by A, O by L so you have ALL.
Cryptography is differentiated into three main types and can be used for encryption which are symmetric encryption which uses only one private key shared between the Sender and the receiver undisclosed to anyone else,
Asymmetric encryption uses two keys—Private and public keys for encryption, and decryption respectively, and hash functions which use a one-way hash algorithm to encrypt the text into cipher texts.
Cryptography Games
Using cryptography, various games have been developed with the concept. These games are known as Cryptography games.
Cryptograms
A Cryptogram is a type of puzzle that is made up of short pieces of encrypted text in which the cipher used for encryption is sometimes simple enough to be solved by hand.
In cryptograms, Substitution ciphers are very common, where each letter is replaced by a different letter, number, or symbol. Sometimes to solve the puzzle, you must recover the original lettering.
Previously, cryptograms were used in more serious applications like the military as indicated in the case of Caesar but now they are mostly used for entertainment in newspapers and magazines.
History of Cryptography Games
The first time cryptography was used as a game or for entertainment purposes was when monks in the Middle Ages played it as an intellectual game as a means to pass the time.
At Bamberg states, a manuscript was found and it revealed that Irish visitors which were from the court of Merfyn Frych ap Gwriad (died 844), king of Gwynedd in Wales, were given a cryptogram which could only be solved by changing the letters from Latin into Greek.
The English monk, Roger Bacon in the thirteenth century, wrote a book that had a list of seven cipher methods in his book, he established that "a man is crazy who writes a secret in any other way than one which will conceal it from the vulgar."
Despite the advancement, the big break of the cryptography games came in the 19th century when Edgar Allan Poe published it in many magazines and articles until it became popular.
Prominent Examples of Cryptography Games
Examples of cryptography games are the ones found in newspapers as crypto quip puzzles, crypto quotes, and celebrity ciphers usually distributed by Andrew McMeel which challenge to decrypt hidden quotes from famous personalities.
A crypto quip is a type of cryptogram that comes with witty phrases because of the puns and clues in it. Cryptography games that are based on substitution cipher are usually solved by recognizing letter patterns in words, such as one-letter words can only be "i" or "a" (and sometimes "o") in English.
The Double letters, apostrophes, and letters that can't be substituted for themselves in the cipher are also a clue to the solution. Most times the cryptography game makers will give you a clue by starting the game with a few letters.
The alphabet with a blank under each letter that is most time meant to represent the substituted letter in the form of a printed code key is usually not given but can be extracted from the game to use as a tool or aid in solving the puzzle when needed.
Most skilled puzzle solvers don't even require a code key form or starter clue letters to solve the puzzle.
"The first time cryptography was used as a game or for entertainment purposes was when monks in the Middle Ages played it as an intellectual game as a means to pass the time."
Similar to the cryptogram, other types of puzzles have sprung up such as the cryptoquote which is an encrypted famous quote just like the cryptogram. A more recent version is Codedword which comes with a biblical twist and only publishes the solution online where it gives a short in-depth explanation of the extracted biblical text.
Another type of cryptography game is the crypto quiz. In this type of cryptography, an unencrypted word is provided such as "Flower" and then below it is a list of encrypted words that are related to the word given in the beginning. The person must go through the entire list to break the code and solve the puzzle.
Other games and platforms that integrate blockchain concepts or teach crypto security through interactive methods include:
- Cryptohunt: A gamified platform where players solve puzzles related to blockchain and cryptocurrency.
- Cipherwheel: A physical game simulating key encryption methods for securing crypto wallets.
- Blockchain Tycoon: A simulation game introducing players to blockchain infrastructure, mining, and transaction security.
- Axie Infinity: This popular play-to-earn game allows players to manage and breed digital pets (NFTs) while earning tokens that can be traded on exchanges.
- Illuvium: A sci-fi adventure game built on Ethereum, featuring NFT-based characters and a gasless marketplace.
- Star Atlas: A metaverse space strategy game on Solana, offering governance through DAOs and a complex player-driven economy.
- The Sandbox: A metaverse-building game that integrates NFT assets and blockchain transactions. It allows players to create, trade, and monetize virtual assets, making blockchain concepts tangible
- Sorare: A fantasy soccer game using blockchain technology to issue and trade player cards as NFTs, teaching users about crypto wallets and digital ownership
These games provide hands-on experiences, helping players understand real-world applications like managing crypto wallets and securing private keys. Through these games, most enthusiasts get to walk through the thin line between blockchain networks and interoperability.
Bottom Line
Cryptograms are so fun that on September 28, 2014, J.M Appel publicly challenged anyone who could decrypt his cryptogram that was embedded in the table of contents of his short story collection with a promised reward for whomever could solve it.
They are designed to test your intellectual capacity and your ability to recognize patterns. Tagged as fun, educational, and a major contributor in the development of various programming designs and applications today, you’ll find them in science practices and most recently, Web3 games.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- What are cryptography games, and how do they function?
Cryptography games are fun and educational activities that involve solving puzzles and challenges related to encryption and decryption. They mimic real-life cryptographic methods like ciphers and secure messaging. Players use logical thinking and pattern recognition to tackle these puzzles, aiming to learn the basics of cryptography engagingly.
- What skills or knowledge do I need to participate in cryptography games?
Basic cryptography games usually just need logic and problem-solving skills. More complex games might require some understanding of math, cryptographic methods (like Caesar ciphers). However, many games help players learn cryptographic ideas step by step, making them suitable for beginners.
- What are some well-known cryptography games or platforms for learning?
- CyberStart Game: An interactive site that teaches students about cybersecurity, including cryptography, through various challenges.
- Cryptarithms: Puzzles where numbers are represented by letters, and players must decode them.
- The Cipher Challenge: A game run by several universities that invites players to decrypt messages using cryptographic methods.
Disclaimer: This article is intended solely for informational purposes and should not be considered trading or investment advice. Nothing herein should be construed as financial, legal, or tax advice. Trading or investing in cryptocurrencies carries a considerable risk of financial loss. Always conduct due diligence
