导语:

昨天深夜,我和远在北美的区块链游戏CryptoKitties(加密猫)联合创始人BennyGiang通了一个长达一个多小时的电话。在电话里,他很真诚的谈了谈自己对区块链游戏的洞见以及他们新游戏《CheezeWizards》背后的理念和故事。

从17年年底CryptoKitties价值百万的天价猫横空出世以来,区块链游戏吸引了众多的眼球。短短一年多时间,全球共有几千块区块链游戏或自称“区块链游戏”的产品上线。它们当中,有些从区块链底层一步步架构上来,而有些则是采用了通证经济或者数字代币。

作为全球区块链游戏领域头部公司的Co-Founder,Benny和他的DapperLab团队对“什么是区块链游戏?”,“区块链游戏的未来是怎样的?”等问题的思考以及被他们称为第三阶段区块链游戏《CheezeWizards》背后的设计理念,能给所有对区块链游戏感兴趣的人一些很好的启发。

所以我极力邀请他把电话中聊的那些内容写下来,分享给国内乃至全球的区块链游戏热爱者们。原版为英文,可以在DOGIgames.com网站中查看,或点击“阅读原文”直达。

以下,Enjoy。

Future of games(游戏的未来)by Benny Giang Co-Founder of CryptoKitties

我认为区块链游戏行业会经历三个不同的阶段。随着CryptoKitties的面世,区块链游戏行业的概念正式被提及。非同质化代币,独一无二的链上元数据,荷兰式拍卖机制,繁殖竞赛(抢先生出变异猫)以及链上资产。人们开始意识到,区块链的落地方式不仅仅只有金融应用程序。从那时起,已有超过1000款游戏在各种区块链上推出,并产生了数百万的交易额。

第一阶段是CryptoKitties和一些类似的游戏的出现,主要的玩法是基因遗传和繁殖,其中有一些游戏新增了战斗或者土地买卖类似的功能,不过这些游戏的核心玩法依然和CryptoKitties相差无几。

在第一阶段,我们萌生了一个独特的想法,即Kittyverse的概念——开放游戏的权限,允许第三方开发人员制作工具、游戏内的小游戏以及其他能够突出区块链游戏的独特性的内容。这种观点一致被沿用到了区块链游戏的第三阶段。

第二阶段是区块链卡牌交易游戏的兴起。从概念上来看,区块链和卡牌游戏有非常高的契合度,同时卡牌游戏的可玩性也远高于比第一阶段的游戏。多年以来,我们一直关注着卡牌游戏的卡牌所有权归属问题,现在我们觉得区块链可能是一个不错的解决办法。其中一些项目已经声名鹊起,在今年的晚些时候就会面试。除了所有权之外,选取不同游戏世界观和其他设计元素的跨游戏合作也逐渐开始兴起,比如CryptoKitties和God’s Unchained之间的合作。

第三阶段正是我们目前所处的阶段。鉴于CryptoKitties的成功,XRP,EOS,Stellar,TRON和Tezos等数十种知名加密货币协议都已创立了基金,黑客马拉松,同时也举办其他能够推动协议上游戏开发的活动。这清楚地表明游戏如何推动新平台采用的最初假设是正确的。

区块链游戏目前有不同类型融资方式,包括ICO,TGE,IEO,协议赠款或投资,项目预售,股权投资。鉴于此,不少传统游戏行业的资深人士决定辞去工作,组建自己的区块链游戏工作室。这是行业之幸,有助于推动区块链游戏成为拥有更广泛社区的下一代游戏。但是即使处于第3阶段,仍有几家公司选取了两种不同的路径。

第一条岔路我们姑且称之为岔路一。这条岔路中的工作室专注于打造3A游戏,为了能让游戏大量发行,被更多的人所接受,他们将区块链相关的要素抽象化。他们始终认为区块链是游戏的底层逻辑,没有必要直接呈现给所有观众。在游戏里的某个角落,用户可以通过特定的方法,将游戏内资产转换为非同质化代币。这类在游戏内发行加密货币的游戏被视为区块链游戏。更多情况下,这类游戏会优先考虑图形和可扩展性,而不是突出区块链的真实性质。虽然我觉得这种想法是合理的,但我认为区块链游戏不能局限于资产的可流通性,这并未触及区块链的核心概念。

