EM, crew
As Web3 gaming matures, builders are rethinking how players earn, own, and express their digital identities. In the third installment of our collab series with Ontology we unpack how soulbound tokens (SBTs), zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs), and interoperable asset design are shaping the next era of onchain games.
Missed the previous episode? You can read it here:
Code, Clout & Crypto: The Role That Social Systems Play in Onchain Games
In the second installment of Ontology's ongoing series exploring the intersection of gaming and decentralized identity, we brought together a panel of Web3 builders, technologists, and IP experts to unpack how social systems shape the design and evolution of onchain games.
Featured Speakers
Humpty, Geoff & Polaris - Contributors at Ontology
Join us as we explore how onchain design can shift games from isolated experiences to persistent, interoperable ecosystems — without compromising privacy.
🧬 Soulbound Tokens: Permanent, But Powerful?
The panel opened with a dive into SBTs and their value in representing untradeable achievements, rep, or community affiliation. Speakers agreed that soulbound mechanics offer a way to de-incentivize speculation while giving players meaningful milestones that can evolve with them.
“It’s like Xbox achievements, but onchain and portable — badges that tell your story, not just boost your stats.” — Marcello
Yet with permanence comes complexity. What happens when players grow out of affiliations or communities they no longer support? Polaris and others pointed out the risks of over-indexing on immutable social signals, especially in fast-moving or ideological ecosystems. There's a fine line between flexing your onchain resume and being stuck with it.
“Soulbound should empower reputation, not trap you in your past. We need nuance — and optionality.” — Muaz
🔐 Zero-Knowledge Proofs & Private Identity
The conversation then turned toward privacy — specifically, how zero-knowledge proofs can validate experience or access without revealing sensitive details.
Daniel from Holonym emphasized the importance of proving uniqueness and humanity in pseudonymous environments, especially when gaming platforms are increasingly onchain and composable. He highlighted ZKPs as a path toward selective disclosure — where players can prove they’ve earned or achieved something without revealing their full history.
“Your rep should be portable — but also private. You don’t need to leak your whole history to verify one thing.” — Daniel
This balance between trust and discretion is especially relevant in multiplayer worlds, where reputation matters — but so does the ability to leave baggage behind.
🌐 Interoperability: Assets, Profiles, and Protocols
One of the session’s biggest questions: What does true interoperability look like in gaming?
Speakers imagined a future where a player’s achievements, gear, or identity layer could move across titles and platforms. But there was healthy skepticism around “universal assets” — especially when it comes to game balance, lore, and user intent.
Instead, the panel leaned toward interoperable profiles and modular systems — where players bring in a reputation layer or identity passport that games can choose to read from or write to, without breaking immersion or mechanics.
“We need to think less about fully portable items, and more about portable proof — proof of play, proof of skill, proof of belonging.” — Catman
🔁 Recap Takeaways
Soulbound tokens can add weight and meaning to achievements, but need flexibility to avoid social lock-in.
Zero-knowledge proofs allow players to verify traits or rep without oversharing — key for identity and access.
Interoperability might work best at the profile layer, with optional modules for assets, skills, or social proofs.
Stay tuned for Episode 4, the final chapter of the onchain gaming series, where we’ll explore narrative systems, dynamic worlds, and what it means to co-create lore onchain.
