Bridging Biodiversity and Blockchain Gaming for Earth Day
Blockchain technology has revolutionized the gaming industry by ushering in unprecedented levels of security, transparency, and player engagement. By integrating Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) and decentralized gaming platforms, blockchain enables players to own, trade, and govern in-game assets, fundamentally transforming the traditional gaming landscape. These platforms not only empower players with governance rights but also deepen community involvement, paving the way for a new era of interactive entertainment. But what if these gaming interactions could also drive real-world positive outcomes?
This year for Earth Day, BGA has teamed up with Sovereign Nature Initiative (SNI) to outline the possibilities of Web3 Gaming to positively impact the environment and contribute to a more sustainable future.
“We’re not just facilitating another alternative to carbon offsetting; we’re redefining how businesses can engage with and support biodiversity. We provide companies with the tools to embed real, verifiable ecological data into their products, enabling them to create impactful and transparent impact campaigns.
Our approach has connected over 1 million users to biodiversity restoration and raised significant funds, demonstrating the tangible benefits and endless possibilities of integrating ecological care into gaming and businesses. We are committed to transforming nature’s value to ensure a thriving planet for future generations.” — Catherine Bischoff, CEO of Sovereign Nature Initiative
Blockchain Technology for Impact
As we saw in the BGA Earth Day Report 2023, there is a negative perspective regarding its environmental impact. The Merge, Ethereum’s transition from PoW to PoS, was a move towards a more sustainable chain. Batching transactions, combining multiple transactions into one single transaction, saves on gas fees, improves efficiency on the blockchain, and reduces the effect on the environment.
Additionally, Blockchain facilitates the creation of tokenized assets, enabling the implementation of circular economy initiatives by tracking products’ lifecycles, promoting reuse, recycling, and reducing waste. Blockchain-based platforms can facilitate carbon offsetting and emissions trading by tokenizing carbon credits and creating transparent marketplaces, incentivizing companies to reduce their carbon footprint and invest in environmental conservation projects.
Meta Carbon, a company focused on democratizing carbon offsetting, is driven by its mission to combat climate change by harnessing blockchain technology to enhance transparency in carbon markets and simplify transactions.
“We empower brands to commit authentically to sustainability and project developers to maximize revenue. By offering climate tools that manage, measure, reduce, offset, and communicate environmental impact.
We are on a mission to democratize carbon offsetting, making it effortless for brands and games of all sizes to integrate climate impact into their users’ experiences. Our platform provides tools to measure, reduce, offset, and communicate, empowering brands to authentically commit to sustainability.”
Harnessing Blockchain and Digital Innovation
Sovereign Nature Initiative (SNI) harnesses blockchain and digital innovations to promote nature-positive efforts, showcasing the transformative power of these technologies in fostering environmental restoration. Central to SNI’s mission are tools like the Decentralized Ecological Economics Protocol (DEEP) and the Registry for Ecological Asset Linking (REAL) Portal, which together enable efficient, transparent funding for biodiversity projects through traceable allocations.
Blockchain’s capacity to integrate ecological data with secure, immutable technology underpins its strength in creating verifiable conservation impact. For instance, their technology allows for the tokenization of specific real-world assets and life—ranging from individual animals and parcels of land to entire ecosystems. These tokens can then be tracked and managed through blockchain, ensuring that every change in their status is recorded and auditable. Contributors can follow the impact of their investments via the REAL Portal, which offers real-time data visualization and progress reports from ongoing conservation projects.
Web3 games such as My Neighbor Alice, a fully on-chain multiplayer builder game built on Chromia, has put sustainability at the heart of their framework, leveraging blockchain technology to create a more transparent and sustainable environment:
“In the realm of Web3 and My Neighbor Alice, sustainability is a guiding principle that shapes decentralized systems’ development and operational choices. Leveraging blockchain technology, these platforms strive to establish a digital ecosystem that is more equitable, transparent, and environmentally sustainable.
My Neighbor Alice, a fully on-chain game centered on inclusivity and self-expression, incorporates sustainable practices by encouraging eco-friendly in-game activities like farming and recycling. This approach not only educates players about the importance of sustainability but also fosters a community that cherishes responsible resource management and environmental care.” – Riccardo Sibani, CPO | My Neighbor Alice
In addition, blockchain enables the development of smart ‘conservation’ contracts that automatically execute when certain conditions are met. This capability can ensure that funds are only released for conservation projects when specific, verifiable actions are taken, such as the successful planting of a certain number of trees or the confirmed protection of endangered wildlife habitats. This approach streamlines funding processes and enhances accountability and efficiency in environmental projects.
Through these innovative applications, blockchain technology demonstrates its considerable potential to support a more nature-positive world. By ensuring the integrity, transparency, and effectiveness of environmental actions, blockchain stands as a pivotal tool in the global effort to conserve our planet’s precious natural resources.