岔路二则是Dapper Labs正在探索的沙盒。探索的目的是为了了解平台和内容创建者如何协同工作,为消费者创造全新的娱乐方式,尽可能呈现最有区块链特色的独特内容。例如当年iPhone面世时,许多Flash游戏开发者将他们的游戏移植到应用商店中。然而,照本宣科的玩法从未真正最大化iPhone的潜力。随后出现了一批新的游戏开发者,他们最大化利用了iPhone内部传感器,将其作为游戏玩法的核心。忘记已有的游戏开发经验,从头开始并重新思考如何让区块链上的游戏实现创新。

然而,3A级别的画面和游戏的普适性并不是Dapper Labs目前关注的重点(至少目前是这样的)。我们选择在以太坊主网上构建我们的数字世界而不是使用侧链或Layer 2解决方案。数字资产和网络之间的任何分离都会给消费者带来更大的挑战。它还可能危及资产的使用寿命。在考虑数字资产的价值时,时间和来源都是非常重要的因素。它会为我们设计的数字角色和物品赋予意义,我们认为每一只加密猫和加密巫师的存在时间都应该超越我们的寿命,同时成为这项革命性技术变革的一部分。 Dapper Labs往往想得很远,大约会考虑到一百年之后。我们会选择最有可能在多次破坏和动荡中幸存的网络,因此稳定性和安全性是最重要的因素。速度不能代表所有……虽然这已成为许多游戏开发者关注的重点,但延续性同样重要。

许多协议出现的意义就是通过加速来弥补创造力的不足。但道理很简单,更快的速度真的能够让游戏更有创意吗?特别是目前区块链需要面对的三元悖论。为了提供更快的速度,势必需要牺牲一些东西。大多数情况下,速度所带来的的收益都是短期的,同时不会过多考虑消费者的未来权益。他们没有考虑100年会发生什么,仅仅会考虑1-2年之内的事。作为游戏开发者和创意人,我们应该为我们的社区,我们的粉丝,我们的投资者,我们的团队成员以及我们自己创造更优质的体验,这些体验不仅仅是便利性,而且还要是体贴而负责任的。

有几个工作室也认同这种想法,他们也相信数字世界是确有其事,他们创造的数字资产会比他们自己存在更久。

另一个有趣的话题是我上面提到的。我们发现Kittyverse和围绕区块链游戏的社区是不可或缺的。它实际上是我们的新游戏Cheeze Wizards的核心概念。通过社区合作建立属于自己的游戏或至少启用社区合作是我们的新游戏与其他区块链游戏和传统游戏公司之间的主要区别。在游戏内,使用你拥有的物品来构建属于你的世界是前所未有的。这是我们梦寐以求的东西,我们迫不及待地想要兑现这种潜力。 Cheeze Wizards作为第3阶段岔路2的一部分,延伸了区块链游戏的结构。奖池的概念并不新鲜,但是通过购买资产来构建奖池的方式是独一无二的。这有助于推动参与式经济,并将参与积极性推向新的高度。当用户对其他巫师施放法术时,通过简化的游戏机制,会在区块链上的分布式账本记录有效的结果。在智能合约中,写入了名为“青霉(Blue mold)”的概念,低效能或者非活跃用户会被关闭,这一概念意味着“大逃杀”的玩法被引入了区块链游戏当中。同时因为锦标赛的所有核心逻辑都是事先确定的,所以未来去中心化的锦标赛也是可行的。

参加由Dapper Labs组织的官方比赛意味着用户需要先召唤一名巫师。巫师退出比赛后,他的战力(power)并不是恒定的,但巫师本身是恒定的。因此,重新加入官方锦标赛很简单,只要支付和上一次锦标赛中巫师最高战力相同的费用即可。然而,在自己的城市内与其他玩家一起使用社区建造平台组织比赛将这一概念提升到一个全新的水平。由于锦标赛智能合约的逻辑是开放的,每个玩家或组织者都可以组织自己的锦标赛,官方则完全无法干预。而这,正是Cheeze Wizards背后非常强大而独特的概念。不仅如此,我们还通过鼓励社区开发者探索预测市场,二级市场,战斗机器人,对手战斗分析器,DAO派对, NFT迷你游戏,社交媒体机器人,流媒体扩展,去中心化锦标赛平台以及保证金交易工具等等来开发蓬勃发展的生态系统。区块链的真正本质是建造着自己的全球社区,相信特定的数字世界是他们想要生活的世界。作为游戏创造者,我们的工作是组织合适的环境,以激发玩家的创造力,在区块链的世界中,玩家和开发者之间的界限非常模糊。

