The Future Of Gaming: Enjin Coin
I was tempted to write a brief overview article on this topic, as that's the layout I have stuck to in the past, but honestly, I'd just like to take a more informal approach to this one and write my thoughts on the matter. This is a project that I have invested a slight amount in, and I see the potential for future growth. It is something that I am extremely passionate about, coming from a gaming background myself, and in this article I will try to explain why I think the future is bright for blockchain and gaming.
Oh, and apologies for going off on one in advance, although I'll be covering Enjin Coin, I'd just love to express my feelings for gaming in general and the scene going forward so it may be a long read!
The Problem
Gaming today is brilliant, I spent my entire childhood glued to a computer screen, and at the age of 22, I can safely say some of my most memorable and thrilling moments in life were playing with my friends on the computer. Ranging from MMOs like WoW, strategy games like Starcraft II and shooters like Gears of War, these are some of many games that I used to play on a frequent basis.
Contrary to popular belief, I think gaming is a great hobby and something that teaches many life skills. Whilst playing the Civilization series, from a young age I had become extremely knowledgeable in regards to History, Geography and Warfare. It was an interactive way to learn about general knowledge, from the introduction of the trebuchet as an upgrade to the inferior catapult siege unit, to learning about the several different wonders of the world such as the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and the associated cultures.
I also learnt how to actively work together as a team and have responsibility for my actions. As a young teenager, I would take part in guild raids in WoW in which I would be on a microphone with people from all over the world, coordinating our battle plans and working together as a team towards a common goal. Not only did this give me a sense of responsibility, it also boosted my confidence and ability to talk to others and make friends.
And that brings us to arguably one of the largest benefits of gaming online, friends. I made friends from all around the world, I learnt about different cultures (one of my arena partners was Swedish for example), and all within the safety of my own home. In my opinion, because of all the things listed above, this makes gaming a fantastic hobby, something which could be argued as much more beneficial than a more outdoorsy hobby such as playing football or hanging around the park late at night with friends or whatever kids do.
As much as I am past that stage in my life now, and I've gone from stereotypical nerd to a gym guy, I will always have great memories of my gaming background and it is something I will always stick up for.
Anyway, back to topic, apologies, I said I'd rant on!
So, what's the one thing gaming is lacking?
People spend 100's of hours playing games, and although they may get enjoyment out of it, at the end of the day nothing beneficial comes out of it other than the life skills I have mentioned.
Take WoW for example, but you can apply this to any kind of game really. If you have grinded 100's of hours for this amazingly super rare sword, that's all well and good, but it's still not really yours.
It's on your account, you may be able to sell it for in game currency, but that currency has no real world value.
What if you could create an in-game ecosystem in which everything you acquire is yours to keep? It's not attached to an account, it's part of an irrefutable blockchain system, in which you can trade with other people, cross-platform.
What if those 100's of hours you have put into that game can actually be potentially rewarded through a real world monetary incentive?
Let's say you get 10,000 head-shots with an AK-47 on Call of Duty, in the current eco-system that's attached to your account, and as cool as it is, it's not really yours and it has no value.
But if it was an item on a blockchain, you could trade that for coins based on a supply and demand theory, in that if something is rare and has taken a lot of time to get, someone's probably willing to pay a lot for it.
The Solution
Enjin Coin is a cryptocurrency that is trying to do exactly what I've been talking about.
Their whole ethos is to create virtual ecosystems in which you actually own all the items you obtain in a game, and because you actually own them, you can trade them or sell them as you wish, via the blockchain protocol.
This concept excites me greatly, and in the future I see the potential for growth, the possibilities are endless.
What's crazy is that not so long ago, and even now, the kind of concept that I am proposing, that would be theoretically possible with this kind of system, would be so far-fetched even 5 years ago.
In an MMO type environment in particular, if this kind of thing really kicks off, it's not implausible to hypothesize about a future in which you can actually earn a living from playing a game, and not from streaming or being a professional competitive gamer in the e-Sports scene, but just playing the game the way you want.
Take RuneScape as an example, I often used to pick flax from a flax field when I was trying to start earning a decent amount of money, this flax could be turned into string for bows, and if you had the right skill, you could make certain bows with the string, depending on if you've got the right wood etc.
Once rich though, often higher levels wouldn't bother with the flax, they'd just buy a bow outright, or the string, or whatever, as they didn't want the hassle and were willing to pay for the convenience.
This was either done in person through bartering, or latterly on the Grand Exchange, something similar to a hybrid of eBay and a Stock Market for in game items. In fact some people, myself included, even utilized the Grand Exchange like a real world Stock Market, and at the age of 11 I was speculatively buying an asset like iron ore, and trading it back for a profit based on market analysis and buying trends.
Obviously all things were paid for in in-game gold, but if they adopted Enjin Coin, which would have a real world value, the possibilities are endless.
You could be a flax farmer and sell your flax for real money, you could be a fisherman and sell fish for money, you could be a fine warrior and go to the Colosseum and place bets on fighters with money, or even fight yourself if you dared!
I know it sounds far-fetched, and I know I've ranted on, but I truly believe in the distant future this will be the norm. It's a real shame gaming is still frowned upon to a certain extent by the public, but I'd like to think times are changing, and a revolution is ahead of us!
I haven't covered much of the technical aspects of Enjin Coin as I wanted to talk more about gaming and the topic in general, but if anyone has any questions let me know and I'll try to answer them.
So what does everyone think, can you ever see a futuristic scenario in which people can carry out work inside a game to provide an income through the implementation of blockchain technology? Let me know in the comments down below!
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DISCLAIMER: This is NOT financial advice. The cryptocurrency market is volatile and you are at risk of losing your money. Only invest what you can afford to lose.
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Coins mentioned in post:
Well, even though i love enjin coin i think the current mentality thowards games needs to change, at least in my country most persons older than... let's say 40 doesn't know what a streamer is, or what they do, what type of games there are, they don't know anything, i think enjin coin will be something, but i think it will take at least from 10-20 years before we actually see the coin shining, but hey, i might be mistaken xD
Yeah unfortunately I think you're right haha, what I'm proposing probably wouldn't be socially acceptable and possible for probably like 100 years. I think Enjin Coin could get to a decent size and become really revolutionary within 5-10 years, but as you say, probably even longer for it to really come into its element.
Ah tell me about it, it's definitely largely a generational thing. I just hate that there's still sometimes a stigma around it, like if they don't quite get it, that's fine, but don't judge people or say things like "that's not a real job", because it is.
I really think one of the main issues is that people get stuck in their own generation, and struggle to fully embrace new technologies. I really hope that when I get older I'll always keep up to date with the latest tech and make sure when I have kids/grandkids I can understand the stuff they're up to and play with them etc. instead of being judgmental and confused haha.
Yeah dude, i also want to keep up to date with the latest tech when i'm older, but there is just one thing that old ppl do that i'll full embrace and that is to tell kids to "Get of my lawn!" XD it's the best old guy expression
Being a streamer is the same as being a TV show host, they are just there to provide entertainment! The difference is that we employ the streamers with donations, while tv show hosts are employed by the channel companies, at least we can choose which entertainer we like!