An ode to (crypto) gaming

The current state of the market in crypto is filled with nihilism. As global inequality widens and the middle class dwindles, many feel compelled to gamble their way into prosperity. Nowhere is this desperate pursuit for wealth more apparent than in the rise of memecoins. These tokens, often created for their viral potential rather than real utility, have left many disheartened and skeptical.

The gaming sector, in particular, has been hit hard. Major gaming tokens like IMX, AXS, and GALA have seen their prices plummeting by nearly 90%, and new launches consistently disappoint. Yet, it is in this bleak market that I pen this contrarian love letter; expressing my belief that blockchain is truly revolutionary for gaming and drive it forward to new heights.

To understand why blockchain could transform gaming, we must first explore the origins and evolution of games themselves. The story of gaming is as old as human civilization, beginning with ancient pastimes that mirrored the complexities and values of their eras. From the rudimentary games of early societies to the intricate strategies of classical board games, the development of gaming has always reflected our quest for meaning and mastery. This historical perspective provides a foundation for appreciating how blockchain could revolutionize this ancient tradition, forging new paths in crafting worlds.

In ancient times, humanity emerged from primal tribes, collectively gathering together into organized societies and cultures. This transition was supported by the recession of hunter-gatherers and the subsequent rise of the sedentary agricultural state, beginning in the Fertile Crescent. The surplus of food supported larger populations and led to social hierarchies and cultural advancements, including the early development of games among the aristocracy.

It was within this backdrop that games were born. The oldest known game, Senet (meaning: passing, afternoon), from ancient Egypt, is over 5,000 years old. It consisted of 3 rows with 10 squares per row, and 2 players would move pawns around after rolling a stick, the ancient equivalent of a die. The first player to get their pawns to the end (the 30th square) is deemed the winner.

Over the centuries, Senet evolved beyond mere entertainment. It became a reflection of society's beliefs, a metaphorical journey through life, death, and the Duat (meaning: afterlife). As players moved their pieces across the board, they weren't merely chasing victory but engaging in a symbolic quest that mirrored the human experience after death. This marked the baby step of the first interactive game into the aether, as it explored the unknown in a realm created from collective human imagination.

aether: an abstract dominion on a metaphysical space beyond physicality

Three and a half millennia after Senet, another significant evolution in gaming occurred far from the fertile crescent. The Mediterranean region, though ancient, had lost its dominance as a cultural and political center.

The backdrop of the Indo-Gangetic Plain in the 6th century set the stage for Senet’s spiritual successor. The reigning local hegemon, the Gupta Empire, was in a major stage of decline. It faced debilitating invasions by the Huns and constant rebellions, weakening the central authority of the Emperor and its ability to maintain order. This led to the decentralization of military power and thus the rise of regional powers to maintain order within their domain. Various dukes struggled in a chaotic fragmented political landscape, marred by frequent smaller wars and skirmishes as various aspirants vied for control. It was in this backdrop that Chaturanga (meaning: four divisions of the army), a board game simulating war strategies emerged.

The game was much more complex, and consisted of a 8 by 8 board with infantry, cavalry, elephants, and chariots. It was not only a tool for entertainment, but also for training the military and ruling classes as conflicts dominated. While it did inherit the symbolism of Senet (for karma and dharma), its primary purpose was for the highest vital importance to the State — war.

It was in this time period that Chaturanga was brought to Tang China, named Xiangqi (meaning: elephant game). The board game was heavily localized, playing on a 9 by 10 grid with a river dividing the board into 2, reflecting the significance of terrain in the Chinese art of war. While it did gain popularity and is still played today, the existence of another war-simulation board game Weiqi (Go; encircling game) that was widespread since the 5th century BCE meant that it remained highly regional.

Simultaneously, Chaturanga was introduced to the Sassanian Empire in Persia as a diplomatic gift, but to much larger effect. The Sassanids had extensive trade and cultural connections with the Gupta Empire, facilitated by the Silk Road for silk, spices, textiles, and precious stones. By the late 6th century, the Sassanids localized Chaturanga, which they called Shatranj (meaning: four limbs of the army). The bulk of the rules stayed the same, and the pieces acquired Farsi names.

However, the Sassanian Empire, despite its glory and power, was likewise debilitated by the common enemy of the Gupta Empire. The Huns ravaged Persia, causing significant military and economics strain for decades. This led to the long term century-long decline of the Sassanids, which paved the next evolution of Shatranj.

