Making a Case To Invite The World To Build On The HIVE Blockchain.

We believe strongly that gaming will remain one of the best use cases for blockchain technology for many many years to come.

This is for a number of key reasons, as blockchain offers:

Secure token economies
Digital asset ownership
Scalability

Will attracting game developers play a role in HIVE reaching it's full potential?

I would like to see HIVE succeed in attracting builders so I'm going to plant a seed and suggest we explore the idea of building SDK's. Let's take a look at the top 5 game engines on the planet [up for some debate].

Top 5 Game Engines To Potentially Target

Unreal and Unity are the big boys, capable of creating massive and unique environments with all the bells and whistles. Countless games have been creating using these engines and having a blockchain SDK for either one of them would certainly go along ways in attracting game developers.

Unreal

One of the most popular and widely used game engines with totles such as Gears of War, Mass Effect, and Bioshock to name a few. Apparently the latest version, Unreal 4, is easier to use than it's ever been before.

Unity

A multi-platform game engine known for its excellent functionality, has seen it's engine used by both large studios and is largly favored by the indies. Titles include Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality, Lara Croft Go, and Pillars of Eternity.

I would make a case to target one of these two engines with a blockchain SDK offering.

Now that we've got the big 2 out of the way, lets round out the top 5 with GameMaker, Godot, and AppGameKit.

GameMaker

A favourite because of it's point and click capabilities. From what I can tell not uch if any coding ability is required to be able to assemble a game using the engine. Having coding ability allows you to go the extra step and build an even better game. Titles include Spelunky, Hotline Miami, and Super Crate Box.

Godot

It's Open Source which may score some major points in the eyes of blockchain communities and developers. Our only Open Source option in the top 5. Godot is apparently great for both 2D and 3D games, and it's free to use, no royalties, and no subscription fees. Being open source there is a community of developers working to constantly improve the code base and squash bugs.

AppGameKit

From what I can tell an engine suitable for indies looking to build mobile first games, but offers multi platform capabilities as well. This engine has beginners, hobbyists, and indie developers in mind and has a substantial user base.

As part of a larger strategy to attract game developers I believe it would be worth exploring a blockchain SDK for one of these engines more suitable and targeted at indie game development.

The Big Question..

Support From Top Stake Holders?

Do the top HIVE stake holders see gaming as an opportunity for this blockchain to reach it's full potential? Will gaming be part of the plan, long term, with the necessary community supports required.

If enough HIVE stake holders see the opportunity in gaming, is it possible a Hive Proposal could gain traction and fund the development of an SDK?