Etherjump: Building GameFi with the Community
Last week’s announcement from Majong Studios that blockchain integration would be banned from Minecraft was a potentially fatal blow to the NFT community. Many projects were using the web2 platform as their base for world-building.
However, a new project called EtherJump has arrived just in time to provide the GameFi community with a new way of building a blockchain-based game without relying on a web2 platform.
What is Ether Jump
Etherjump Plots is a platforming game similar to the original Mario games on the NES and SNES from the 1980s. It features an avatar which the player controls as they jump their way through the game world, avoiding dangerous obstacles and enemies.
The project was first released in Mid-July 2022 as a genesis pass. The pass came with 3 different types of plots - small, medium, and large. Each pass also has an avatar attached to it which holders can mint for free to access various parts of the game.
Community Content Creation
What makes the EtherJump project so special is that its entire concept of level design is left to the community to develop. Each token is assigned a specific plot size based on its traits which provides the holder with the amount of space they can use to build their own unique level.
In turn, each token will have its own level design saved within its metadata for others to access and enjoy. This concept is a far cry from the web2 reliance that projects like NFT Worlds were based on.
Instead, users can build their own levels with the reassurance that their support won’t be dropped at a moment's notice by a web2 service.
$JUMP
Moreover, these worlds are not static. They can evolve and change based on the $JUMP tokenomics which are awarded to active users who play the game and experience the variety of different worlds built by their community.
The $JUMP token can be used to purchase different items for a level building which can make the game more aesthetic or challenging depending on the purchase. These tokens are earned through in-game activity too which doesn’t require consistent purchases.
Read more about Play-to-Earn here.
A GameFi MMO
The team’s ultimate goal is to establish a new MMO game which is linked together by all the different levels built within each token. These levels can be visited by every avatar and are also playable for non-holders as well.
With the ability to link different worlds together, groups within the community are able to discuss and plan different environments which can work as a series to provide a thematic gauntlet for players to embark through.
With a social game lobby in the works, these types of NFTs have serious potential for the future of GameFi which many web2 gamers are hesitant to explore due to fears of extreme monetization stemming from microtransactions and loot boxes from games such as Diablo Immortal.
Instead, we are seeing a more genuine attempt to deliver a game which rewards players with the ability to build out further ideas through their own enjoyment. EtherJump is showing us what happens when a fun game is designed in a way which empowers the gamer to develop what they want to play.
