Dear Video Gaming, Please Make Babies With the Blockchain
In 1997, the only reason I pleaded with my family for a home computer was to play Video Games and muck about on Internet Chat Relays (IRC)
Not because home computing was going to “Redefine the way we do Business”
On IRC, I befriended someone who seemed like a wannabe hacker and naively accepted a trojan horse from him (a file that opens up a predefined port on its host system and only known to the attacker)
A few minutes later, my desktop freezes, I restarted in haste and was graced with a black screen that says “Error loading operating system”
After about a week, I had Windows up and running again. I got back on IRC and reached out to the hacker in meek despair:
“Please! tell me how to guard my PC from people like you!”
He took pity and made the effort to give me a few standard tips that were relevant at the time.
This entire experience stands out as a lasting memory because a lesser known software called Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) was also recommended.
At first glance, PGP looked like it was used by people who were abducted by aliens and later forced in to a life of basement dweller servitude by their cosmic overlords.
In about an hour…I knew PGP
It took me 7 days to figure that re-installing Windows would restore my system.
but just a mere 60 minutes to understand how PGP worked. I was 12 years old.
It’s been 20 years and I still find that comprehending Public/Private Key Software (a cornerstone of blockchain tech) remains a daunting effort for many people.
I am by no measure “gifted” so why did I grasp the use of PGP so swiftly?
Because it might have, just might have, saved me from the agony of not being able to appreciate a transient form of art.
Video Games had only just embarked on the 3D/Online era and like many others, I didn’t enjoy being kept away from them.
It’s probably the only reason I paid any mind to software that was primarily used by cypherpunks.
When the ideas behind Blockchain Implementation are primarily dominated by Businessmen and Industrialists, can we really assume that young and highly absorbent minds care that Banking Consortiums and Logistics Giants are tinkering with it?
It plays no part in their:
- Kill and Death Ratio: How many times they died compared against how many times they killed other players in a game. This is a popular metric in games like Call of Duty that allows players to compare their performance in a match.
- Virtual Item Inventory: Cosmetic or Skill enhancing items that players collect. Massively Multiplayer Online games like World of Warcraft or Guild Wars commonly implement this.
- Player Ranking: A players spot on a digital scoreboard that is determined by varying algorithms, common in games like League of Legends.
If tied in to the incentive structures found in video games, I highly doubt that Blockchain would intimidate users with its existing complexities. If it were perhaps packaged with or alongside the fantastical worlds that gamers want to live in, they are likely to figure out how to extract value that can be enjoyed by relevant peers. This in turn, may result in work that has broader use cases.
Here’s why I think so…
Quake 2 spawned a vibrant community of “modders” which are players that used a number of tools to redesign the original game to a certain degree. Some “Mods” ended up as benchmarks for what it means to develop an enjoyable First Person Shooter (FPS) experience.
Action Quake 2 was a mod that brought real world weaponry in to the fantasy setting of Quake 2. This also served as a precursor to another mod that continues to remain a staple diet of many gamers…Counterstrike.
Warcraft 3 had a similar community that was encouraged by its developers. This brought about a game mode known as Defence Of The Ancients (DOTA) which later came to define the Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) genre.
Today, the MOBA genre is dominated by a game known as League Of Legends which commands 100 million monthly players.
Think of all the impassioned youth that could be part of the Blockchain movement IF it were somehow married to the video games that they love.
This image shows a player being given a legendary commendation by Ally and Enemy team members after a match in the video game Overwatch.
As a viewer, you may perceive it as nothing more than a few seconds of Digital Appreciation.
To the player though, this must have felt nothing short of a standing ovation, given by 100’s of people in a stadium screaming his/her name, they had just made the legend of Spartacus look like a children’s story book.
Recipients of such commendation respond with motivation to achieve this rare kind of respect again.
If such impulses were nudged towards the use/awareness of blockchain, there may be a lot more development fueled by passion that doesn’t necessarily hold the “bottom line” as a KPI for success.
Its being attempted already…I feel however, that it would require too much grit and experience to pull off in a manner that has meaningful impact.
There is only one video game developer capable of such an undertaking…(IMO)
More than 20 years of game dev experience.
Offered its community tools that have spawned other video game genres (MOBAs)
Developed a worldwide phenomena with World of Warcraft, which was/is a sprawling digital economy with common, rare and ultra rare assets. Granted that it may have not been a perfect economy but Blizzard has over 10 years of “market data” that is Natively Digital and I consider that a pristine foundation to execute any BlockGame efforts
WoW’s ingame digital currency (denominated as Gold/Silver/Copper) was even sold for real world money by enterprising Chinese firms. Incidentally, China is proving to be a major proponent of Blockchain tech.
No other game developer could possibly have the data and insights to pull this off effectively.
Young adults in gaming communities possess a reckless abandon that should be struck at like hot iron, their perspectives aren’t based on “Driving Higher Efficiency” or “Lowering Costs”
It’s about —
“How can we have more fun?!”
Until such mindsets are not directed towards the Blockchain ecosystem, I assume it will continue to warm the throne of presentations that sometimes induce yawns.
Please click the little green heart if you enjoyed this article ❤
I’ll leave you with this snippet from a recent Blizzard Cinematic that introduces a new Overwatch hero with a hacker archetype
I like to think that she pulled out a block with a sequential record of historical data :)
