Playmint, a team of experienced game developers, has been using blockchain technology to create innovative gaming experiences for several years. Unlike many in the industry, Playmint has prioritized decentralization, focusing on games free from centralized control. This pursuit led to their work on fully on-chain games (FOCGs), which represented a significant experiment in decentralization. However, they encountered a recurring issue with blockchain gaming: the inherent connection to real money.

This link often skews the gaming experience, turning it into a financial exercise rather than the kind of play typical gamers seek. To address these challenges, Playmint introduced Playerchains, a technical innovation that not only resolves the practical difficulties of FOCGs but also shifts the focus back to gameplay. Playerchains create a new opportunity to build decentralized games that prioritize enjoyment and creativity over financial speculation.

Fully On-Chain Games

The Challenges of Public Blockchains in Gaming

Public blockchains are often the default choice for on-chain games because they provide open and interoperable financial systems. However, this openness can inadvertently prioritize monetary transactions over gameplay. Games on public blockchains are inescapably tied to financial activities, leading to opportunities for speculation. In many cases, this financial aspect overshadows the underlying game itself. While some argue that this creates a new kind of fun, Playmint sees it as a distraction from the primary purpose of games: to provide engaging and enjoyable experiences.

Permissioned blockchains offer a better fit for gaming because they allow developers to eliminate financial elements entirely. By ensuring that no money exists within the game environment, permissioned blockchains keep the focus on play. This approach provides a clearer path for developers who want to create games that prioritize fun and engagement over financial incentives.

Playerchains: A New Vision for Decentralized Gaming

The Architecture and Benefits of Playerchains

Playerchains are built on a peer-to-peer network architecture designed specifically for multiplayer games. Unlike traditional blockchains, Playerchains use a permissioned, DAG-based system where players themselves run both the game code and the consensus mechanism. This decentralized structure allows games to function without the need for company-owned servers, which are typically tied to profitability, or public blockchain nodes, which are incentivized by financial gain. Instead, Playerchains persist as long as players want to play, making them inherently player-driven.

This architecture also addresses key technical challenges faced by developers of FOCGs. Playerchains provide access to real-time multiplayer functionality, support for tick-based game development, and gasless transactions. These features make it easier for creators to design responsive and dynamic gaming experiences. Additionally, Playerchains retain some of the benefits of public blockchains, such as interoperability and composability, allowing developers to build connections with public ecosystems while maintaining a focus on gameplay.

Playmints Shooter Game

Demonstrating Playerchains in Action

To showcase the potential of Playerchains, Playmint has developed a space shooter game as a proof of concept. In this game, players can create their own Playerchain, invite friends, and enjoy a responsive, real-time gaming experience without relying on centralized servers. While technical verification currently requires reviewing the code, Playmint plans to make the immutability of player actions more transparent in the future.

This demonstration highlights the ability of Playerchains to support decentralized, serverless gaming environments. It also emphasizes Playmint’s commitment to creating games where the focus remains on play rather than financial speculation.

Lessons from Previous Experiments

Before developing Playerchains, Playmint experimented with fully on-chain games on public blockchains through their platform, Downstream. This early version of an Autonomous World (AW) enabled users to create their own games using no-code tools. The platform demonstrated the potential of decentralized worlds where participants could build and share unique gaming experiences. However, despite its technical innovations, Downstream struggled to thrive as an Autonomous World.

The challenges faced during this experiment provided valuable insights into the limitations of public blockchains for gaming. Playmint recognized the need for a more flexible and player-centric approach, which ultimately led to the development of Playerchains.

Autonomous World Issue

Building Persistent and Interconnected Worlds

Playerchains open the door to a new type of decentralized gaming ecosystem. Each player forms an immutable history, and as groups come together to create Playerchains, they share partial views of a larger interconnected network. This structure, referred to as a global blocklace, allows worlds to persist and enables emergent connections between players and games.

While public blockchains offer persistence and composability by default, they are inherently tied to financial systems. In contrast, Playerchains are private by default and become active only when players are engaged. This makes them better suited for games, as they prioritize gameplay and allow developers to design worlds that can grow and evolve based on player activity.

Pros and Cons

A New Era of Gaming Focused on Play

The gaming industry has long been dominated by centralized corporations, which have stifled innovation and limited the value of creative talent. Blockchain technology has the potential to disrupt this status quo by enabling decentralized systems that reward creativity and empower players. However, public blockchain games have largely catered to financial speculators rather than gamers.

Playerchains represent a significant step forward in decentralized gaming. By removing financial elements and focusing on player-driven experiences, they create an environment where games can thrive as spaces for creativity and fun. Playmint’s work with Playerchains demonstrates that it is possible to harness blockchain technology to build games that are truly for everyone—not just for those seeking speculative gains.

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