dApp + Partner Spotlight with Block Brawlers

Attention all SKALIENS! SKALE is ecstatic to introduce a new blog series that will spotlight one of our dApp or Partners, showcasing their project and its impact on web3! To kick it off, we sat down with BlockBrawlers’ Chris Lovell and asked him a series of questions.

How did Block Brawlers come up with their game’s concept?

The concept of Block Brawlers was created in a freestyle way. Much of the conceptual work and art was finished a while ago, but the tech wasn't ready. The general idea was to create a PvP CryptoKitties but blended with D&D and RPG elements.

What differentiates Block Brawlers from other competitors in the space? ‍

There are a few different aspects. One is that you're able to complete what is essentially an unlimited amount of transactions without spending any $SKL at all. Many games in this space are limited by gas fees on their native chain, sometimes making it a disadvantage to perform a certain action because the associated gas cost is more than the reward for the action. This isn't a problem with Block Brawlers' BRAWLCHAIN, running on SKALE.

Another unique aspect is that Block Brawlers doesn't require a large buy-in to play, whether in time or money. We have a ton of community-centric events lined up to get packs into the hands of new players (virtually free), and the amount of time you need to commit to playing each day comes down to player preference. You can create the experience you want, be it in the time you spend or the feedback you provide as a player to better the experience. Some people have huge teams of Brawlers, working multiple battles every day to seize a top leaderboard position, while other casual players can still work with smaller teams and Brawlers and earn a respectable amount of $BRAWL token. After each Block Brawler enters a battle, there's an 8-hour cooldown period before any additional actions can be performed with that Brawler.

Finally, another unique draw is the random nature of how Block Brawlers are minted and trained. There's quite a bit of RNG that's used to determine what type of Brawler you're minting, what attributes they start with, and what abilities they'll learn as they level. This means some Brawlers could end up as just "decent" combatants when they hit max level based on their abilities, and others will become VERY powerful by learning the right type of team and individual boosts. This configuration promotes a healthy Brawler trading economy. No two Brawlers or battles in the arena are ever the same.

What is your favorite feature of Block Brawlers? ‍

There are a lot of fun and likable aspects to the game that people with different desires can relate to the artwork, the low commitment time, the team-building aspects, and more. On a personal level, one of the features I enjoy most is the random nature of Brawler generation and leveling. Whether buying a pack or minting a new Brawler on your own using $BRAWL, you never quite know what class, clan, or alignment of Brawler you will get. Each Brawler learns a new ability at levels 2, 5, 10, and 15. RNG decides what that ability is. Sometimes it's an ability that stacks and complements another.

Other times, it's an ability that doesn't quite fit the Brawler you're building! Even the strength, dexterity, and magic attribute points while leveling are determined randomly (but within a boundary). With this in mind, you can spend a lot of time building the perfect teams and combinations if you choose. If I had to pick one actual in-game ability I love the most; it's going to be any Aura boost.

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How much time did it take to develop Block Brawlers, and what challenges did the team face when creating it?

In total, the game development took about six months of vigorous work to complete. Many of the challenges we faced came from the technical side of development, not the design/artistic portion. The most significant hurdle to cross was to find the right blockchain solution to get the game functioning as envisioned. The amount of daily transactions a Block Brawlers player might perform would be untenable on a network like Ethereum's mainnet, for instance. A user spending several dollars in gas fees every time they perform an action isn't going to make for a great experience. Fortunately, SKALE's technology kicked that roadblock out of the way and allowed for the efficient experience we see today while playing Block Brawlers.‍

What other projects do you admire or enjoy in the NFT gaming space?

I'm always looking to expand my own Blockchain and NFT gaming horizons when I'm not busy working on Block Brawlers! In my opinion, the projects & games that put development first are the ones I spend the most time reading about, engaging with, or participating in. I'm slightly biased again, but I enjoy a lot of the SKALE ecosystem games that are beginning to emerge, and I'm working on expanding my exposure to all of them. It was also great recently to see Crypto Blades now supporting SKALE.

Having spent nearly ten years of my life in the blockchain space, I've become exhausted seeing marketing machines hyping vaporware or people being scammed by 10k NFT collections. There's a lot of information to wade through if you're new to the blockchain and gaming sector and some bad actors to avoid. The teams of people who have their heads down building the future are the ones that will become household names in this space in the future. In essence, stop talking about it and start being about it!

How are NFT Games more unique than traditional video games?

I think the answer lies within the question. Your in-game items are often NFTs. With Block Brawlers, every single Brawler is its own unique utility NFT. We plan to add more in-game NFT items down the road as the game will expand to include PvE quests and Dungeons. In a traditional game, the developer can simply stop supporting the development or hosting the servers, leaving you with nothing but empty queues and memories of good times. Every achievement or item you worked for in-game no longer has meaning because there are no services supporting it.

In many Blockchain and NFT games, you not only own your in-game assets but often have a way of earning fungible tokens for the time you spend playing the game. Finding the proper balance of usability, fun, security, and in-game economic health is the challenge we're all working to overcome to bring Blockchain gaming to the mainstream.

Where do you see NFT gaming in the next 3-5 years?

The NFT and Blockchain gaming space is still in a nascent phase. As a slightly biased gamer, my personal opinion is that gaming is the catalyst for mass blockchain adoption. The consistent growth of the sector, coupled with our ever-more integrated technological culture, is a perfect match. Many older people still consider playing games a waste of time, but younger generations are born into it. Children today are surrounded by technology and often grow in tandem with that tech. For many, gaming is a social experience. A way to meet friends. A way to blow off steam after a stressful day. And very soon, a legitimate way to earn a living.

Why did Block Brawlers decide to partner with SKALE?

This was a no-brainer for us. SKALE is the only solution where a high tx volume blockchain play-and-earn game could work and provide a seamless gas-free user experience. We were waiting for the necessary tech to complete the game, and SKALE fit the bill perfectly. We're excited to see how the SKALE ecosystem grows over time.

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About SKALE

SKALE is an Ethereum native, modular blockchain network composed of high-throughput, low-latency blockchains that are optimized for Web3 user experience. SKALE chains offer zero gas fees to end-users and have advanced features such as on-chain file storage, interchain messaging, zero-cost minting, ML/AI smart contracts, and enhanced security features.

The SKALE network enables developers to deploy their own EVM blockchain in minutes without sacrificing speed, security, or decentralization. Welcome to the SKALEverse.