Blockchain Use Cases in Gaming

The gaming industry is one of the first that acquires the most advanced technologies to leverage itself. And this fact is not surprising since there are 2.7 billion gamers all over the world. For example, AR and VR technologies are actively used in gaming, and blockchain is another technology on this list. In this article, we’ll break down how Ethereum blockchain is used in the gaming field and highlight popular gaming projects fueled with Ethereum. Without further ado, let’s get started.

The Use of Ethereum

First of all, why Ethereum blockchain is so popular in the gaming industry? This platform is known for the opportunity to create smart contracts. But what smart contracts are?

In simple words, smart contracts are programs stored in a blockchain and executed within its network nodes. For example, let’s assume that we have a freshly made smart contract with public APIs that needs to be deployed. Deployment is a creation of a transaction that contains program code.

When the deployment process is set and done, we can finally call the contract’s public method, which is another transaction within the blockchain. As a result, the contract’s condition always stays in the blockchain.

Now it’s time to talk about two important Ethereum properties.

  • You can’t change or delete data.
  • The whole chain and data open for everyone.

These properties mean that the smart contract’s code, operations and their results can’t be changed since all these components are located in the blockchain.

The final aspect of the Ethereum blockchain is tokens. There are two types of tokens used in this blockchain:

  • ERC-20 – these tokens have the same value and are mostly used to operate cryptocurrency.
  • ERC-721  – each token has unique properties and is used to operate various items and services.

Since we know what Ethereum blockchain is, it’s time to talk about two popular gaming projects based on this technology: a trading platform called DMarket and a trading card game called Gods Unchained. 

What Is DMarket?

DMarket is an online platform that allows users to sell or trade their game items. DMarket’s creators built the first decentralized trading platform for exchanging virtual items. DMarket is one of the famous use cases of smart contracts in gaming since every gamer now can profit from their hobby and show off in front of other players.

Tech Stack of DMarket Platform

DMarket split into two independent parts: decentralized blockchain database and trading platform. Let’s consider each part in detail.

Blockchain Database 

The main purpose of this database is to store information about all transactions made on a trading platform. But how smart contracts are used in this database?

Smart contracts manage certain conditions, virtual items, internal cryptocurrency, and much more. In simple words, all payments and deliveries occurring with conditions written in these smart contracts. Thanks to smart contracts, DMarket has top-notch security for all deal members and low transaction expenses.

Smart contracts are also used in these operations:

  • HASH-based checking of in-game items amount available at the moment
  • Checking if a user can pay for the item or not

Trading Platform

This platform is built with GoLand and PostgreSQL and supports thousands of operations in a second. Besides that, the trading platform can also cooperate with a blockchain.

To keep data integrity in blockchain safe, DMarket is connected to an independent Exonum service that simultaneously operates with blockchain and trading platform. This storing service’s architecture grants over-the-top data integrity even if it’s completely disconnected from the trading platform. 

Another distinctive feature of DMarket is the independent currency used for all transactions and commissions with game items on the platform. It’s called DMarket Coin. 

Once registered, each platform member gets ERC-20 DMarket Token in the Ethereum network, but don’t confuse Tokens and Coins. On DMarket, tokens represent each game item with defined property rights (user’s or company’s) and unique symbol. This system allows to easily track every single item and its specifications on the trading platform.

Gods Unchained. What It’s All About?

Gods Unchained is the first decentralized free-to-play online collectible card game build around the Ethereum blockchain features. Unlike other card games, in Gods Unchained, each player can own a deck of cards and verify ownership using blockchain. This game also holds a remarkable success of $87 billion spent on in-game items in 2019. 

Tradeable NFT Cards

Besides receiving ownership over in-game assets, players can trade cards on the official marketplace with slight restrictions. At the start of the game, each player receives a card booster with untradable common-tier cards to smoothly get into the game. All other rare-tier cards that can be traded with players can be easily received through gameplay or in-game purchases. All non-common cards are marked as non-fungible-tokens or NFTs (ERC-721), allowing users to trade them the way they want.

FLUX System

To control the market, developers implemented the FLUX system. This in-game system allows players to turn their cards in the actual Ethereum token since not all assets are tokens at the start of the game. FLUX can be earned through gameplay, which prevents bots from earning a ridiculous amount of Ethereum tokens and ruining the in-game market.           

Wrapping Up

As you can see, Ethereum is very popular in the gaming industry since it allows developers to create decentralized platforms for games from all over the world. Blockchain development is a neverending process, and who knows, maybe in the near future, we’ll receive another revolutionary blockchain feature that’ll boost the gaming industry.

Author’s bio

Vitaly Kuprenko is a writer for Cleveroad. It’s a web and mobile app development company with headquarters in Ukraine. He enjoys writing about technology and digital marketing.

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