The early 7th century saw significant disruption to the region. The Sassanian Empire, long weakened by the Huns, faced another debilitating (and terminal) invasion from the Rashidun Caliphate down south in Arabia. By the middle of the 7th century, the Sassanids lost their capital Ctesiphon (637 CE), had a decisive defeat at Nahavand (642 CE), and the death of the final Shahanshah (651 CE). This led to the integration of Persia into the Caliphate, which had far ranging reverberations. Persia, once Zoroastrian (a monotheistic dualist religion), became Muslim, which the Iranians are still today.

This also gave Shatranj (the name remained this time) the impetus with which it spread quickly across the Islamic Domain during the 8th century, from Samarqand in Central Asia to Southern Hispania — Al-Andalus. It was from Al-Andalus (Islamic Spain) that Shatranj was introduced to Christian Europe, from northern Spain and Portugal. This marked the evolution of Shatranj from a game into a realm, as it became a hemispheric phenomenon. The board game was often referenced to in classic Islamic literature, from Ferdowsi (11th century Shahnameh, the national epic of Persia) to Omar Khayyam (12th century Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, a collection of his finest poems).

By the 15th century, Shatranj is deeply embedded into European culture, with its own localized rules and pieces. It was in this period that the board game gained a new (and global name) — Chess (meaning: check). Chess was no longer played with elephants nor chariots, but with queens and rooks.

The open-source forking of Chaturanga to Shatranj and subsequently Chess created the first one-dimensional interactive world, connecting players through time in a socially constructed domain that is defined by countless interactions with a shared consensus mechanism. This was further expanded with additional canon with literature1, international competitions (1st Global Chess Championship held in 1886), and norms (clocks, algebraic notation for recording).

interactive world: a human-made worldview of a metaphysical space where players engage in shared experiences and follow societal standards, allowing them to interact and influence the game’s evolution through their actions

The 20th century led to the ascension of Chess to a two-dimensional global interactive world, enabled by the rise of the internet that unbounded its mortal shell of physicality. For the first time, humanity have enshrined a world in its entirety into the aether, via a massive social coordination effort throughout millennia.

The evolution of technology and the rise of modern gaming has made sanctifying a game into the aether easy. The advent of digital technology has streamlined the creation of immersive, interactive domains, allowing players to manifest their presence through avatars in online games. However, this shift has moved the experience from a deep, philosophical exploration to often mindless digital entertainment, lacking the profound engagement seen in earlier forms of interactive worlds.

Despite this shift, there is a growing realization that the potential for a more profound interactive experience remains untapped. The emergence of blockchain technology presents a groundbreaking opportunity to revitalize and expand the aetheric space. Unlike previous technological advancements, blockchain offers new dimensions of interaction that promise to enhance the depth and permanence of digital worlds. This innovation introduces a new set of possibilities for gaming, fundamentally altering how we engage with and experience these virtual spaces.

The birth of blockchain technology and its integration into gaming is set to upend this stalemate. While the technology itself has not been particularly popular in certain populations, the potential is tremendous. It enables additional rails with which the aetheric games can make humanity’s make-believe interactive world ever more tangible;

1. Equity: players are now strictly bound by pre-agreed norms and standards on the said plane, and cannot break out

2. Immutability: the creator is not omnipotent, and does not possess the ability to roll back states nor erase existence of “something”

3. Interoperability: interact and build on top of each other, breaking 4th walls - no longer silo-ed and rigid

4. Definity: in-game markets and economies manifested are now concrete, with actual impact on reality (for better or for good)

5. Immortality: fully onchain games2 (logic, state, etc) will and can run in perpetuity

Despite the promising potential that blockchain technology holds for transforming gaming, the reality of its application has not yet lived up to expectations. The early hype surrounding the play-to-earn model raised lofty hopes for a revolutionary shift in how we engage with digital worlds. However, the technology’s actual impact has been hindered by a range of factors, including the immaturity of the blockchain gaming ecosystem and its struggle to deliver on the grandiose promises initially made.

A notable issue is the frequent occurrence of hyperinflation within these games. This happens when the in-game economy becomes unbalanced due to a misalignment between rewards and costs, leading to economic instability. Similar problems have plagued web2 MMORPGs like Runescape and World of Warcraft, where developer interventions were necessary but would be nearly impossible to execute post-market failure in the crypto space given the immutability of smart contracts. As a result, players face an unexpected challenge, distorting their initial investment and interest in the game.

This disconnect between expectation and reality has led to a period of disillusionment within the industry. The market has been flooded with a multitude of lackluster games that fail to deliver substantial value or innovative experiences. These shortcomings are particularly glaring when compared to the well-established and sophisticated offerings of traditional web2 games. As a result, the crypto gaming sector finds itself in a phase of critical introspection, grappling with the challenge of overcoming its early missteps and realizing its true potential.

