Loom Network has just launched the first kickstarter for the first mainstream blockchain game ever. That's a lot of firsts and a historic day for blockchain enthusiasts!

WTF is Zombie Battleground, anyway?

Zombie Battleground will be a CCG in the vein of Hearthstone (you know, that game from blizzard ;) ) and will allow players to freely trade their cards thanks to blockchain technology. This means that players will have full ownership of their cards, the same way they'd have full ownership of physical cards.

Full ownership, what does that imply? This means players can trade, sell and buy cards and the developers cannot do anything to stop it. Players could decide to make their own market and sell the cards themselves. Players could trade with their friends without any intermediaries. Cards can be provably rare and truly valuable. Revolutionary stuff!

Technology

The game runs on the Ethereun network. But wait, isn't the Ethereum slow, expensive and unable to process enough transactions to even run cryptokitties at its peak? Not quite! The project is built on Loom Network which is itself built on Ethereum. Loom Network is a sidechain that works parallel to Ethereum and uses DPoS(Delegated Proof-of-Stake).

DPoS is a technology similar to what EOS is built on. This means it is fast and is a perfect choice for a mainstream CCG. Ethereum + Loom Network = Security + Speed. Like the hare and the turtle made a baby together (please don't ask me for pictures....)!!

Competition from...Valve??!??

Image courtesy of Wikipedia

What is funny is that there is also another CCG that wishes to create a game where player can trade their virtual cards freely: the upcoming game Artifact by the venerable company Valve, the creators of the Steam platform.

An important difference between these two projects is that Valve will not use Blockchain technology. Instead, trading will occur on their Steam platform thanks to its popular marketplace which is already used to trade digital goods. Since Valve is not using a blockchain, player cards could be lost due to banning or hacking of Valve servers. In this regards, Zombie Battleground will be a superior product.

But Valve is Valve and they are known to create amazing, polished products. From this point-of-view, the quality of the product will be so overwhelming that it will trump the utility provided by Zombie Battleground and blockchain.

But here's an interesting speculation: Will competition from Zombie Battleground spur Valve to integrate Blockchain technology with Artifact? It's a bit of stretch, but if blockchain-backed games end up becoming the norm, Valve will have to react somehow.

Conclusion

I invite you to consult the kickstarter. This is historic, folks. You are watching blockchain entering the mainstream thanks to the trojan horse of video games and it is fascinating to watch.