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Chase SommerHow I know the web2 era is almost over
Web2 reach has maxed out market reach, is in the process of extracting all value from its networks, and has arrived as common sense for all businesses. These are the reasons that I know the web2 era is on its way out and that web3 is on its way to make a major impact on the world. Before diving into each of these topics, let’s do a quick recap of each era of the internet so that we’re on the same page.Web1The read eraStarted in 1990’sOnly reading websites, users not uploading contentThink ran...
Chase SommerPixels Review and Ramblings
Pixels is a cozy farming game, like Stardew Valley, but it’s a web3 version including features like NFT collection characters (not just profile pictures), land ownership, and a token called $PIXEL. While critics might say it’s just a more boring version of it’s web2 versions, it genuinely has some appeal to gamers because the game is simple and fun, not just because you can earn money from it. There are things to be learned from this game even if it’s not your cup of tea! Pros:Genuinely inter...
Chase SommerWeb3 Is the Seed of the Metaverse
Web3 is the seed of the metaverse - they are not different things. One of the key ideas of what is needed for the metaverse to emerge is an idea called interoperability. Interoperability is the idea that you can move something from one system to another. In meatspace, or the physical world, your shoes are interoperable because they can go from room to room without having to take them off and put on another version of that shoe. In the same way, digital assets can be interoperable by using the...
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Chase SommerHow I know the web2 era is almost over
Web2 reach has maxed out market reach, is in the process of extracting all value from its networks, and has arrived as common sense for all businesses. These are the reasons that I know the web2 era is on its way out and that web3 is on its way to make a major impact on the world. Before diving into each of these topics, let’s do a quick recap of each era of the internet so that we’re on the same page.Web1The read eraStarted in 1990’sOnly reading websites, users not uploading contentThink ran...
Chase SommerPixels Review and Ramblings
Pixels is a cozy farming game, like Stardew Valley, but it’s a web3 version including features like NFT collection characters (not just profile pictures), land ownership, and a token called $PIXEL. While critics might say it’s just a more boring version of it’s web2 versions, it genuinely has some appeal to gamers because the game is simple and fun, not just because you can earn money from it. There are things to be learned from this game even if it’s not your cup of tea! Pros:Genuinely inter...
Chase SommerWeb3 Is the Seed of the Metaverse
Web3 is the seed of the metaverse - they are not different things. One of the key ideas of what is needed for the metaverse to emerge is an idea called interoperability. Interoperability is the idea that you can move something from one system to another. In meatspace, or the physical world, your shoes are interoperable because they can go from room to room without having to take them off and put on another version of that shoe. In the same way, digital assets can be interoperable by using the...
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Share with you because I think it’s cool and interesting
Generate discussions in the Delegati group chat and Delegati Farcaster channel. So I encourage you to pick something from this article and post your thoughts.
Be wrong about a lot of things, but also be willing to learn
https://www.tonk.gg/posts/farmvillemoment
This article does an amazing job at inspiring game designers to think outside of the box when thinking about building fully onchain games. It encourages something non-skeuomorphic design where you are not iterating on the past, but fully embracing a new design space and creating new ideas that aren’t possible with previous technology.
Share with you because I think it’s cool and interesting
Generate discussions in the Delegati group chat and Delegati Farcaster channel. So I encourage you to pick something from this article and post your thoughts.
Be wrong about a lot of things, but also be willing to learn
https://www.tonk.gg/posts/farmvillemoment
This article does an amazing job at inspiring game designers to think outside of the box when thinking about building fully onchain games. It encourages something non-skeuomorphic design where you are not iterating on the past, but fully embracing a new design space and creating new ideas that aren’t possible with previous technology.
My favorite quote:
“Gaming - as a literal playground for technical exploration - has proudly been a leading indicator for innovation since the tech industry’s halcyon days. After all - the peril of centralized game design was probably responsible for Ethereum itself.”
Infinite modding brings up the idea of composable game assets which are assets that can be used by anyone to build upon an existing game or build a completely new one. Although this concept has existed a while in web2 with UGC games like Roblox, Fortnite, and Minecraft, this article takes a blockchain-based take on UGC. It is like web2 UGC, but with a strong open-source feel to it, whereas web2 UGC is certainly not open-source.
My favorite quote:
“Onchain composability means that any game can be infinitely modded by anyone. With thoughtful design at the sandbox level, any team can introduce new functionality on top of an existing game, with the community being the final judge as to whether the functionality advances or detracts from the game. In an Autonomous World, there is no hard distinction between consumer and producer, audience and author, player and developer. Who creates the game is now truly open. Audiences can make a game their own, defying the developer's expectations. With this technology, they do not need to ask permission.”
A good overview of the current understanding of fully onchain games (FOCG) and autonomous worlds (AW). I’d certainly recommend this to anyone who asks what a FOCG or AW is.
My favorite, clear overview of FOCGs:
“An on-chain game is a game where:
All game logic, state (assets and others) are on-chain, implemented via smart contracts.
The source of truth for game data is the blockchain. The blockchain is not just used as an auxiliary store of data or a “mirror” of data stored in a proprietary server; all of the meaningful data (not just asset ownership) is stored on the blockchain. This allows the game to fully utilize the benefits of programmable blockchains: a transparent, permanent, and permissionlessly interoperable data stores.
The game is developed in accordance with open ecosystem principles.
The game contracts and (usually) an accessible game client are open-source.
