Rarely are these four words part of an opening dialogue or any dialogue for that matter. 

However in the era of COVID, many norms and perceptions have been challenged, rewritten and/or re-evaluated. There are less and less hard industrial borders and more of mixtures of ideas and concepts. 

I’m AmineU (The Catalytic Seahorse), my aim in the proceeding posts is to help beginners navigate this relatively new space called blockchain referring to some specific projects (not all game related) that I participate in and the reasons why.

Most of us are familiar with the gaming industry as a whole, we grew up playing some type of game be it card games, boardgames and/or video/console games etc. For many of us these games were a means to escape real life and relax. But more interesting these game mechanics have aided (be it subtlety) in real world development of services and products now available, from science, engineering e-commerce, sports and entertainment.

If you doubt the veracity of gaming progress here’s a link of 2010 article, https://www.cnbc.com/id/38644484, compared to today’s report 10 years later, https://www.reuters.com/article/esports-business-gaming-revenues/report-gaming-revenue-to-top-159b-in-2020-idUSFLM8jkJMl, the gaming industry has grown exponentially.

The new and growing category within the gaming industry called Blockchain Gaming is set to ripple how we interact between real life (RL) and virtual life (VL) - blurring of the two. 

Some would argue blockchain gaming is not entirely new since there are games that already exist using in game currency to help players ‘top up’. Therefore executing a business transaction (like buying a rockstar drink in real life to give yourself a boost). The major difference here lies in the ownership of the assets you accumulated while playing. With most non-blockchain games you don’t own anything. Blockchain games offer the ability to own items you have paid for. In addition, offering a player the opportunity monetize their assets by trading or selling.

The technology behind this game mechanic, as you may have guessed is called blockchain. What is blockchain? In a very simple and basic terms it is a decentralize/centralized ledger, that keeps record of every transaction. It is immutable (non editable), decentralized or centralized (depending on its use), transparent (transactions are publicly accessible) with a high degree of security. We are using some form of it already. Our banking system, credit cards, online shopping all use a digital ledger. Difference being these are centralized (a controlling entity), mutable (can be edited) and non-transparent (unable to be view publicly).

There are many current use cases in place today that are both decentralized and centralized running on different blockchains. For simplicity sake my articles will be about the decentralized ledger blockchain projects.

What does all this mean for a beginner? Is is quite a learning curve to understand what blockchain is and its by-product called coins (cryptocurrencies) and tokens. I will be honest, it is a mess, and one of the main reasons mass adoption has been difficult. From navigating various wallets, understanding how wallets work, keeping private keys, public keys and phases safe etc. One can understand why most hesitate to enter into this space or outright ignore it.

Of course this is not about all the bells and whistles. Within every industry lies areas of concern. Gaming is no exception (addiction, obesities and behavioural issues), however as gaming projects continue to develop so does the mandate for healthy, responsible communities within. 

And here I present the new game called Upland. Established a year ago, it is a virtual property trading game, marketing for virtual digital properties at its core layer. Simulating real world economic structure, you can recognize the similarities to Monopoly. Upland uses real life locations the first city San Francisco with New York as the next release. It is currently in open beta, meaning there are still many features left to add and implement. Players, however, have the chance to get in and play with the basic features to accumulate property lots at this early stage. Learn more about Upland here.

At the moment it does not offer many in-game action elements to keep players engaged, but that’s all being worked on as part the development process.

So why I do I like it?

1) It is relatable and familiar. Most of use know Monopoly, and we also recognize cities in general even if we don’t physically live there.

2) Blockchain ready. No wallets needed!!!! Making entry into blockchain less daunting. 

At a later date for those who wish to have 100% control of their keys the option will be available to move your assets over to your own wallet. In the meantime it’s all operating seamlessly in the background.

3) Intuitive Interface and map: From login you are presented with a clean interface, easy to navigate and understand. Neat readable map that also links to google maps.

4) Educational, depending on ones personality there’s learning mechanisms for;

Math, basic economics, business (yields/interest, ROI, collections and their multipliers, fees) and more.

History (as you research lots and learn about specific areas and homes),

Cryptocurrencies (being a blockchain game it’s a way of dipping your toe in the water without getting yourself soaked).

5) Development progression for property builds, business development to marketplace. A chance to become mogul if one so desires - BUILD and CREATE.

6) Fantastic community on Discord and Telegram.

Upland is a great game with loads of potential, I wouldn’t be writing about it if I wasn’t convinced there is something unique here. Ready to venture in? if you like, my referral link here will provide a bonus towards your first property.

I have and will be adding posts (cross-over to http://www.gardnerprojects.io/blogupland) highlighting more details about this game.

A new world is approaching.