Bitcoin Tech Has Some Interesting Implications for Game Design

It's not all about GPUs.

News by Kat Bailey, Editor in Chief

Updated on 21 February 2018

With cryptocurrency fever seizing even the likes of Atari, game developers are naturally looking at how the technology can impact design. And on that note, Ubisoft has a few ideas.

In a talk at DICE 2018, Ubisoft director of insights and trends Lidwine Sauer offered some insight into how blockchain technology can change games as we know them.

Blockchains are the building blocks of the decentralized networks that make bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies viable. With blockchain technology, Sauer says games can include "online collectibles that are 100 percent owned by you and no one can duplicate."

"[They would be] digital picassos that no one can take from you," Sauer said.

Sauer cited CryptoKitties as an example—a game in which you breed and collect one-of-a-kind digital cats.

Cryptocurrencies have certainly been in gaming news a lot lately. Bitcoin mining has driven up the price of GPUs; and despite its volatility, companies like Atari have considered jumping into the business.

With the cryptocurrency rollercoaster ride unlikely to end any time soon, it's good to see the technology being put to interesting use. Of course, it will probably just mean even more devious loot boxes.

Reporting contributed by Matt Kim.

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Kat Bailey

Editor in Chief

Kat Bailey is a former freelance writer and contributor to publications including 1UP, IGN, GameSpot, GamesRadar, and EGM. Her fondest memories as a journalist are at GamePro, where she hosted RolePlayer's Realm and had legal access to the term "Protip." She is USgamer's resident mecha enthusiast, Pokemon Master, and Minnesota Vikings nut (skol).