The term “blockchain” has been tossed around a lot in current years, typically in the setting of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin. While most people have conceived about blockchain in terms of how it could transform the economy, others have attempted to implement the technology to other, more creative areas.

To understand those applications, it’s essential to comprehend blockchain itself, which is a method where data is collected and passed around. A blockchain is produced when a piece of information is either generated or moved from one person to another. The “block” of data is assigned an identification number, named a “hash,” which is individual to each block and supports computers understand the information stored in it. When the block is transferred from one computer to another, its hash is read and recognized. All the computers in these chains have the same data at all times. This makes certain nothing can be lost, and the data is virtually impossible to tamper with due to the platform’s verbosity.

Developed by Axiom Zen to showcase the theory of blockchains, CryptoKitties is one of the most famous games utilizing technology. CryptoKitties provides players a digital “kitty” with individual physical traits. No two kitties look identical, and this is what proffers them value. A player can then spend a small fee in Ethereum to “breed” their kitty and transfer some of its traits to a new kitty. The concept of the game is to give rare traits onto new kitties that can then be traded for a profit. In this situation, the kitty is the data block being passed on. Nevertheless, this is just the tip of the iceberg.

As blockchain technology becomes more widespread and more accessible, the possibilities for this type of technology will become more exceptional. Eric Schiermeyer, one of the co-founders of Zynga, is generating a way to make blockchain technology more available to game developers. As CEO of Blockchain Game Partners, he’s been operating to develop Gala, a foundation that runs to include blockchain technology into its games. By doing this, Schiermeyer is expecting to build a world where “players can own the things they buy or create, even if the game eventually shuts down.” By making a network where digital items in a game can be verified via a blockchain, players will be capable of buying and selling digital items as if they were physical.

Not only is this all a plan, as Blockchain Game Partners has been operating on beta for the past 18 months. Townstar is a game that runs utilizing blockchain technology. Players begin with a plot of farmland and ultimately work their way up into producing an entire town. This type of game has been trendy in current years with titles like Stardew Valley and Foundation. It appears that farming and city-building games are on the rise, and Townstar might just be published at a time where this type of game will be well supported.

A significant problem that developers for blockchain games have to handle is a negative view towards microtransactions. In current years, many players have been upset about the addition of microtransactions and loot boxes to several of their favorite franchises. Schiermeyer’s solution for that is to give those who give money in the game “something that you can keep, and maybe even give away or give some to somebody else.” Being capable of proving the history of an object, what resources it was made of, and how traditional it is could give it a value that recent microtransactions don’t have.

When this type of technology is employed to MMOs, an object that a player develops could be traded to another player and still maintain and upgrade, the first player put on it. As the game progresses and the object gets older, it could become obsolete, being passed from generation to generation and achieving value just as a real-world heritage would. Smoothing up items in a game could have an entirely new meaning. Blockchain technology could transform what players get for placing their time and energy into a game.