As a kid of the 1980s and 1990s, I had the privilege of growing up with some of the most memorable films, games, and technology of the period. At the arcade during the holidays, or on a green/black monitor or on our big tube TV at home.
And when I wasn't playing on my NES, I was either playing with my Gameboy or watching one of the now-iconic 1980s movies like "Tron" or "Explorers".
https://opensea.io/assets/ethereum/0x3b3ee1931dc30c1957379fac9aba94d1c48a5405/35155
This love for pixels is deeply rooted in many childhood experiences and continues to be a passion of mine to this day. It brings me joy and relaxation, and will always hold a special place in my heart.
The Tamagotchi, in particular, had an important role in my youth since it was one of the first toys that required continual care and attention. At the beginning, I was almost afraid to oversleep. My Tamagotchi could have died! My little pet was usually in great shape, with rare hick-ups. One could say, it taught me the value of accountability and the benefits of hard effort.
Can you guess how excited I was when I discovered that the classic tamagotchi has been revived on modern hardware !?! ;-)
Aside from pixel graphics, I've always been a major lover of Japan and its culture. Japan has a particular place in my heart to this day, and visiting the country (virtually or physically) seems like coming home. One of the most fascinating aspects of Japan is its history of invention and the role that art has played in it.
Art has always been at the forefront of Japanese culture and technology, from ancient woodblock prints to current pixel art. One artist collective that combines all of this under one hat perfectly is the Tokyo-based art collective "Excalibur". A mashup of Japanese myth with reality, present or future, virtual or real. I love it!
As a technically inclined person, the influence of art on technology, particularly in the realm of gaming, is also something that I find very fascinating. For me, the combination of “Play to Earn” + web3 technology + art is one of the most fascinating movements in recent years. The technology is a part of it, but not everything is centered around this technology anymore.
This concept is changing the way people engage with technology and has the potential to permanently impact the gaming- and other industries. Play to earn is, at its heart, a system that compensates players for their time and effort spent playing a game, rather than merely their skill to win. This implies that by just playing the game, gamers may earn in-game benefits such as virtual cash or other stuff.
https://opensea.io/assets/0xA4E3513c98b30d4D7cc578d2C328Bd550725D1D0/1046
This shift is essential because it enables players to feel more immersed in their games and encourages them to play for longer periods of time. It also instills a sense of ownership in players over their in-game achievements and prizes, which can be quite motivating.
For me, the use of art in games is also significant. After years of looking at cheap clones where developers merely change the skin of the underlying game engine, we’re seeing an increased share of art in games and other metaverse settings. As we spend more time within this medium, art is transitioning from a niche into the spotlight.
The game must be aesthetically beautiful and interesting in order for the system to be effective, which is where art comes in. Developers may create a more immersive and engaging experience for players by including high-quality art into the game, resulting in a more successful game. This is what the team and community around AAVEGOTCHI has championed imho. And they keep shipping new features / events almost every week since inception.
The POLYGON based “game protocol” has many innovative features, such as NFT raffles, lending, bid-to-earn auctions, and a decentralized marketplace, to enhance the overall gameplay experience. By taking part in the AAVEGOTCHI DAO, players can directly influence the direction of development. But even if you are not a player, you can earn by only placing bids via bid-to-earn or sell your digital artwork via the new fakegotchis platform.
https://opensea.io/assets/0xA4E3513c98b30d4D7cc578d2C328Bd550725D1D0/4637
For those who aren’t aware of the “game”, here’s a short intro: Players can collect unique NFT avatars, known as “Aavegotchis”, that can be customized with various wearables to enhance their rarity and yield generation. There are different aspects in the game that players can follow depending on their time and preferences. AAVEGOTCHI is inherently DeFi, but limiting it to this buzzword wouldn’t be fair game. I highly recommend a visit in the discord or AAVEGOTCHI wiki if you want to learn more and meet a whole bunch of handsome people.
https://opensea.io/assets/ethereum/0xde221fa51f2df55385e0a26664eb6186dab0131b/3
Since the day I bought this fantastic piece by “EXCALIBUR“, it was my plan to showcase it within the Gotchiverse. Making use of the new NFTs displays feature and 100% fake gotchi art, this is finally possible and I’m very happy EXCALIBUR agreed and allows me to re-mint this exceptional piece of art.
YES, you read this right! This piece has just entered the queue.
https://www.fakegotchis.com/queue/179
I will mint this for me, but will list exactly ONE more item in a fakegotchi auction to make up for the mandatory FAKE Gotchi Card. A FAKE Gotchi Cards (Card) is an ERC-1155 NFT that enables the holder to mint a FAKE Gotchi NFT.
In conclusion, my love for pixel art and Japan is deeply rooted in my childhood experiences and continues to be a passion of mine to this day. It brings me joy and relaxation, and will always hold a special place in my heart. The influence of art on technology, particularly in the realm of gaming, is also something that I find fascinating. The use of art in play AND earn systems like AAVEGOTCHI has the potential to change the gaming industry forever, and I am excited to see how it will continue to evolve in the future.
Have a fantastic weekend, happy holidays!
XOXO, Ayahuasca
PS.: See you in the PVP arena soon!
https://twitter.com/aavegotchi/status/1604121108244213760?s=20&t=9bH80iRe_BQ1bQMXxDGpKw
Header image by Pixel Sensei
https://opensea.io/assets/0xA4E3513c98b30d4D7cc578d2C328Bd550725D1D0/6157