Adding to the challenge is the dominance of memecoins in attentions against all sectors. Memecoins, often created as jokes or for speculative trading, have captured the limelight due to their viral nature and the potential for quick, albeit short-lived, financial gains. This trend has led to a proliferation of projects focused more on capitalizing on hype than on delivering substantive improvements or advancements in gaming.

Despite these setbacks, the fundamental promise of blockchain remains potent. The core tenets of blockchain holds the potential to create new paradigms in how virtual spaces are constructed and interacted with. This transformative power could power the next evolution of the gaming industry, given enough time.

To unlock this potential, the industry must shift its focus from the ephemeral appeal of trends to the creation of lasting and meaningful experiences. Building truly immersive and engaging worlds requires a change in approach and is one that prioritizes depth over hype and embraces the long-term possibilities of blockchain in gaming. Developers must dedicate their efforts to creating interactive realms that deeply resonate with players, fostering a lasting sense of connection and purpose.

The journey involves leveraging the unique strengths of blockchain to elevate games into dynamic living interactive ecosystems. These ecosystems should be designed to evolve, adapt, and sustain themselves over time, much like the ancient games that have persisted through the ages. By adopting these principles, developers can break free from the current limitations and begin to pave the way for Akashic (meaning: aether) Worlds: universal and eternal interactive spaces, where every individual can traverse, explore and experience multiple realities. This vision runs parallel with the ancient concept of the Akashic Records, which serves as a universal compendium of all human knowledge and experience. In this way, blockchain technology holds the potential to bring the idea of Akashic Worlds to life, creating contemporary realms that echo the depth and richness of our collective human experience.

akashic worlds: fully immortal multi-dimensional interactive worlds that run parallel from reality on a transcendental level, that is interconnected and only bound by the limits of humanity's imagination

For spaces to ascend to Akashic Worlds, several frameworks can be employed;

1. Cross-game interoperability allow assets, characters, or achievements from one game to have meaning and utility in other games, creating a more interconnected gaming multiverse

2. Persistent player histories leverages blockchain to record and preserve players' entire gaming journeys across multiple platforms, fostering a continuous narrative of each player's experience

3. Dynamic world-building tools enables players to collaboratively shape and evolve the game world, with their contributions becoming permanent parts of the game’s lore and landscape

4. Decentralized narrative creation deepens player engagement and help establish these worlds as culturally significant phenomena

5. Collective consciousness interfaces that aggregate player knowledge and experiences, creating a shared pool of wisdom accessible to all to further development of game lore

6. Evolving AI entities with advanced AI systems that allows characters and environments to adapt over time based on player interactions and world events

As we move toward this vision, it's essential to recognize that the evolution of gaming is not merely about technological advancement but also about embracing and building upon the profound human experiences that games have always reflected. This journey from rudimentary entertainment to complex, culturally resonant experiences mirrors our collective quest for meaning and connection.

Tracing back history, the evolution of gaming is one of the most fascinating societal constructs that humanity has manifested. Over millennia, games have taken on a larger-than-life role, culminating into its ascension as a wholly new realm of make-believe origins that a significant population has ascribed to. It is in this that digital games inherited the ancient tradition of enshrining interactive spaces in the aether, in a region beyond our terrestrial means.

As we stand on the threshold of this new technological era, the promise of blockchain and its potential to create Akashic Worlds invites us to envision a future where the boundaries of imagination and reality blur. These digital realms not only hold the possibility of reshaping how we interact with games but also how we perceive our existence and connection to a larger, interconnected universe. Just as ancient games like Senet and Shatranj served as reflections of their times and cultures, blockchain-powered interactive worlds could become the new canvas for exploring human creativity and connection. Embracing this potential offers a glimpse into a future where our virtual experiences are as rich and meaningful as the physical world we inhabit.

The journey toward Akashic Worlds is more than a technological pursuit; it is a profound evolution in the human experience. Humanity is stepping towards the Way of the gods, creating worlds in our image. Yet, it is in these spaces, with their interconnected narratives and dynamic growth, that offer us a mirror to our own lives, capturing the essence of what it means to be human in an increasingly non-physical age. In this new paradigm, games will transcend their role and become vital parts of our collective consciousness. The ability to traverse, explore, and influence these expansive realms will enable us to engage with our shared human heritage in ways previously unimaginable.

If anyone is building akashic worlds or the relevant supporting infrastructure, my twitter DMs are always open.

1. Examples of literature include Repetición de Amores y Arte de Ajedrez (15th century; Repetition of Loves and the Art of Chess, by Luis Ramirez de Lucena, standardizing the rules of modern chess)

2. I am well aware that fully onchain games are highly cumbersome right now, and still require much more technological advances that Dojo and Argus (onchain game engines) are working towards to, but the die has been cast