Ethereum Watch

The crypto and gaming communities overlap – there is no doubt about that. With numerous video games hitting the Ethereum blockchain, people are clearly interested in using the technology to develop novel gaming experiences for diehard players and casual blockchain users alike.

But what about using traditional video games to spur crypto adoption? The massive gaming market includes myriad parties who may want to explore blockchain and cryptocurrency technology.

Cryptocurrency consultant Jon Creasy manifests this mindset with his latest endeavor: a bitcoin bounty within the popular action-adventure space game No Man’s Sky. Before deciding to do this, Creasy asked himself, “[H]ow can I help spread the adoption of crypto among gamers?”

He and his brother concluded that a small bitcoin Easter egg (0.004 bitcoin, or about $28 as of press) hidden on two of the game’s planets would do the trick. To claim the bitcoin, a player must find the corresponding Communications Stations, which are like in-game messaging centers, each with a portion of the bounty.

Creasy hopes this small contribution “will encourage gamers and crypto-enthusiasts alike to come together in solidarity.” He continued that it is “not difficult to imagine a future where gaming becomes a global industry built on cryptocurrency … [it] is our desire to encourage people in that direction.”

Although the bounty started at less than $30, it currently sits at around $180, thanks to the cryptocurrency video game developer SpacePirate Games.

Creasy and his brother intend to hide more crypto Easter eggs within the game in the future. In fact, they created a subreddit called GingersBitcoinBounty (they both have red hair) as a sort of community where players can join the hunt and interact with the brothers. Additionally, the two noted that they may expand their crypto hunt beyond No Man’s Sky to “any other video game that allows [them] to hide wallet seeds.”

Creasy and his brother’s cryptocurrency treasure hunt, although a unique occurrence within the No Man’s Sky landscape, is not a new concept. For example, last month at Comic-Con International in San Diego, the financial services company Robinhood partnered with the marketing team behind the 2018 film “Robin Hood” to host a crypto scavenger hunt at the convention.

Daniel Putney is a full-time writer for ETHNews. He received his bachelor’s degree in English writing from the University of Nevada, Reno, where he also studied journalism and queer theory. In his free time, he writes poetry, plays the piano, and fangirls over fictional characters. He lives with his partner, three dogs, and two cats in the middle of nowhere, Nevada.

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