Video Games, Driving Technology: What’s Next?
Video games might not seem like they impact your daily life, but the truth is video games have been the central driver of technological innovation for over 45 years. Consider all the aspects of your life that perform seamlessly because of the drive to improve gaming.
Graphics
Video games are the reason that graphics look so amazing today. After decades trying to immerse the player in the environment we are rewarded with video cards with onboard memory, and interfaces designed specifically for video to transport information quickly to your computer. Coming soon, we’ll all be able to experience our favorite environments in virtual reality (see below).
Performance
The wish to interact with other people in realtime performing complex actions has pushed the internet, networking, and computing power to exponentially faster speeds. In 1993, DOOM introduced Deathmatch between four players and utilized the early internet. Since then the latest and greatest games have consistently pushed hardware and connection speeds.
Now you can play games, with 100s or even 1000s of other people online and in the same world. With gaming we have learned how to create environments that support 1000s of people, having different experiences, but being able to interact, meet, and work together. This is, potentially, the office space of the future.
AI, Augmented / Virtual Reality
Gaming has improved the development of AI to the point where we can have realistic experiences with characters controlled by computers. It was a video game last summer that introduced augmented reality to millions while they were looking for a digglet. And it will be video games driving the development of virtual reality in the near future.
These examples are simply a brief and high level examination of how video games have influenced the world. Millions of dollars of research is done each year simply to improve how humanity can interact with games. See this article on how $100,000,000 was spent just on designing the Xbox One controller.
What is the Next Technological Step for Gaming?
We are on the cusp of virtual reality gameplay and these products appear to be on the verge of being delivered to the masses. But what can we possible expect beyond that? Blockchains.
Most people who are familiar with blockchains immediately think of Bitcoin and Ethereum and understand them as cryptocurrencies. Blockchains will have a deeper impact than managing money and payments. They will completely transform the way that information is managed and handled. It will be the next major shift in the architecture of our world. It will change how people interact with one another. All transactions, including monetary, the exchange of goods and services, the production of new content, even determining the outcome of an election will be a run over blockchains. It creates trust between all parties and through that implicit trust it will change all social interactions. Watch this TED Talk by Don Tapscott to understand trust and the blockchain and see some examples of what it can do. Following a two examples of how blockchains are going to change gaming.
Player Owned Assets
Imagine a game where the player had true ownership of every object possessed in that game. Where those assets could be moved and managed how ever the player likes, in game and outside of the game. Game objects that could be managed just as they are in real life. Player One has a rare rocket launcher from one game and Player Two has a magical sword from another game. Those players hold each of those items in their own, easily accessible digital wallet. Player One offers to trade his rocket launcher for Player Two’s sword. They agree and swap the items in their wallets. The trade is done; no one oversaw it, no one took a cut, it was simply an exchange made by two individuals. That is the type of interaction that should be open to people who play games. The player should own what they have acquired in game. They should be able to sell, or trade or give those items away as they like, in game or out of the game. Just like it is a physical object. This is just the first step of what is possible once blockchains are a part of gaming.
A Voice in Game Development
The release of post launch features and DLC is common practice. But imagine if the players who were buying the content, actually had a voice in what that content was. Through the use of tokens, issued over a blockchain, a voting mechanism can easily be utilized. These tokens would be used to respond to questions put forth by the development team to help with the with art direction, game mechanics, what to focus on in the next release, etc. Each person in possession of a token (anyone playing the game) is provided the mechanism for voting giving every member of the gaming community an equal voice through a vote.
These are just two examples of many that will be implemented in games from 8 Circuit Studios. A game development company that wants to turn the video game publishing model inside out. 8 Circuit Studios is taking the next technological step in gaming by combining video games with blockchains.
Teaching the Power of the Blockchain
8 Circuit Studios, through the process of play, will provide a safe environment where users can learn how blockchains will change the way people interact on the internet. Our games will help people learn to identify trustworthy transactions, how to make an exchange for goods and services, how their voice can be heard through a vote. They will witness how blockchains will be the technology that, through implicit trust, changes our society. All this comes only with the risk that is incurred by playing a video game.
The First Game
The first game from 8 Circuit Studios is D-PARC. Players will be put in the position of the central AI operating the intergalactic cruiser D-PARC with the mission to transport a cryogenically-static human colony to a new world.
D-PARC will fall within the management genre and will combine strategy, tactics, and moral choices as the player uncovers the future’s past and determine humanity's fate.
The key innovation takes advantage of the power of the blockchain. With D-PARC players will be able to claim complete ownership of their digital property allowing them to manage, sell or exchange it as they like through the use of our ecosystem and currency, 8Bit Tokens.
An alpha version of the game will be release for PC in August of 2017, with version 1.0 scheduled for a Q4 release. Early gameplay trailer and screenshots are available at https://8circuitstudios.com.
Be A Part of the Change
Interested in changing how game development is done? 8 Circuit Studios will be holding a token sale as a crowdfunding event beginning on July 17th, 2017. Purchasing a token will provide funding for the development of D-PARC as well as the ecosystem that will continue to support game development far into the future. These tokens will be:
- How players claim ownership of their own digital property
- How creators collaborate and profit from the content they produce
- How gamers and developers connect and create
For more information on the 8 Circuit Token Sale, visit the website which provides all the details, or read this post by James Mayo of 8 Circuit Studios.
About 8 Circuit Studios
We are an experienced group of game developers, with over 100 years combined experience in the video game industry. We have a passion for creating video games, telling compelling stories, and changing the world.
About Mike Jones
A member of the video game development community for over 20 years, Mike runs business development and helps guide the vision of the future for 8 Circuit Studios. He’s been fascinated by cryptocurrencies, the blockchain and the potential for where they can take us as a world society. Mike is humbled by the opportunities that have led him to a point in his life, where he is able to take his passion for telling a good story, providing space for people to be their best, and offering opportunities for them to find their own passion.