总而言之,在资本与知名团队和品牌的投入下,区块链游戏的第三阶段已经雏形初现。了解构建原生区块链游戏的团队与基于经验移植游戏的团队之间的差异将决定这个早期行业的发展。成功的指标建立是一个可持续的收入驱动型企业,其生态系统既可持续又可创收。区块链游戏正在构建的数字世界应该提供传统游戏公司无法比拟的更深层次的体验。

(全文完)

对加密猫团队新游戏《CheezeWizards》游戏感兴趣的小伙伴们,可以加我们的微信进群了解更多消息。我们即将开展多种活动,大家有机会可以免费领取绝版奶酪巫师。从来没有玩过区块链游戏的小伙伴也不用担心,我们有耐心的小姐姐会一步步教你。Benny Giang同学也在群里恭候大家。

电话采访原文:

There have been three distinct phases when it comes to the blockchain gaming industry. Starting off with CryptoKitties as the very beginning. Non-fungible tokens, unique on-chain metadata, dutch auction mechanics, breeding contests (fancy chase), and collectibles on the blockchain. It created entirely new possibilities outside of the open financial apps that were starting to build momentum. Since then, over 1000 games have launched on various blockchains and have generated millions in market volume.

Phase 1 is CryptoKitties and similar games that had genetics and breeding. Some of them added new features to include battles and land. However, the core gameplay of these games still remains similar to CryptoKitties.

During phase 1, a unique insight was realized and that was the concept of Kittyverse. The idea of games giving open access and allowing third-party developers to build tools, minigames, and content highlighting the unique nature of blockchain games. This insight was later realized as a part of phase 3 of blockchain games.

Phase 2 was the rise of trading card games on the blockchain. Conceptually this was a natural fit plus it had more playability than games in phase 1. The idea of owning cards is something that we’ve done for ages and its a great match. Some of these projects have gotten a lot of traction and are preparing to launch later this year. Beyond ownership, cross game collaborations around the design elements of the game’s board and environment opened up interoperability between games. Such as the collaboration between CryptoKitties and God’s Unchained.

Phase 3 of blockchain games is the current phase we are in. Since the launch of CryptoKitties and the success of it. A lot of protocols including most of the top 10 cryptocurrencies like XRP, EOS, Stellar, TRON, and Tezos have created funds, hackathons, and features to support the development of games on their protocols. This is a clear sign that the original hypothesis of how games drive adoption to new platforms is correct.

Through multiple funding mechanisms such as ICOs, TGEs, IEOs, protocol grants/investments, item pre-sales, equity investments, and others. A lot of veterans from the traditional game industry has decided to quit their jobs to form their own blockchain gaming studios. This is great as it will help validate blockchain games as the next generation of games to the broader community. However, there are two distinct paths that several companies are taking in light of phase 3.

I call the first path, fork 1. Studios in fork 1 are focused on building AAA games that will abstract away the blockchain components in pursuant of mass distribution and appeal. Their belief is that the blockchain is ultimately an underlying layer that shouldn’t be exposed to the general audience. Somewhere hidden in the game’s setting the users are able to navigate to a section where they convert their in-game assets into non-fungible tokens. There are games included in this category where the issuant of their own cryptocurrency is considered a blockchain game. A lot of these experiences prioritize graphics and scalability instead of highlighting the true nature of the blockchain. Blockchain games are much more than just convertible assets, although I think it’s a step in the right direction it’s not showcasing ‘the blockchain’.

Fork 2 is the sandbox that Dapper Labs plays in. This exploration comes from understanding how platforms and content creators work together to build entirely new ways for consumers to have fun. Creating unique content that highlights the blockchain in the best possible way. For instance, when the iPhone came into the market a lot of flash game developers ported over their games into the app store. However, the controls and the experience never really maximized the potential of the iPhone. Then came a new wave of game developers who saw the potential of using the sensors inside of the iPhone as a way to play games. Instead of porting existing experiences it’s a matter of starting from the ground up and rethinking how games on the blockchain can be different entirely.

