3 ms·

Using gas as a gameplay mechanic is such an obvious idea in hindsight. It's a glimpse into what "blockchain-native" games could become in the future. Apologies

Using gas as a gameplay mechanic is such an obvious idea in hindsight. It's a glimpse into what "blockchain-native" games could become in the future. Apologies if this is a well-known trend and I'm just now learning about it, but I think it's pretty cool, and it's neat to see how this game implements it.

TylerE 10y ago
Yeah, because real gamers want to PAY for every move. Right.
- verisimilidude 10y ago
  That's going to be true of any game built on Ethereum. Might as well make it integral to the game.
  - TylerE 10y ago
    That's what I'm saying. Games-on-blockchain are a completely non-starter.
    - verisimilidude 10y ago
      The concept is fine as long as the transaction fee is low enough. The current minimum "gas" fee on Ethereum is something like a half-penny per transaction. That may indeed be too high for practical everyday gaming. But what if the transaction fee drops to a hundredth or thousandth of a penny? What if the rest of the game is otherwise free code on the blockchain, and you don't have to drop $60 for the privilege to play? Then the proposition is not so outrageous. It wasn't so long ago that subscription gaming like World of Warcraft was a non-starter, or mobile micro-transaction gaming was a non-starter, but then both those concepts went on to dominate. There are many possible futures in which blockchain gaming could become viable. It's still early days for the tech. Much is in flux. None of us can be sure how it's going to play out.
      - TylerE 10y ago
        > But what if the transaction fee drops to a hundredth or thousandth of a penny? That can never happen. Not unless the miners are willing to lose their asses off. Bandwidth, storage, CPU etc are not free, and blockchain tech is extraordinarily gluttonous for all of those things relative to transaction volume.

3 ms·

Using gas as a gameplay mechanic is such an obvious idea in hindsight. It's a glimpse into what "blockchain-native" games could become in the future. Apologies

by verisimilidude 10y ago

TylerE 10y ago
Yeah, because real gamers want to PAY for every move. Right.
- verisimilidude 10y ago
  That's going to be true of any game built on Ethereum. Might as well make it integral to the game.
  - TylerE 10y ago
    That's what I'm saying. Games-on-blockchain are a completely non-starter.
    - verisimilidude 10y ago
      The concept is fine as long as the transaction fee is low enough. The current minimum "gas" fee on Ethereum is something like a half-penny per transaction. That may indeed be too high for practical everyday gaming. But what if the transaction fee drops to a hundredth or thousandth of a penny? What if the rest of the game is otherwise free code on the blockchain, and you don't have to drop $60 for the privilege to play? Then the proposition is not so outrageous. It wasn't so long ago that subscription gaming like World of Warcraft was a non-starter, or mobile micro-transaction gaming was a non-starter, but then both those concepts went on to dominate. There are many possible futures in which blockchain gaming could become viable. It's still early days for the tech. Much is in flux. None of us can be sure how it's going to play out.
      - TylerE 10y ago
        > But what if the transaction fee drops to a hundredth or thousandth of a penny? That can never happen. Not unless the miners are willing to lose their asses off. Bandwidth, storage, CPU etc are not free, and blockchain tech is extraordinarily gluttonous for all of those things relative to transaction volume.