Hey all!
It’s your girl So Nefarious here with another lil opinion. Today we’re going to talk about blockchain game assets.
Das right. So excited, eh?
I started 
Sounds like magic right?
The amazing thing is that it’s already here. Already, game developers are building games that can use each other’s items. So far, the most popular protocol that allows this is called Counterparty. (shout out link: http://counterparty.io/)
Counterparty lets users easily register their own blockchain tokens that can be moved around through bitcoin. It’s a protocol that runs on the Bitcoin network that adds data on top of the blockchain so that Counterparty-enable programs and tech can interact with these tokens.
So for example, I can register the token SCROLL on Counterparty, create as many as I like, and even assign it an image! Then I can build a game where if I input my Counterparty-enabled address, it can see if I have any SCROLL available and let me use it in the game.
This seems like a small thing, but it’s mindblowing when you think about how much gaming has become a party of our life.
I have lots of games where I’ve stockpiled gold or items, only to lose all that value when I got tired of the game. I probably have about a million fish in my Neko Atsume app right now. Wouldn’t it be amazing if I could trade all those fish to someone who wants to use them for Neko Atsume and get something I really want in return?
There’s already an example of this in action.
Spells of Genesis and SaruTobi
Spells of Genesis
Spells of Genesis (http://www.spellsofgenesis.com/) is a card game that lets you trade and collect interesting and rare tokens called “cards”. Eventually you’ll be able to use those cards in the game to battle and advance though the levels. It’s been very popular since its released and already as over 60 blockchain cards for you to collect.
SaruTobi
{Note: this is a demo. Some of the details have changed in the final release}
SaruTobi (http://www.mandelduck.com/sarutobi/) is a mobile game that lets you earn bitcoin for playing. You play as a clever little monkey that collects bananas and coins. Get 3 coins and you can submit them in the app to get a % of the monthly payout. The monthly payout is based on the ad revenue in the game so the more everyone plays, the more everyone earns. At the end of the month, the totals are reset and users are sent their share of the BTC rewards to their Coinbase account.
This game is fun to play and what’s more, it has got lots of items to help power up that flying monkey… including Spells of Genesis cards!
That’s right! If you input your Counterparty wallet address into the game where you’re holding your Spells of Genesis cards, certain cards can give you powerups in the SaruTobi game!
Two completely different games by different developers are now able to talk to each other through the blockchain.
It doesn’t stop there though…. There’s absolutely nothing stopping you or anyone else from using these items in your own game.
If I wanted to, I could build my own game using Spells of Genesis cards, SaruTobi tokens, or any one of the over thousands and thousands of registered Counterparty assets. Not only does it make for really cool gaming, it also makes for great partnerships. Other developers love to see what you’re going to make with their stuff and might even promote it for you.
Wouldn’t it be cool to be able to use your Super Mario items in Legend of Zelda? Or what about that rare Pokemon you finally caught showing up in Overwatch?
The possibilities are endless. We’re in a new frontier of gaming all thanks to the blockchain!
{Cross-posted to #games #gaming #opinion }