At CryptoKitties we love to fail
Failure combined with Kaizen (constant learning) are the only way for new technologies to succeed
I recently attended the annual Necker Blockchain Summit, held this year in Morocco. The conference, held at Sir Richard Branson’s Kasbah Tamadot, is hosted by the Bitfury Group and ACTAI Global. This year’s event focused on how blockchain can bring value to Africa and the Middle East.
I attended to discuss how gaming can create social change through the creation of something tangible. The timing was perfect: I was also there to launch Honu, the first official Exclusive Cat in our Kitties for Good program that leverages blockchain for charitable causes. We talk a lot about cute cats on the blockchain, and CryptoKitties is that for sure; but we also talk about bringing the first billion consumers to the blockchain. That’s our mission, and it’s something we believe CryptoKitties has the power to do. Our game demonstrates complex technical concepts in a user friendly way, and we believe the only way blockchain will succeed is if everyday audiences understand it.
No one just “gets” new technology
The Blockchain Summit hosted individuals from diverse industries, backgrounds, and perspectives, but a couple common threads and themes developed throughout the three-day long conversation. One was this: every emerging technology requires education to have impact.
If you pick up a fork, there’s an instinctive understanding of how to use it. Even very small children pick up the concept quite quickly. The more complex technology becomes, the more we need to explain how it can make a tangible benefit to our lives. When computers first appeared their impact on the sciences seemed clear, but most consumers couldn’t imagine using one in their homes or offices. It wasn’t until email that they realized how it could serve them.
For many consumers today, blockchain and Bitcoin are synonymous. At best, they may understand that Bitcoin is only one of many cryptocurrencies, but after that you lose most people. Teaching them about what blockchain can actually do for them will be key to getting users on board.
Talking about failure is the key to success
Life is an investigative education — we all know the adage that we learn more from our failures than our successes. But the other side to that, which is repeated less often, is this: don’t hide your failures for fear of looking bad. Industries move faster when open collaboration is possible. And in order for a collaboration to be truly open, you have to share your failures so others can learn from them, too. This is called continued learning — or Kaizen. It’s one of the foundations Axiom Zen was built on, and when CryptoKitties spun out into its own company, we took those values with us.
And, of course, seek out those collaborations
If collaboration is the key to success, then events like the Necker Blockchain Summit are the key to strong collaborations. We owe a huge thank you to Bill Tai, Bitfury, and Actai Global. Their team has pulled together an amazing and diverse group of people. I was both humbled and honoured to exchange ideas with them.
And speaking of this diverse group of people, this event was 52% women. So don’t believe anyone who says women aren’t a huge part of the blockchain space. They obviously haven’t heard of Roya Mahboob, one of Time Magazine’s Top 100 most influential people in the world; Sheila Warren, head of Blockchain for WEF; Elizabeth Stark, Co-Founder and CEO of Lightning Labs; or Katie Haun, the first female partner at A16Z.
Prioritize doing good over doing well
Blockchain has incredible potential to change the world, but it will only change it in the ways we push it to. Whether it’s conservation, technology development in Africa and the Middle East, or addressing gender balance in high-tech industries, we believe in leveraging technology to shape the future. But none of this happens on its own, and without proactive and direct interference from the movers and shakers of the industry, it will never be anything more than a way to make money.
That’s why we started Kitties For Good — we want to show blockchain can have a positive impact on the world. Honu, the ocean’s ambassador and first of its kind Exclusive ocean-protecting Kitty, is being auctioned with all funds to support turtle habitats around the world.
There are only a few more days until the auction for Honu closes on July 15th, and you can still bid on this unique piece of art. Visit the site to learn more.
Written by Jody Rebak, CryptoKitties Chief of Staff
Edited by Wren Handman
