Blockchain Mining for Text-based Games

Provided it was done in a non-invasive way, didn't conflict with base code license agreements (always free; not for profit) and the "perks" didn't become a means of lording favor/power over people who lack the system power needed to compute blockchains, it would be a really great way for niche games to support themselves. A mud running something like this could theoretically have no overhead costs due to community efforts and, assuming the worst human elements are kept at bay, could foster a real sense of community and joint-effort accomplishment.

With even a modest player base committed to it, it could potentially generate enough funds to afford advertising outside the normal sphere of M*'s. The potential to vivify M*'s by exposing a lot more people to a niche they don't currently know exists is very real.

In a harder, bleaker reality, I think it would turn into a favor system where if you aren't doing it, you're a second rate player. Imagine karma, but backed by the all-mighty dollar instead of Adhira's flabby abdominals. If not that, than you would have players acting like they're entitled to have it their way because they're using their video hardware to support the game. As much as we like to champion the player and vilify the staffer, we need to be very honest with ourselves... most players are selfish shithogs.

If given half an opening, most will at least try to leverage any favor they have for personal gain. If players are using their personal graphics hardware for mining, they're severely cutting the life of that potentially expensive hardware. Does anyone think there wouldn't be a band of "volunteers/donators" who wouldn't push for more and more beneficial perks, for their generous sacrifice? Necker, please.

Unless I planned to REALLY indie fund a graphical game project without selling my soul to kickstarter/steam, I would never invite his kind of headache into my life. The profit to be had in blockchain mining is on the decline as it becomes industrialized with mining farmers and specialized hardware. Even if it was focused on something like Etherium that was resistant to specialized mining farm hardware, you would still need to organize your players into pools to even have a hope of making it worthwhile on a hodgepodge of gamer cards.

I only glanced at one of the links, but when I seen "day 4" and "halfway there", I rolled my eyes and closed it. We'll see how successful it is in six months, when it isn't a trendy thing to do and people realize they're killing their expensive video hardware for... not much, really.