Hello,

I have been researching about blockchains and stuff and it all seems like a big scam. It’s not sustainable and can be replaced by a simple database.

is there any legitimate use cases of blockchains or it is all just a big scam?

  • golli@sopuli.xyz
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    4 days ago

    Could you elaborate a bit how blockchain enables something unique here? I see that it enables trade between users, but if a single company controls the game and I assume supply of new cards, does the blockchain aspect for trading really matter?

    Trading itself is basic and doesn’t need a blockchain. I guess with it you have it implemented in a public and tamper proof way, but that second part doesn’t seem to matter to me if the source is centralized.

    So what exactly is gained from this approach over just your average ingame auction house?

    • BussyGyatt@feddit.org
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      4 days ago

      i feel like the only real ‘advantage’ here would be that the cards couldn’t be proxied which sounds like only an ‘advantage’ to the people on the rent-seeking end of the bargain.

    • papertowels@mander.xyz
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      3 days ago

      but that second part doesn’t seem to matter to me if the source is centralized.

      That’s the thing, it’s not centralized - in this game, for the first time ever in a digital TCG, if the company hosting it closes it’s doors, you still have something in your ownership that corresponds to your cards, opening up the possibility of others re-implementing everything.

      It ain’t much, and it’s a long shot, but for the first time ever it’s possible.

      • golli@sopuli.xyz
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        2 days ago

        That’s the thing, it’s not centralized

        But who is able to mint/create those cards? Anyone or just the company? That is what I was primarily getting at.

        if the company hosting it closes it’s doors, you still have something in your ownership that corresponds to your cards,

        Yes, proof that you owned cards in a now defunct game. The question is how much value is left at that point.

        opening up the possibility of others re-implementing everything.

        Barring copyright/IP law allowing it, or are we disregarding that? If someone wanted to take over they might just buy out the old company and take over.

        And even when starting from scratch they’d have to evaluate if honoring/adopting the existing tokens would be worth it (would give an existing player base, but in return you don’t get any money from them and probably less than from a customer that starts from scratch).

        A third option would be some form of foss project reviving the game. But the game seems independent of the blockchain aspect, which only tracks card ownership. Why would any such effort want to adopt a system build on artificial scarcity and profit?

        • papertowels@mander.xyz
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          1 day ago

          Full disclosure, I’ve never played the game, just stumbled across it in the past and acknowledged that it was the only “use” of an NFT that leveraged the aspects of the technology well, or at least better than the ones linked to jpegs.

          But who is able to mint/create those cards? Anyone or just the company?

          Probably just the company, but your ownership of that card (or something that a community can acknowledge represents the card) is independent of it

          Yes, proof that you owned cards in a now defunct game. The question is how much value is left at that point.

          Regardless of the value of the NFT, the technology enables something that wasn’t possible before.

          Barring copyright/IP law allowing it, or are we disregarding that?

          Not a lawyer, so the easiest solution is just to wait until it’s in public domain. Might be impractical, but again, we’re just talking about what this technology enables.

          If someone wanted to take over they might just buy out the old company and take over.

          The secondary market of the “cards” can take place in between someone buying the company out, which is another boon.

          At the end of the day, I’m just sharing a neat use of Blockchain. You can argue it’s not popular enough to be useful, etc., but it’s undeniable that the technology is enabling something that wasn’t possible before. I’m not going to due on the hill defending it, just thought it’s neat.