Interview- Atari is keeping its retro feel while pushing further into blockchain gaming and crypto integrations. w/ video - scroll down.

[PowerDubs]

Full thing-  https://decrypt.co/203986/atari-revives-retro-members-only-jackets-nft-collectors

 

 

TLDR hightlights-

 

While fans can buy plenty of merch without crypto, Atari’s website states that owners of the ARC NFT launched back in May will gain early access to merch, voting privileges, and discounts in addition to presale access to the new member jackets. 

 

the gaming company is still exploring blockchain integrations with the goal of redefining gaming

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“When Atari was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell, ... “Atari was really pushing the limits of both tech and gaming.”

 

“Web3 is a clear avenue of pushing the boundaries and what we believe is going to be a foundational element of the future of all tech, not only gaming,”

 

Atari is looking into opportunities for Web3 player ownership and other perks or third-party integrations, Drewitz said.

 

“We’ll definitely be doing that even with some of our arcade classics and some of our titles moving forward, in a way that you may not even know it’s Web3,”

 

Don’t expect Atari to go the “play-to-earn” route, though.

 

 

Watch the video to hear about a newly found Vault.

 

 

[juansolo]

Please stop trying to make NFTs happen.

[The Helper]

Reminds me of Max Headroom 

 

 

[+jgkspsx]

No Fuckin' Thanks.

[PowerDubs]

3 hours ago, juansolo said:

Please stop trying to make NFTs happen.

 

People who say this typically don't understand what a non-fungible token is.  They read NFT and think only of the dumb pictures.

 

Atari is using them for utility- which is completely different.

 

In this case- think of the ARC the same as you would a digital concert ticket to see your favorite band or comedian.

 

But in this situation- it isn't just a one time use, doesn't expire.  By owning it- you get access to special games, discounts on physical items, ability to buy member only items not open to the normal public, access to special chat groups, and soon- voting rights for future projects.

[juansolo]

4 minutes ago, PowerDubs said:

But in this situation- it isn't just a one time use, doesn't expire.  By owning it- you get access to special games, discounts on physical items, ability to buy member only items not open to the normal public, access to special chat groups, and soon- voting rights for future projects.

Good luck with that. I'd genuinely be interested to know how many people are interested in such a thing given that the sort of customer that is associated with this brand are often older and less gullible. Collectors aside of course, you can sell any old shite to them So you might just be on to a winner. Who knows...

[PowerDubs]

There's nothing gullible about tangible benefits. 

[KainXavier]

There's nothing you can do with NFT's that you can't already do with other software solutions.  Moreover, mining cryptocurrency is extremely wasteful energy-wise, and it's led to the price of computer hardware, namely video cards, skyrocketing.  And that's not even getting into how cryptocurrency is essentially worthless and tantamount to a Ponzi scheme.  Atari would be better served by encouraging people to buy stock in the company, something with actual value, and offering these same benefits to stockholders.  Or you know, create a Rewards system that ties into digital purchases made with an Atari account like Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony do.

Edited November 3, 2023 by KainXavier

[Matt_B]

You've got to love the timing with this coming out at almost the exact same time that Sam Bankman-Fried got found guilty on all charges.

 

Atari might not be trying to rob people blind, but the sheen has definitely worn of blockchains in the past year or so.  They are emphatically not associated with a shiny future, but a seedy present and their unecessary inclusion here just drags down what would otherwise be a desirable piece of merch for some of their biggest fans.

[PowerDubs]

People confuse crypto with blockchain...and nft with pictures.

 

Blockchain is the nucleus- crypto is an offshoot.

 

NFT is also an offshoot- and the dumb pictures are only a subset of NFT.

 

I agree public perception is not great...but neither is their understanding level.

 

Time will change that.

[Matt_B]

I'd think that it would work the opposite way.

 

That is, the more people understood about blockchains and NFTs, the more the mundanity of what they truly are would serve to reduce interest in them.

 

At the end of the day, a blockchain is basically just a database and cryptocoins and NFTs are record sets in a database. Whether that database is distributed or centralized is going to be neither here nor there in most applications, and you certainly shouldn't need a distributed database just to track the membership status of people with regards to a single company.

[KainXavier]

Blockchain technology is interesting and not without merit, but I just don't see how it is better than any existing solution, even if we divorce its current form from its negative aspects.  (I even did some more reading on the matter and looked into proof-of-work models versus proof-of-stake.)  So with respect to that, I genuinely want to engage in a conversation and ask the following questions:

1.) How would you pay for NFT's?

 

2.) Why is blockchain technology preferable if you're not also employing cryptocurrency as a form of payment?

3.) Why do you want digital goods to be non-fungible?

4.) Why is blockchain technology preferable for transferring ownership of digital goods?

5.) What do you consider to be "ownership" of a digital good?

Edited November 3, 2023 by KainXavier
Added a fifth question.