Blockchain gaming is an ever growing branch of the crypto space providing a much needed universal use case for cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology. With approx. 2.2 billion gamers worldwide, gaming could very well be the catalyst to introducing the general public to blockchain and driving mass adoption. As well as that, gaming has the potential of pushing technological boundaries in blockchain like mainstream gaming has historically done with technology.
Developing a successful blockchain game is however no small feat, and requires a lot more consideration than just a good idea. With the space mostly occupied by startups and indie game developers, there is a short window to be creative and become a key player before bigger names enter the space.
Like many other blockchain games, Everdragons drew their initial inspiration from the disruptive potential of the ERC721 standard as created and demonstrated by Axiom Zen with Cryptokitties. Building on this, Everdragons was created with the following goals; make advancements in blockchain technology, empower players and protect their investments, create a learning tool to help people get started with crypto.
Advancing technology
It is virtually impossible for small startups and indie game developers to make any impact in mainstream gaming. Even if the game is good, the competition is too large and big companies have the advantage. With blockchain we are seeing a unique opportunity to innovate and create something new before big names with more resources enter the space and take over. With this in mind, a huge focus when creating Everdragons was on breaking new ground with almost every aspect of the platform. The team sees blockchain as a new age of technology capable of transforming and enhancing our day to day lives and activities. However it is important to not burn resources trying to compete with or recreate conventional technologies that already exist. Everdragons demonstrates this by setting aside 3D engines and complicated animations, for now, to focus on pioneering and realizing new ideas. Instead the team focused on creating beautiful, player owned, digital artwork with the smart contract guaranteeing 100% uniqueness. Players are safe in the knowledge that it is impossible to create the same dragon twice, adding value to their assets.
The game play of Everdragons offers more new technology with the use of oracle services to include off chain events to power the dragons. The possibilities are endless with dragons initially being powered by cryptocurrency courses and future plans already made to include major global events.
Everdragons recent expansion to POA was another huge technical achievement with the creation of the ERC721 bridge to transfer assets from one network to another as a dynamic and responsive solution to the recurring congestion of the Ethereum network.
As always with pioneering work, there are a lot of tasks with no point of reference, but we believe that this is one of the ways to keep Everdragons at the forefront of technological advancements and therefore a key player in the space.
Empower players and protect their investments
A huge point of consideration for any blockchain game is the economics. This new age of gaming is seeing a shift in player-platform dynamics with players investing time and money in the platforms assets. With this in mind blockchain game creators should be compelled to create a game and ecosystem that maintains the value of the assets and in turn protects the investments of the players.
Therefore, it was of great importance to the team that Everdragons was created with the intention of long-term playability and value stability.
One of the ways Everdragons is protecting the value of players assets is the creation of the Scarcity Control Algorithm which generates dragons on a supply and demand basis so there is neither a shortage nor excess of dragons which would create peaks and troughs in dragon prices as demand varies. Instead the value of the dragons is mostly determined by the amount of games it participates in.
Another of the many implementations protecting asset value in Everdragons is their unique advancements on the ERC721 standard. With this the team can make use of the public ledger for marketing opportunities, such as airdrops, whilst protecting the economy of the platform.
A common misconception with NFTs is that they are 100% player owned. What most players do not realize is that when they purchase a digital asset that they essentially own the code but not the image. Everdragons is changing this and is giving players intellectual property rights to their dragon images so they have control over the use of the artwork. Simply put, if players want to print their dragons on t-shirts and sell them on Amazon they will have the full rights over the image to do so.
Get started with crypto
Although blockchain games are providing a use case for crypto, getting started can still be a daunting and arduous task. The Everdragons team are committed to helping people learn and gain access to the crypto space by creating a learning tool that allows users to become familiar with the blockchain interface through play. The platform presents clear goals through achievements with simple instructions and tutorials on the basics of blockchain. The platform also offers learning experiences through its games, with the race introducing players to cryptocurrencies and websites such as coinmarketcap as popular and trusted points of information in the crypto space.
The team with its ethos of helping people learn about crypto extends this to anyone who wants to learn more about blockchain development by opening up the platform to third party games. This is mutually beneficial as it widens the platforms game catalog with new and fresh ideas whilst helping developers gain valuable experience in blockchain technology and smart contract creation.
Whilst blockchain offers solutions for many industries the gaming industry will once again be at the forefront pushing technological boundaries, demanding constant and rapid evolvement. Blockchain game creators have a unique opportunity to make significant advancements in the space making this a truly exciting time. Along with this gaming has the potential to drive mass adoption with the bonus of allowing everyone to have some fun along the way!