Dapper Labs doesn’t focus on AAA graphics or scalability (at least presently). We are purist in the sense that we choose to build our digital worlds on the Ethereum main net rather than using side chains or second layer scaling solutions. Any abstraction between the digital asset and the network presents a greater challenge for consumers. It also potentially jeopardizes the longevity of the asset. Time and provenance is an incredibly important factor when considering the value of digital assets. It’s what will give meaning to the amazing digital characters and items that we design and we truly believe that every kitty and wizard should outlast our lifetime and be part of the chapters to this revolutionary technology. Dapper Labs thinks on a greater horizon… around 100 years. Selecting the network that has the greatest chance of surviving the many waves of disruption and turmoil. Stability and security is the utmost factor. Speed isn’t everything… though this has been a big focus for many game developers it’s important to consider longevity.

Many protocols have launched with the intention of providing speed as the solution to creativity. If you could have a faster internet would it make you any more creative? Especially with the blockchain trilemma that exists presently. There is something that needs to be sacrificed in order to provide faster speeds. Most of the time they are short term gains that don’t place the consumer’s future needs as the priority. They aren’t thinking about the 100-year window rather the next 1-2 year window. As a game developer and as creatives, we owe it to our community, our fans, our investors, our team members, and to ourselves to build experiences that aren’t just easy to play but is considerate and responsible.

There are several studios who also adopt this purist outlook. They too believe in digital worlds that exist and the digital assets they create should outlast themselves.

The other interesting thread is what I mentioned above. Our discovery of the Kittyverse and the community that surrounds a blockchain game is integral. It actually serves as the core concept for Cheeze Wizards, our new game. Working with the community to build your game or at least enabling them, ‘is’ the main differentiator between other blockchain games and traditional gaming companies. The ability to construct your version of your world for the things you own on top of the core game is truly a phenomenon. It’s an obsession of ours and we can’t stop dreaming about the potential it has. Cheeze Wizards as a part of phase 3 fork 2 stretches the fabric of what it means to be a blockchain game. The concept of a prize pool isn’t new but the way that it’s constructed out of the purchasing of collectibles is unique. It helps drive the economics of participation coupled with engagement to new heights. A simplified gameplay mechanic for dueling on the blockchain provides provable results on the ledger when the users cast their spells against other wizards. The concept of a blue mold that closes in on low powered/inactive users is all set within the smart contracts this concept brings the ‘battle royale’ elements to the blockchain. All of the core logic of a tournament is determined beforehand, thus what it will provide is the opportunity for decentralized tournaments.

Your participation in the official tournaments organized by Dapper Labs will start by summoning a wizard. Once your wizard exits the official tournaments the power level is not constant but the wizards are. Rejoining the official tournaments is as simple as submitting a new fee equivalent to its max power level of the previous tournament. However, organizing tournaments using community built platforms within your own cities with other players takes this concept to an entirely new level. Since the logic of the tournament’s contract is open, it will allow for individuals to run their own tournaments while determining the % cut of the buy-in. This is a very powerful and unique concept that is behind Cheeze Wizards. Not only that, we’re doubling down on developing a thriving ecosystem by enabling others to explore prediction markets, secondary marketplaces, battle bots, opponent move analyzers, DAO like parties, NFT minigames for the wizards, social media bots and widgets, streaming extensions, decentralized tournament platforms, margin trading tools, and many more. The true nature of the blockchain is the global community that surrounds themselves with the belief that a specific digital world is a world that they want to live in. As game creators, our job is to organize the right environments to which will stimulate the creativity of players and builders blurring the lines between the two.

In summation, phase 3 of blockchain games are starting to shape up as real capital is deployed with well-known teams and brands. Understanding the differences between those who are building native blockchain games and those who are porting over experiences is what will determine the growth of this early industry. The success metric is a sustainable revenue driven business that has an ecosystem that is also sustainable and revenue generating. The digital worlds that blockchain games are building should provide a much deeper experience that is unrivaled by traditional gaming companies.

文章为作者独立观点,不代表DOGI Games立场,本资讯不作为投资理财建议。

吴尼克

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