acm-header
Sign In

Communications of the ACM

ACM TechNews

Blockchain Game Could Help Create Metaverse No One Owns


View as: Print Mobile App Share:
A view of the Dark Forest videogame.

Dark Forest doesn’t rely on the servers running popular online strategy games like Eve Online and World of Warcraft. Instead, Dark Forest runs completely on a blockchain, in a way that means no one is in control of how it plays out.

Credit: Dark Forest via dfwiki

The sci-fi-themed online game Dark Forest operates on a blockchain, meaning no one can manipulate its outcome.

Dark Forest was conceived by pseudonymous programmer "Gubsheep," who characterizes it as a "massively multiplayer strategy game that takes place in an infinite, procedurally generated universe."

The game uses cryptographic zero-knowledge proofs to hide opposing players from each other as they engage in empire-building.

New players are confronted with a mostly hidden universe that becomes visible through exploration; when players move, they send a validating proof to the blockchain without exposing their coordinates.

Some players envision Dark Forest as the first step toward metaverses driven by decentralized networks rather than company servers.

From MIT Technology Review
View Full Article

 

Abstracts Copyright © 2021 SmithBucklin, Washington, DC, USA


 

No entries found

Sign In for Full Access
» Forgot Password? » Create an ACM Web Account