Video Game Shower Thought - Consensus-based Hive Gaming

Recently I have been thinking about how to bring more users into the Terra Luna Classic ($LUNC) ecosystem.

I play video games only occasionally and so I see video games a little bit differently from the regular player. It occurred to me, literally in the shower, that video games have not had any significant evolution in the way that the games are played by users and especially in the way that players communicate, interact and play the game.

The current models

Video games are either single-player or multiplayer and of course, there can be in-game characters that are computer-based.

Real living players when playing multi-player multi-character games will either be opponents, allies, or a combination of both.

Teams can be formed, and clans or single-player entities will take on the in-game Universe. But what if something else was possible, something different, a third option?

What if a Hive mind or collective was an option?

An IRL multiplayer game but one in which one single in-game character is controlled by numerous IRL players?

How would that even work?

A Hive mind game could look like this:

A multiplayer game that forces collectively agreed on the decision-making of players to win the game.

· The game is multiplayer.

· The game has in-game characters.

· The in-game characters are controlled by more than one person (the Hive).

· In order to achieve control of the character the Hive must work together and agree in real-time to achieve consensus.

For example, if the character needs to walk forward from point A to point B the Hive must agree to walk forward. If there are 2 IRL players, both must agree on forward. If 1 player selects forward and the other selects backward, the in-game character will not move and essentially be locked. Should a 3rd player join and select either forward or backward this would split the prior 50% movement decision lock to now 66.66% and the in-game character would comply with the Hives decision.

Extrapolating this out. If there are 100 players the Hive must have at least 51 players agree to move forward. The more players agree on the collective decision, the in-game character speeds up, achieving a type of collective ‘flow-state’.

This example can be used for most common in-game activities such as walking, driving, shooting, and so on.

There would have to be an on-screen display that shows the players what other players are selecting, a type of on-screen shared communication, something like the below image, to show real-time player selections and hence provide real-time feedback.

The goal for players would be to achieve a collective flow-like state with other players. The more that the in-game character can remain in this flow state, the faster and more easily the game flows, and goals and achievements are met.

Of course, some users may try to use external communication apps to try and communicate, and so to get around this, when players are uploaded into the game server, they would need to be randomized.

As far as the type or genre of game and the in-game goals or achievements, this could be a number of things such as a shooter style of game where the actions and movements are limited and not so completely free that a minor difference in IRL player actions acts to stop the flow, simulation and sports games, casino style decision-making games, puzzles, question and answers, and even a type of sandbox or strategy game. The collective decision-making aspect is key.

Monetization

The game should have enabled Terra Luna Classic ($LUNC) payment features, rewards, and burn features.

One option that would incentivize game uptake may be to ask players to pay an entry fee and the winning individuals and Hives earn prize money rewards.

Because the game seeks multiplayer and multiplayer agreement, these could be formed as teams and into a tournament style.

To market the game there could be a tournament where game players pay an entry fee and each time their Hive wins, they are re-selected, randomized and re-launched into a new game until there is only 1 final Hive of randomized winning players (team) left, these players addresses would receive the shared prize money reward.

Other uses for $LUNC in-game:

· Upgrades such as Hive powerups were 1 user doubles as 2, therefore adding to the combined weight of the Hive. Speed purchases, communication add-ons, time pauses, and so on.

A Hive game would be a revolution in gaming and the algorithm and parts of the game could also be sold to other game developers.

The games can be monetized from team/player entry fees, these are circled back through and offered as prize money with the game managers and operators taking a % fee.

· A tournament-style game would work well.

· The players on each team that win go back into a randomizer and are dumped into the next server with other winning players

Hives already in use

Reference https://unanimous.ai/.

White paper https://unanimous.ai/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Artificial-Swarm-Intelligence-white-paper-1-21-19.pdf

Video: https://vimeo.com/741123019

This is a shower thought.

This is not a white paper.

There is no claim of rights or intellectual property.

You are free to use these ideas.

Originally published here.