Third-party developers are empowered to customize or even fork their own gameplay experiences through plugins, third-party clients, interoperable smart contracts, and even full redeployment. This, in turn, allows game developers to harness the creative output of an entire (incentive-aligned) community.
The game is client (front-end) agnostic.
Path of Achra is a dark fantasy roguelike of the ancient earth, with a focus on streamlined controls and rapid hero customization.
I played this old looking (but made in 2024) game because I was researching roguelikes in an attempt to find something that could be made fully onchain. Specifically, this game is turn-based in its movement and combat, which is important for fully onchain games (FOCGs) since there needs to be lower actions per minute (APM).
If I were to build a FOCG today, it would be heavily inspired by this game, but with better art, UI, and progression.
casslin.eth shared this article and I thought it was perfect for looking back at older games and thinking about how they could reemerge as blockchain-based games. As you’ve already seen above with Path of Achra, I think this approach makes a lot of sense… especially since they are proven to be fun. Something that’s missing in a lot, if not most, of web3 gaming.
This is super applicable to any game that wants to have in-game trading and marketplaces. In World of Warcraft, the auction house was vital to the game so you could buy/sell armor, weapons, and potions. The auction house took a small % of gold on each auction listed and sold.
Some thoughts/questions:
If marketplaces have a royalty, will players just trade peer-to-peer? Or will the in-game marketplace provide enough utility/convenience to justify spending 1% on your transaction?
It seems like the allowlist approach seems most similar to web2 - more control and more profit. While the blocklist approach is seems more web3 native - less control and less profit.
I really would hate to see web3 games close off modders and external devs with an allowlist. That's essentially the same thing as APIs today where the studio can turn them off any time they want, right?
The staking thing is interesting for sure - innocent until proven guilty, but you need to show investment. Steam does this with games - $100 to post
My favorite quote:
“Gaming - as a literal playground for technical exploration - has proudly been a leading indicator for innovation since the tech industry’s halcyon days. After all - the peril of centralized game design was probably responsible for Ethereum itself.”
Infinite modding brings up the idea of composable game assets which are assets that can be used by anyone to build upon an existing game or build a completely new one. Although this concept has existed a while in web2 with UGC games like Roblox, Fortnite, and Minecraft, this article takes a blockchain-based take on UGC. It is like web2 UGC, but with a strong open-source feel to it, whereas web2 UGC is certainly not open-source.
My favorite quote:
“Onchain composability means that any game can be infinitely modded by anyone. With thoughtful design at the sandbox level, any team can introduce new functionality on top of an existing game, with the community being the final judge as to whether the functionality advances or detracts from the game. In an Autonomous World, there is no hard distinction between consumer and producer, audience and author, player and developer. Who creates the game is now truly open. Audiences can make a game their own, defying the developer's expectations. With this technology, they do not need to ask permission.”
A good overview of the current understanding of fully onchain games (FOCG) and autonomous worlds (AW). I’d certainly recommend this to anyone who asks what a FOCG or AW is.
My favorite, clear overview of FOCGs:
“An on-chain game is a game where:
All game logic, state (assets and others) are on-chain, implemented via smart contracts.
The source of truth for game data is the blockchain. The blockchain is not just used as an auxiliary store of data or a “mirror” of data stored in a proprietary server; all of the meaningful data (not just asset ownership) is stored on the blockchain. This allows the game to fully utilize the benefits of programmable blockchains: a transparent, permanent, and permissionlessly interoperable data stores.
The game is developed in accordance with open ecosystem principles.
The game contracts and (usually) an accessible game client are open-source.
Third-party developers are empowered to customize or even fork their own gameplay experiences through plugins, third-party clients, interoperable smart contracts, and even full redeployment. This, in turn, allows game developers to harness the creative output of an entire (incentive-aligned) community.
The game is client (front-end) agnostic.
Path of Achra is a dark fantasy roguelike of the ancient earth, with a focus on streamlined controls and rapid hero customization.
I played this old looking (but made in 2024) game because I was researching roguelikes in an attempt to find something that could be made fully onchain. Specifically, this game is turn-based in its movement and combat, which is important for fully onchain games (FOCGs) since there needs to be lower actions per minute (APM).
If I were to build a FOCG today, it would be heavily inspired by this game, but with better art, UI, and progression.
casslin.eth shared this article and I thought it was perfect for looking back at older games and thinking about how they could reemerge as blockchain-based games. As you’ve already seen above with Path of Achra, I think this approach makes a lot of sense… especially since they are proven to be fun. Something that’s missing in a lot, if not most, of web3 gaming.
This is super applicable to any game that wants to have in-game trading and marketplaces. In World of Warcraft, the auction house was vital to the game so you could buy/sell armor, weapons, and potions. The auction house took a small % of gold on each auction listed and sold.
Some thoughts/questions:
If marketplaces have a royalty, will players just trade peer-to-peer? Or will the in-game marketplace provide enough utility/convenience to justify spending 1% on your transaction?
It seems like the allowlist approach seems most similar to web2 - more control and more profit. While the blocklist approach is seems more web3 native - less control and less profit.
I really would hate to see web3 games close off modders and external devs with an allowlist. That's essentially the same thing as APIs today where the studio can turn them off any time they want, right?
The staking thing is interesting for sure - innocent until proven guilty, but you need to show investment. Steam does this with games - $100 to post
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