The Format #008

Late august = summer time right? Well hopefully you’re chilling in the sun whilst reading this, I’m currently sat in my conservatory which has transformed into a greenhouse and is slowly cooking me. 🌞

Despite the holidays, there has been no shortage of tech news, there are updates everywhere. This issue of The Format takes a deeper dive into the going ons of the gaming world and what implications this has for our planet at large.

Out of the frying pan…

The mind behind the birth of OPENFORMAT, Mark Panay, talks about his decision to pull together this team of humans, his vision for OPENFORMAT and why it is time to dream again.

Dungeons to Duolingo: Creating a billion $ industry

Capturing people’s interest is powerful, so is the ability to subtly direct their behaviour towards a mutually beneficial goal. The gaming industry has been doing this for years using a few different tricks, one of which I covered in this article… XP. 🎮

It’s a key part of the secret sauce that has created an exponentially growing multi-billion dollar industry. I wrote this piece as a bit of an XP 101, explaining why and how it is such a clever mechanic.

Roblox faces a new class action lawsuit alleging it facilitates child gambling

Roblox is a BIG deal. Every day 66 million users spend countless hours on it, most of them being children and 45% of them being under 13 years old. Now the last thing you’d assume such a huge brand in the child entertainment space would be associated with is… child gambling. This isn’t something directly implemented by Roblox but it raises some major questions as to what their responsibilities should be as a child-focused company.

OpenAI Just Bought a Game Studio—But Why?

Any move OpenAI makes has major implications, for better or worse. Acquiring Global Illumination feels like a sign of what’s to come. Whether that looks like a ChatGPT powered Metaverse, a completely overhauled game-style UI or a move towards immersive AI NPC’s is yet to be seen. Watch that space. 👀

Friend.Tech Renames ‘Shares’ To ‘Keys’ During Regulatory Uncertainty Surrounding Crypto

Friend.Tech has shot to fame over the past few days. It aims to be a user-first social media platform where users data is not a commodity and algorithms don’t drive engagement. But things are starting to look too good to be true and despite some impressive adoption stats, the project seems to have many red flags. 🚩

Super Apps Part II: The Gaming Revolution - Redefining Interactive Entertainment

These days, a game is more than a game, it is also a marketplace, a social hub, an immersive experience, and to many, a lifestyle. This awesome article looks at how these gaming ecosystems have been created and why authenticity is the key ingredient to reach Super App status.

OPENFORMAT NEWS:

Back to Nature

Since it’s summer many members of the OPENFORMAT team have been on the move. Our chairman, Dave is at Burning Man in Nevada. Bruce recently got back from a trip to Ghana. And Sarah, Andy and me spent last weekend at Medicine Festival in the UK with no phones for 4 days (yes, 4 whole days…) living in the moment and having a much needed break from the rapidly moving world of tech.

Support Indigenous artists with social impact NFT’s

The Festival wasn’t completely tech free though. The three of us attended a wonderful talk which showcased an initiative that seeks to value and promote indigenous art for society.

Through collaboration, education and technology, the INDIGENA.ART project supports indigenous artists in Brazil to create and market their own NFTs. We truly believe that this technology can be used for so much more than just 10000 picture collectibles, and this is a great social project proving just that!

Have a fantastic (bank holiday) weekend, and see you soon! 👋

One of the fantastic pieces of Indigina.art artwork titled ‘Herdeira da Arte da Cerâmica’ by Paulo Desana