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by RexetBlell 2638 days ago
Game items like weapons and shields in an RPG game. Imagine if there is a global database of such items and different game developers build different games around it. So you could use your items in different games.

What centralized entity would you trust to run and maintain this database? What if this centralied goes bankrupt and shuts down the servers? If you are a small game developer, you are screwed. Even if it's Google, you still can't be certain that Google will not shut down the project and turn off the database like it has with certain projects in the past.

A public open blockchain is a neutral database that it would be reasonable for many small game developers to use for this purpose without fearing that it will get shut down, or the rules would be changed.
3 comments
learc83 2638 days ago
As a game designer (on the side) I definitely wouldn't want to give up control of balancing my game to some third party item creator. Items balance is too game specific for this to work unless you're just taking the name and some general type and implementing your own take on it, in which case I don't see much point.
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zacharycohn 2638 days ago
... what? Game developers are just going to invent their own items, with their own mechanics and stats and balance, for their own games. Why would they share across games?

This is a made up problem.

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kalleboo 2638 days ago
> to use for this purpose without fearing that it will get shut down, or the rules would be changed.

Looking at the hard forks in existing cryptocurrencies I wouldn't trust the rules to not change

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RexetBlell 2638 days ago
Making it hard to change the rules is one of the value propositions of decentralized blockchains. Hard forks are pretty rare and when do happen, they are contentious the original chain survives (for example Ethereum Classic).

Compare this to a centralized entity like Blizzard changing rules in World of Warcraft. Wouldn't you agree that it's much much easier for Blizzard to change the rules in their game, than to change the rules of a blockchain by hard forking?

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zacharycohn 2638 days ago
But Blizzard doesn't change the rules willy nilly just to screw with you. They change it for balance or in-game economy reasons.
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