Star Atlas: A sleeping giant?
Star Atlas has been steadily growing in the bear market.
Summary
Introduction
What is Star Atlas?
Transparency
Star Atlas: The Numbers
Is Web3 Gaming Better than Traditional Gaming?
Is Solana a good blockchain for Gaming?
Introduction
Gaming is one of the biggest digital markets in the world. It has been growing exponentially for the past 10 years and is now the main source of income for hundreds of thousands of players. At the same time, the current gaming ecosystem arguably extracts more value than it provides to players. How can this be changed? Many argue that blockchain gaming or Web3 gaming is the best way of giving back power to the players, due to its transparency, asset ownership and borderless access. Today, we will take a look at one of the most anticipated games in crypto: Star Atlas.
What is Star Atlas?
Star Atlas is an immersive RPG set in a vast and boundless universe. Powered by the Solana network, this game ventures into uncharted territories, introducing an innovative play-to-earn experience.
As a player, you choose your path and join one of the three prominent in-game factions in Star Atlas:
The ONI: Witness the alliance of diverse alien species who, after a devastating war, have put aside their differences for a prosperous life among the stars.
The Ustur: Encounter a collective of sentient androids, born from advanced AI, as they explore their individuality, culture, and distinctive fashion.
The MUD: Uncover the tale of a faction of humans guided by a god-like extraterrestrial entity, plundering Earth's remaining resources to embark on an ambitious journey towards the promises of the cosmos.
Star Atlas has a marketplace where players can buy and sell resources and services, both within and outside the game. Players acquire items that can be configured for ship missions, and land ownership within the metaverse to establish mining operations.
The goal of Star Atlas is not only to create an immersive gaming experience but also to create a thriving economy on top of blockchain technology.
Transparency
The Star Atlas team is consistently providing updates on all of their operations. From in-game updates and development to treasury updates, transparency appears to be one of the pillars of the team. The Star Atlas community is one of the most vibrant in the Solana ecosystem, which contributes to the growth of the core player base.
Star Atlas: The Numbers
Star Atlas has consistently accounted for 5% or more of the daily transactions on the Solana blockchain. This accomplishment is even more impressive considering the current bear market in the crypto industry, with limited new participants entering the scene. Star Atlas has cultivated a strong and dedicated community, possibly positioning itself for substantial growth during the next bullish market cycle. The established core community holds immense value and represents a significant asset for the game's future expansion and success.
Star Atlas has thousands of monthly active players engaging in economic activities with each other, resulting in hundreds of thousands of transactions per month. There have been over 5M transactions on the Galactic Marketplace so far.
Is Web3 Gaming Better than Traditional Gaming?
Web3 gaming, or blockchain gaming, offers several advantages over traditional gaming platforms like Steam.
In Web3 gaming, players have actual ownership of in-game assets and can trade or sell them outside the game. Assets are stored on a blockchain which is fully transparent and secure. In traditional gaming, players do not truly own their in-game items, and their value is confined within the game’s ecosystem. In Web3, players can use their assets across multiple games, due to the interoperability between different games and platforms - there are theoretically no limitations. This is particularly interesting as if one game shuts down, the assets don’t disappear and may still have value across several other games, unlike traditional gaming.
Blockchains are generally decentralized and not controlled by a single entity. Their decentralization nature reduces the power imbalance between players and game developers, promoting fairness and transparency in gameplay. In addition, web3 gaming gives power to the players by introducing the concept of play-to-earn, where players can earn real-world value by playing games and acquiring rare assets. The assets can be traded or sold, allowing players to monetize their gaming skills and time invested. In traditional gaming, gamers can earn income if they monetize themselves through streaming, video editing or by becoming professional gamers which less than 1% do so. Web3 gaming is for the 99%.
While web3 gaming offers these advantages, it is still an emerging field and traditional gaming platforms like Steam have their own established user bases, extensive game libraries, and vibrant communities. Both types of gaming have their merits, and the preference ultimately depends on individual preferences and the specific gaming experience desired.
Is Solana a good blockchain for Gaming?
Solana is one of the best blockchains for gaming due to its technological advancements and infrastructure. One key advantage is its scalability, allowing Solana to process thousands of transactions per second with low latency. Through its Proof of History (PoH) and Proof of Stake (PoS) consensus mechanisms, Solana can handle thousands of transactions per second, ensuring fast and seamless gameplay experiences.
In addition to scalability, Solana offers low transaction fees, making it cost-effective for in-game transactions like item trading or asset transfers. This affordability enhances player participation and encourages economic activities within the game.
Developers find Solana to be a developer-friendly blockchain, providing a range of tools, libraries, and frameworks to simplify game development. The support for Rust programming language, known for its security and efficiency, fosters innovation and attracts game developers to leverage Solana for their projects.
Conclusion
Star Atlas is one of the most anticipated games in crypto. Even in a Bear market, it records a substantial portion of the total daily transactions on the Solana blockchain, due to its active player base of thousands.