What is the blockchain gaming multiverse?

The gaming industry is worth a staggering amount and yet its true pinnacle has yet to be chartered — though Enjin seems to be one inch closer to realising the true potential of blockchain gaming with the multiverse.

For many years, the next step in the development of games has been crafting unique experiences and stories that have yet to be told. Yet, more often than not, the only real improvement comes from a mechanical and graphical viewpoint.

Upon the release of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, players were able to experience the next generation of gaming — yet this pales in comparison to the vision of the multiverse.

Blockchain gaming isn’t likely to become a trailblazer in the mainstream industry overnight, but the concept of a gaming multiverse might just be the deciding factor that finally garners mainstream attention.

What is the gaming multiverse?

A multiverse is a strand of theoretical physics that suggests there are a plurality of alternate worlds that mirror each other.

The concept of a multiverse is expansive, so expansive that within the confines of the theory anything is possible. In a multiverse every outcome and possibility exists, it is neverending. This concept is one Enjin wants to champion.

At this stage in time the only reason a gaming multiverse is even possible is thanks to blockchain technology.

Blockchain is an immutable ledger — it cannot be changed. In-game items can be stored on blockchain indefinitely, giving true ownership to the player. This is a powerful tool that even mainstream games haven’t managed to implement.

Yet this is just the beginning. Blockchain isn’t limited to one game, it can support them all. The essence of the multiverse vision is to create a truly authentic experience owned by the player.

The gaming multiverse is a collaborative effort of multiple game developers who are all contributing and developing games to coexist in one multiverse — spearheaded by Enjin. This gives players the benefits of being able to own an item in one game and use it in another.

This is truly uncharted territory. In giving players the ability to own items across multiple games, they are able to embark on their own science-fiction journey where their character is reincarnated into different worlds and equipped with the loot they have earned through past experiences.

It redefines the definition of role-playing. In one life, the player may have been a famed warrior who fought his way to victory, while in another they may be living in a post-apocalyptic world trying their hardest to survive.

With the ability to use in-game items between games the player will be able to tap into a multiverse of their own, living any possibility they so choose.

Economic incentive

If owning an in-game item and having the function to use it in multiple games isn’t an attractive proposal to you, there is also an monetary incentive to owning in-game items on the blockchain.

To understand the incentive you first need to understand what an in-game asset, in this context, really is. In-game assets are ‘non-fungible tokens‘ (NFTs) which are unique in their characteristic and metadata, creating both digital scarcity and value.

Since blockchain games are supported by blockchain, the player will own an NFT indefinitely inside of their wallet, meaning they could store, use or trade it at their leisure.

This enables players to take part in the player-driven marketplace where they can facilitate the trading and selling of NFTs. This point is worth paying attention to because most game developers are centralised, meaning they retain full control over the game and any subsequent marketplaces.

This also means the centralised authority can seize an item from a player at any point — something that, in theory, should never happen in the gaming multiverse because it is decentralised and no one authority has control.

For players, this opens up the possibility to earn money while gaming, especially for those who are less concerned with the ability to own items across different games.

Although the concept of selling NFTs is still infantile, Neon District hosted an auction in which an NFT was sold for a staggering 141 Ether. At the time, the winning bid was worth roughly $22,500.

While you could sell in-game items to another player in one game, having the ability to sell them to players who are playing several games immediately expands the market. Perhaps one player desires an item from a fighting game to use in a space shooter, and you might be the lucky soul who has that item.

The potential for earning money in blockchain games remains to be seen because it has barely taken its first steps into childhood, let alone adulthood.

Quests could possibly expand across different worlds 

One really interesting application that could be utilised in the gaming multiverse is the possibility to have quests spanning across different worlds. This would open up a whole new can of worms for discussion and once again break through the glass ceiling that has been halting gaming innovation for some time.

Imagine if in one world the player had been tasked with vanquishing a foe deep down in a crypt and upon victory they received a mysterious gem. This gem might actually be used to open up a vault in an entirely different game, which had previously not been accessible to the player.

There might be flaws with this method of thinking, such as the inability to complete a game without purchasing another one. But this is just speculation on the true power of the multiverse. Where the ability to complete quests across different game world was once impossible, suddenly it is not outside the realm of possibility, because in a multiverse every possibility can exist simultaneously.

The future is nearly here

Hopefully this introduction to the concept of a gaming multiverse has helped shape your understanding of the vision that is currently being shared by a plethora of game developers and fans alike.

Current generation consoles may have set a certain standard in terms of graphics, but the gaming multiverse is set to disrupt the gaming industry completely. We thought games had begun to reach their peak, and now it appears we are on the cusp of seeing the gaming world completely transformed once again.

Interested in reading more blockchain gaming-related stories? Discover more about the powerful non-fungible token asset class and how it could disrupt industries outside of gaming.