Bridging virtual and real economies with blockchain gaming — Interview with Gold Fever
The world is on the precipice of an exciting new era in gaming, which will see the incorporation of blockchain technology as a revolution in the space. With enhanced player ownership and the possibility of real-world economics within virtual realms, blockchain gaming is shifting paradigms and redefining possibilities.
A key player in this exciting evolution is Emilian Ciocanea, a veteran entrepreneur and early blockchain investor. With over two decades in business and product management, Ciocanea has effectively tapped into emerging industries and created value-generating business models. Now, as the CEO and founder of Gold Fever, a truly player-owned project, he’s blending the worlds of gaming and blockchain. In this conversation, he shares his insights on the current and future state of blockchain gaming, and delves into the innovative use of NFTs within Gold Fever.
Q: Can you tell us about your background as a business builder and blockchain investor, and how it has influenced your journey with Gold Fever?
My 20-year background in business building and blockchain investment significantly influences my work with Gold Fever. Having invested in over 50 ICOs, witnessed Ethereum’s growth from a mere $5 valuation and being a passionate gamer, I realized the potential of blockchain in gaming. Gold Fever began as a bootstrap project in 2020, with its potential confirmed by Changpeng Zhao, with the aim of creating a blockchain-powered MMORPG that harmonizes entertainment and trading. We tackled smart contracts complexities, instituted a lifelike economy and pioneered commercial NFTs, allowing players to start in-game businesses and intertwine real-world and metaverse economies. Gold Fever showcases NFTs’ transformative potential in gaming, offering players the chance to participate in a blockchain-driven ecosystem, empowering them to shape their virtual destinies and wealth, and redefine economic interactions.
Q: How do you perceive the current landscape of blockchain gaming and its potential for growth and innovation in the coming years?
The current blockchain gaming landscape is a mix of challenges and opportunities, with the potential for significant growth and innovation in the near future. NFTs, brought by blockchain integration, have transformed digital asset ownership and value perception.
At Gold Fever, we’ve pushed this innovation further by establishing a decentralized economy and commercial NFTs, allowing players to set up in-game businesses and link real-world economies with the Metaverse. These usher in opportunities for gamers, developers and entrepreneurs, and the potential for job creation and building economies within GameFi.
We foresee blockchain games becoming not just a source of entertainment but also viable income generators. For example, Gold Fever has an innovative job system where players can earn a living from jobs tied to player demands and facilitated by commercial NFT managers.
Q: What are some of the major challenges that blockchain gaming faces in terms of scalability, user experience and mainstream adoption, and how do you think they can be addressed?
Blockchain gaming faces challenges in scalability, user experience and mainstream adoption. Scalability issues arise from high transaction volumes and network congestion, hindering seamless gameplay. Solutions like layer-2 protocols and off-chain scaling techniques can address this. User experience improvement requires simplified onboarding, intuitive interfaces and education to familiarize gamers with blockchain concepts.
Mainstream adoption hinges on security, interoperability and regulatory clarity. Strengthening security measures, fostering interoperability and establishing clear guidelines build trust. Educating gamers and developers, providing user-friendly tools and showcasing successful projects will drive awareness. Collaboration within the ecosystem is vital.
Partnerships, knowledge sharing, research and support for open standards accelerate progress. Overcoming these challenges leads to scalable, user-friendly and widely adopted blockchain gaming experiences. By working together, we can build a thriving ecosystem that pushes the boundaries of gaming and brings blockchain technology into the mainstream.
Q: Can you explain the concept of Gold Fever and its gameplay elements from the perspective of a gamer?
Gold Fever is an immersive multiplayer survival game that offers gamers an unprecedented level of ownership and control in a fully decentralized economy. With its realistic graphics and decentralized economy driven by commercial NFTs, players can mine for the in-game currency NGL and engage in battles within a blockchain-driven world.
In this upgraded play-to-earn model, players have the opportunity to monetize their gaming experience by buying and selling pieces of the game itself. For a better illustration, here is our gameplay video:
The game boasts a mature economy that is decentralized in terms of ownership. It mimics a one-on-one, real-life economy and has the same functions as a real-life economy.
Commercial NFTs serve as a bridge between real-life and metaverse economies, allowing players to set up shops and become integral parts of the blockchain economy. They generate revenue and have similar behavior to a real-life business — for example, a butcher shop in-game generates revenue in the same way it would in real life — from players buying meat from it.
Q: Can you provide examples of the commercial NFTs available in Gold Fever and how they contribute to the gameplay experience?
To fully decentralize the economy, we have created two types of commercial NFTs available in Gold Fever: commercial buildings such as butcher shops, carpentry shops, tool workshops, hotels, stables and airfields; and commercial items such as horse NFTs, gold tools NFTs, gun NFTs and so on. A very detailed map of commercial NFTs is on our website.
Here are some examples from each class to understand their contributions to the gameplay experience:
1. Airfield Commercial NFT — The airfield is Gold Fever’s hub for aviation buffs, offering essentials like gas, maps and plane maintenance. It’s a space for players to stock up on supplies, fix aircrafts, and pay for these to the airfield owner, not to the game developer, socialize with fellow enthusiasts and park planes, fostering a dynamic aviation community and enhancing gameplay.
2. Horse NFT — The horse NFT is a precious asset enabling efficient exploration and resource hunting. Players can use their horse for travel and battles, or put it in a stable NFT when offline for rent, creating income for horse and stable owners. This dynamic use of horse NFTs enriches gameplay, fosters player interaction and trade, and enhances the game’s ecosystem.
Horse NFT sample. Source: Gold Fever
These examples showcase the diverse range of commercial NFTs in Gold Fever and how they contribute to the immersive gameplay experience, fostering economic interactions and player-driven economies.
Q: Why did Gold Fever choose Polygon as the network to build on, and are there any plans to expand to other chains?
Gold Fever chose Polygon due to its affordable fees, robust gaming ecosystem, scalability and quick transaction speeds, ensuring a smooth gaming experience. Additionally, Polygon’s technical and marketing support has helped Gold Fever attract a broader audience. While specific plans aren’t outlined, Gold Fever may consider expanding to other blockchain networks to align with strategic goals and improve the player experience.
Q: Finally, what are your predictions for the future of blockchain gaming in terms of new gameplay mechanics, immersive experiences and the convergence of virtual worlds with real-world economies?
The future of blockchain gaming holds immense potential for groundbreaking gameplay mechanics, immersive experiences and the convergence of virtual worlds with real-world economies. Enhanced ownership and true asset interoperability will revolutionize gameplay, allowing players to truly own and monetize in-game assets. These advancements, coupled with realistic graphics and physics, create highly immersive and interactive gaming experiences.
In parallel, the workplace of the future is being shaped by the AI revolution, where automation and AI technologies are transforming industries. Blockchain gaming’s integration with real-world economies paves the way for new job opportunities and revenue streams within virtual worlds. Players can earn a living by participating in the blockchain economy, building and operating in-game businesses and providing valuable services.
This convergence of blockchain gaming and the workplace of the future represents a powerful intersection, where virtual economies and real-world economies intertwine. It offers a glimpse into a future where gaming becomes a legitimate source of income, creating innovative economic models and transforming the way we work and play in the AI revolution.
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