Integration of Blockchain into Games for Educational and Impactful Experiences
Integrating blockchain into gaming provides a novel approach to environmental education and conservation awareness. Blockchain-enhanced games transcend mere entertainment; they serve as dynamic tools for imparting knowledge about biodiversity and restoration efforts. For example, these games may feature player-driven missions such as reforestation or wildlife conservation, which not only contribute to real-world ecological projects but also enrich the gaming experience with meaningful impact and engagement.
Connecting Biodiversity to Gaming – Sovereign Nature Initiative’s Approach
SNI employs blockchain to convert complex ecological data into compelling and interactive game elements. By digitizing biodiversity data, SNI enriches game environments and mechanics, enabling players to witness the real-time impacts of their in-game decisions on biodiversity. This seamless integration educates players about conservation while infusing gameplay with real-world ecological principles, influencing game dynamics such as resource management and territory development based on live data regarding animal populations, vegetation growth, and water quality changes.
Case Study: Wildsama from Moonsama
Wildsama, from Moonsama, is a prime example of a blockchain-based game that incorporates real-world biodiversity data into its gameplay, embodying the partnership with SNI. This game intertwines in-game achievements with genuine conservation efforts, allowing players to contribute directly to environmental sustainability. An innovative feature involves web3 in-game lion companions linked to actual lions, alive or deceased. This initiative has significantly funded the Kenya Wildlife Trust stewards. Players nurture a lion cub within the game, and as it grows, they learn about its real-world counterpart’s history, habitat, and conservation status via the REAL Portal. These lions have also been integrated into other games within the Moonsama universe, enhancing cross-platform interaction.
My final @MoonsamaNFT wildsama lioness has been revealed ✨ Born 1st Jan 2009 and part of the sand river pride 🔥
— Robster (@007_Robj) February 23, 2024
I've really enjoyed getting to fish, feed and gradually reveal each lion over the past month🦁
A brilliant, fun and worthwhile initiative @sovereignnature… pic.twitter.com/xwFCCOUwpS
Other projects are working on integrating blockchain technology into gaming to create an environmental impact. My Lovely Planet, an award-winning and fastest-growing Web3 mobile game, creates real-world environmental impact through gameplay.
“Mobile Phone Gaming can be an incredibly powerful tool for the environment that gives everybody the power to act on climate protection in the palm of your hand.”
Players plant and grow trees in the game, and My Lovely Planet plants trees in the real world by donating part of the revenue generated by the Ecoverse to NGO partners that act in the real world.
Translation to Real-Life Impact
SNI’s engagement with platforms like Moonsama has catalyzed tangible conservation outcomes, including significant funding for wildlife protection and habitat restoration. For example, this collaboration enabled the Kenya Wildlife Trust to expand its monitoring area, thanks to €76k raised. These gaming platforms transcend virtual interactions to become pivotal in community engagement and biodiversity education, initiating educational programs, workshops, and public campaigns that significantly boost environmental awareness and activism. Furthermore, they facilitate direct interaction between players and KWT stewards through an online community space, enriching players’ understanding of ongoing conservation efforts and the animals under protection.
Their eco-linked data initiative fostered the creation of interactive spaces and activities, engaging a good portion of the Moonsama community. Many lion holders participated in virtual Q&A sessions with ecological stewards, enhancing their connection to the conservation efforts. These interactions allowed players to inquire about the lions linked to their characters and receive real-time updates on conservation strategies.
The community’s response was enthusiastic, with numerous players taking to social media to share their excitement about “bringing their characters to life.” This novel approach not only deepened player engagement but also significantly bolstered their commitment to wildlife conservation. Post-interaction, It was observed a 40% increase in visits to SNI’s conservation updates page on REAL Portal, indicating a sustained interest and support from the community.
By integrating gaming with direct ecological impact, we create compelling narratives that resonate deeply with users, transforming virtual experiences into real-world conservation victories. This innovative approach not only entertains and educates but also empowers players to actively participate in environmental change, proving that virtual worlds can indeed have a positive impact on our real world.
A Vision for the Future
The potential for blockchain gaming to promote biodiversity and environmental education is immense. As technology advances, we anticipate more sophisticated integrations of real-world ecological data into gaming, which will enhance both the educational value and enjoyment of these games. Future collaborations, as demonstrated by SNI with Wildsama from Moonsama and Hotel Hideaway from Azerion, could see tech developers, conservationists, and gamers unite to forge digital platforms that make conservation efforts globally accessible and impactful. SNI remains on the lookout for innovative game partners eager to join in fostering biodiversity restoration and conservation through gameplay.
Catherine Bischoff, CEO of SNI, captures the essence of these efforts:
“By harnessing innovative technology, we bridge the virtual and the real, transforming every digital interaction into a step towards biodiversity restoration. Together, through community and cutting-edge technology, we are crafting a new narrative for conservation—one where every player can make a difference.”
This collaborative endeavor between the Blockchain Game Alliance and SNI for Earth Day not only underscores the innovative nexus of technology and conservation but also fuels a call to action within the gaming community to contribute to a nature-positive and biodiverse future.
