Blockchain and RPGs: When Fantasy Meets (Digital) Reality

[GreatestPaladin]

Ultimately, this kind of thing is good, but the technology is so far in it's infancy that it simply isn't ready for massive world wide production. This can be pretty self-evident by seeing what has come of this over the past year. But hopefully one day sooner than later... it ultimately is best for humanity to own digital assets over arbitrary third parties.

 

[Ulfgeir]

Interesting article. The only thing I can think of that would be a benefit for blockhains compared to the scanning of QR-codes for gaining certain objects is that the QR-code, well depending on how you get it, it might be that people can fake the QR-codes, and thus first-to-use gets the item. The Blockchain would allow transfer of ownership between persons.

Otherwise, the only thing we hear of blockchains is in the terms of cryptocurrencies. Personally I am of the opinion that there are NO legitimate uses of that. Yes, we got hit a couple of times by cryptoviruses at my previous place of work. No, we did not pay, but had to restore everything from backups. So my opinion might be a bit biased.

 

[aramis erak]

Otherwise, the only thing we hear of blockchains is in the terms of cryptocurrencies. Personally I am of the opinion that there are NO legitimate uses of that. Yes, we got hit a couple of times by cryptoviruses at my previous place of work. No, we did not pay, but had to restore everything from backups. So my opinion might be a bit biased.

There are several legit uses from a geopolitical view that justify the increased criminal risks... but many of them are technically unlawful in the destination countries... support for insurrections, support for oppressed minorities by allowing them to have unseizable (but unfortunately extortable) assets.

 

[Bohandas]

At first I though this was like LoJacking a Hot wheels. Now I'm pretty sure this is more like LoJacking a picture you drew of a car. Even if its a really good picture and you're entering it into an art contest, that's not the most reasonable way to go.

That metaphor is perfect

 

[Bohandas]

Am I the only one who thinks this has the makings of a Paranoia adventure?

 

[John Dallman]

What gets interesting is if that extra layer of security makes it feasible to say, play at home, and bring the character to an official session with the implication that it's "more official" than just jotting something on your character sheet.

Role-playing is a performance, shaped by the personalities of the players and GM, as well as the characters they play. That means the "official session" and "competitive role-playing" concepts seem fundamentally self-contradictory to me.

Am I the only one who thinks this has the makings of a Paranoia adventure?

Rather a good one, since the subject of the adventure is transparently pointless, but the characters still have to pretend it's important.

 

[Umbran]

I wish they'd just 3d print the blockchain, so we can declare peak buzzwordiness and move on.

 

[Cadence]

Something, something, Etherium merge and end of mining?

Am I reading it right that a lot of the energy waste has been because of extra mining not needed to make a blockchain work? If so, why will anyone be doing any of the calculations? If they're still done, does that make NFTs no more valuable but much less environmentally harmful?

Anyone have a good article? First three I found were fairly unhelpful.

 

[John Dallman]

Am I reading it right that a lot of the energy waste has been because of extra mining not needed to make a blockchain work?

You have been confused by unclear reporting. The way the Ethereum blockchain works has been altered.

The old method was "proof of work" where you needed to expend a lot of computing power (and thus electricity) to add transactions to the Ethereum blockchain, and got rewarded for that with new "coins".

The new method is "proof of stake" when you need to show that you have a bunch of the right kind of coins already, and someone with a stake is "randomly" selected to add transactions to the Ethereum blockchain. I put the scare quotes around "randomly" because it seems to me that the large centralised Ethereum operators might be able to cheat.

Wasting a lot of energy was absolutely necessary to make the old Ethereum blockchain work. That wastage is no longer required for that particular blockchain. The wastage is still required for every other proof-of-work blockchain. Expect to see blockchain promotors claiming that since Ethereum transitioned, blockchains are no longer wasting energy. This is false: Bitcoin is wasting just as much as before.

 

[Cadence]

You have been confused by unclear reporting. The way the Ethereum blockchain works has been altered.

The old method was "proof of work" where you needed to expend a lot of computing power (and thus electricity) to add transactions to the Ethereum blockchain, and got rewarded for that with new "coins".

The new method is "proof of stake" when you need to show that you have a bunch of the right kind of coins already, and someone with a stake is "randomly" selected to add transactions to the Ethereum blockchain. I put the scare quotes around "randomly" because it seems to me that the large centralised Ethereum operators might be able to cheat.

Wasting a lot of energy was absolutely necessary to make the old Ethereum blockchain work. That wastage is no longer required for that particular blockchain. The wastage is still required for every other proof-of-work blockchain. Expect to see blockchain promotors claiming that since Ethereum transitioned, blockchains are no longer wasting energy. This is false: Bitcoin is wasting just as much as before.

Thank you!

Is new Etherium done being created then?