Crypto games are booming and with each passing day, they only keep getting better. With VR compatibility, the 3D virtual worlds game just keeps leveling up. With projects like CryptoVoxels and Decentraland, the future for blockchain games seems brighter with each passing day.
Decentraland was a name that popped up first in 2018. The ambitious project was undertaken by Ari Meilich and Esteban Ordano in 2015. After years, Decentraland was thrown open for metaverse enthusiasts in 2020.
Of course, a meticulously planned project must be worth all the attention that it’s getting now. This Decentraland review takes a look at the game’s economy, gameplay, unique features, and much more.
What is Decentraland all about?
As the name might hint, Decentraland’s emphasis is on a decentralized economy within the game. The crypto game runs on the Ethereum blockchain. You can buy a parcel of LAND and start building on it.
You can build anything imaginable on these parcels. From sculptures and malls to art galleries and movie theatres; everything can be built. You can sell the parcel or monetize it. A cluster of similar themed LANDs creates a district. Users within this district can vote to bring about changes in the district.
There were 90,000 LAND NFTs and all of them were sold in the first auction. However, you can still buy them with MANA in Decentraland’s marketplace.
Read Also: NFTs Explained
Decentraland Review: How the MANA-run economy works
MANA is like the fuel to Decentraland’s vehicle. The ERC-20 fungible tokens can be used to buy land, wearables, and other in-game items. Tickets to the metaverse events can be bought with MANA. Note that you can buy MANA in any marketplace.
Meanwhile, the LAND and Estate are non-fungible tokens. Each LAND token denotes a 33 x 33 feet of land and unlimited height. Estates are larger LANDs. These NFTs can’t be used as currency.
A bunch of LANDs can come together to form a district. The users in this district determine the changes that affect the district. This is decided with voting. The weight of the vote is determined by the MANA the voter holds. So, more MANA means more weight. However, with Snapshot, users no longer need to pay MANA to cast their vote.
Gameplay in Decentraland
If you have played open-world sandbox games like Minecraft or Terraria, you won’t find Decentraland difficult. Some knowledge about crypto-based games and NFTs is a bonus.
Just like an RPG, you enter the virtual world as a digital avatar. This is totally customizable with countless outfits. This avatar gets a Decentraland passport that records all your transactions to the Ethereum wallet. They recommend using MetaMask for playing Decentraland.
The builder in Decentraland is very easy to use and doesn’t need any technical knowledge. The marketplace is loaded with wearables, names, and also an entire estate.
Decentraland Features: What makes this virtual worlds game unique?
Decentraland’s uniqueness lies in the DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization) and a free economy. The DAO was implemented right after the launch of the game. This enables the users to make changes to the platform and the creators take a back seat.
Another feature that appeals to a lot of players is the in-game gambling. Decentraland has casinos that run on cryptocurrencies.
Apart from this, the controls and the builder are easy to use. The gameplay is straightforward and fun. The avatars are easily customizable and the marketplace is loaded with items.
DAO and Governance in Decentraland
The Decentraland DAO allows the users to have control over the game. Through proposals and voting, the users get to decide what happens to the district. This also helps the free economy to thrive.
The DAO has all the smart contracts of Decentraland like the LAND contract, the content servers, the marketplace, Estate contract and Wearables. The DAO purse has 222 million MANA units to be used over a decade. All the operations are funded and subsidized with the help of the purse.
The SAB (Security Advisory Board, comprising elected individuals, oversees the proposals. This board reviews the proposals and has the power to turn down or delay them.
Review’s conclusion: Is Decentraland worth it?
A conclusion for this Decentraland review, is a MANA-run DAO game is a unique concept. The free economy theme, decentralized governance, and VR compatibility are some hard flex to resist. There’s no doubt that the crypto game would be an inspiration for similar projects in the future.
A lot of ‘big deal’ companies have bought LANDs and developed them. Celebrities have paid a visit to Decentraland which will keep surging the game’s popularity.
However, the biggest competition to Decentraland seems to be ‘Big Time’, a game being created by Decentraland’s co-creator, Ari Meilich. Even though the game falls into a different category, it can still be a strong alternative.
When Facebook turned itself into Meta, the prices of Decentraland’s NFTs skyrocketed and reached an all-time high. Even today, the cost remains higher than what it was during the launch.
