MatchboxDAO 101 & Why You Need To Pay Attention
Matchbox DAO's history, vision, and goals. A Look Ahead Into Season 2 And The No-Code Meta Card Game.
Introduction:
Video games have come a long way since their inception, starting as text-based games like Colossal Cave Adventure and Epic Game's ZZT.
While these games may have seemed niche and small, they paved the way for a multi-billion-dollar industry with billions of players. We may be witnessing a similar trend with on-chain gaming.
In this blog post, we will explore the possibility of on-chain gaming and introduce 0xTitans, an on-chain game, developed by Matchbox DAO.
History & Overview of Text-Based Games:
Text-based games, also known as interactive fiction, were one of the earliest forms of video games. These games relied on the player's imagination to create a mental picture of the game world, as the games were entirely text-based. The most famous example of a text-based game is Colossal Cave Adventure, released in 1976.
Despite their limited graphics and gameplay, these games quickly became popular among enthusiasts, and the genre expanded to include more complex games like Epic Game's ZZT.
Since the early days of text-based games, the video game industry has grown to become a multi-billion-dollar industry, with over 3 billion gamers worldwide. One of the most iconic video games of all time is Mario Kart, which has sold over 150 million copies with numerous sequels and spinoffs since its release in 1992. This is a testament to the massive scale and reach of video games today.
The progress from texts on a black screen to 3D realistic games was a long journey and we may be at the start of another one.
Matchbox DAO and 0xTitans
Matchbox DAO is a decentralized autonomous organization that is focused on building on-chain gaming experiences and technological infrastructure. The team is creating a new technology stack to provide infra-as-a-service for a ZK plug-and-play solutions. They dog-fooded their own tools to develop their own game.
Introducing: 0xTitans, an on-chain racing game where developers code smart contracts and battle it out on the blockchain. But before we can dive into 0xTitans, we need to put it in reverse and go back to the origin. 0xMonaco is a CTF challenge for Paradigm’s 2022 Capture The Flag series that was created by trasmissiosn11, Bobby Abbott, and Sina Sabet.
The key idea behind the racing game is that each car is a smart contract and there are certain parameters and constraints the developers need to incorporate into their code. The winning condition is achieved when a racer with the most efficient code execution crosses the finishline first. This was great but Matchbox had bigger plans.
The team introduced four new elements to the game that drastically altered the state of play. The additions of bananas, super_shell, and shields introduced aspects of game theory and resource management that were lacking in the original game.
This dynamic combination of strategic thinking, coding skills, and resource planning transforms this into way more than just a coding challenge.
The first season of 0xTitans featured top-tier teams in crypto like Uniswap, Polygon, and Ledger competed for the podium. From the player/developer feedback, the game was challenging and most importantly fun. So, the team decided to run it back turbo with Season 2.
Season 2 and the No-Code Meta Card Game
In season 2, there are more teams and the competition is stiff. Uniswap might be holding onto the crown now but best believe everyone is gunning for the throne. The same rules apply in the first as racers need to develop the most code-efficient smart contract.
You can read more about the rules and strategies here. If you are ready to get behind the wheel, get onboarded here.
For those who were around for Season 1, if you weren’t an engineer you were a spectate. This time around, you can be a part of the racing experience. Matchbox DAO created a no-code meta game experience for any player to participate in the race.
In this prediction metagame, the participants aka skillers choose their winning teams across multiple phases of the tournaments. The motivation for this offering is to democractize access to on-chain games.
In this spirit, the team has created a dashboard for non-technical skillers to analyze each racer’s performance data from win rates to resource management statistics. This levels the playing field between the technical and non-technical players. Though, it is always possible for a skiller to throw data to the wind and choose their favorite home team. Passion and love plays a role here too. You can learn more about the rules here.
Vision & Goals
The ultimate vision of Matchbox DAO is to create a thriving on-chain gaming ecosystem that is powered by their tech and community. Their first game, 0xTitans, is an attempt at this vision.
It is designed to provide players with a fun and engaging experience that leverages the unique capabilities of blockchain technology while allowing all players to participate.
In conclusion, on-chain gaming is an exciting new frontier in the world of video games. With the development of games like 0xTitans by Matchbox DAO, we may be witnessing the birth of a new era in gaming, one that is powered by blockchain technology and driven by unique on-chain gaming mechanics.
So make sure you either get on the track and compete with the racers or join the skillers in the stadium to bet on your team.
Resources
For a more in-depth look at Matchbox DAO, refer to these links below:
Introducing 0xMonaco link
Code, Race, Dominate: A recap of 0xTitans link
Building a Thriving On-Chain Gaming Community link
Onboarding 0xTitans For Developers link
No-Code Meta Card Game Rules link
Polygon’s Writeup & Explanation link
Ottersec’s Strategy Explanation link
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h/t to thecoreloop contributors: @0xkapital_k @chng_raymond @cloudxgmf @wassiecapital @iandaog @playtern @ItsMeBamBamCT