Dear Gaben,
I’ve been a DOTA2 noob ever since. Despite having been raged so many times, with a consistent downgrade on the medal I rank in every season, I always come back to it because I enjoy it. With advancements into a future world of gaming, I sincerely wish Valve is making moves to have it integrate into the blockchain ecosystem and into the metaverse.
You probably already have a team on it. I’m happy thinking about it that way. But just in case your still gathering thoughts, here are a couple of suggestions I have which, at least in my opinion, would be fun and promising to think of, in a series of WHAT IF‘s.
WHAT IF the Valve extended its arms towards an NFT platform? At the moment it’s currently tied with Steam’s Marketplace, which is running on its exclusive economy. I can’t imagine the backwork needed in order to mint every token currently in there, so for the sake of moving forward, let’s say Valve creates a new avenue for the benefit of NFTs. This means that skins, characters variations, and ambient effects can now be tradable into the open world! That only means more people getting access to elements of the game, more than the gamers, which can be a good and a bad thing – only time will tell. But personally, in the long run, I think it generally embraces a more open system, which also benefits Valve because NFTs are perpetually collecting royalty towards its creator (Valve) the more things are traded.
WHAT IF there are actually 1 of 1 items? The way it is now, there’s an escalating odds mechanism for treasures and in-game items. These things command a hefty sum. But what if there are actually 1o1’s, or at a less-rare extent, maybe 1 of 100? It might sound ‘complicated’ at first but remember what you guys did with the Greevil variations and other couriers having Corrupted, Unusual, or whatever other properties? You guys were already doing it with those and the emblem auras. Now imagine a 1o1 Juggernaut Omnislash animation. Or if you partnered with certain artists to make Naga Siren’s ulti song actually play a track of certain artists, which also benefited those artists? It would be really effin funny if your hero is dying then suddenly your teammate Naga just comes in singing “One Call Away” by Charlie Puth. That’s hilarious!
WHAT IF I can be my favorite hero in the metaverse? Augmented reality isn’t new to DOTA2. It’s been there since how many majors back then and has been spearheading the technology without the public being really aware of it. We’re (hopefully) a couple of years away into an Earth 2.0-like world we can possible immerse in. Avatars will play a great role and it’d be fun not only to come in as a DOTA2 hero, but one with a special set! And it’s all in my wallet. Remember how Parzival of RP1 just went on ahead and got and chose his preferred hairstyle from his HUD? Or how Daito went on and summoned a Gundam midfight? Maybe ones in Crimson sets? Or maybe an Arcana. Wait, there’s actually a version of the Shadow Demon arcana that’s kind of like mint green???
WHAT IF there are franchise items we can obtain here? And by that I mean merch. Not really sure it would work but it’s just a thought and things can easily work on from here. Original DOTA2 merch will be marked with specific QR codes which refer to its token, possibly provenance of its authenticity as actual Valve items? I know for a fact that the Valve community supports artists the way it collaborates with the community workshop. What if this is a way to further help them be more exposed? People who purchase items, will be able to actually see artist profiles behind the design. How about ticketing? NFT ticketing is already a thing. I think if beyond the event, I actually have a copy of my first evert TI ticket in my digital wallet. So maybe we can also mint the jacket I made for Topson then? It’s an actual physical 1 of 1 after all. Let’s see how that’d work (selfish plug I know).
WHAT IF we had DOTA2 moments? Kind of how Topshot did it for NBA. We are in the presence of great athletes. It’s a different segment but esports deserves its own kind of collectible featuring the names and teams that its built a community with, right? We’re already doing fantasy player drafts ingame – doesn’t it make a little sense to have these as collectible digital cards we can keep forever? I’ve seen OG and Redbull create actual physical cards, but personally thought it made more sense under the actual DOTA2 franchise as a whole collective. Imagine the million dollar coil. It’s a definitive moment in DOTA2 history. Everybody knows it, and I think being minted as a collective would be a very cool idea that benefits the both the franchise and the player. Level it up and imagine further, we can immerse in that play, slowmo it, pause it, and be in the middle of the fight, just how you guys highlight plays during TI event animations? That’s just wow.
It’s just fun to think of the possibilities hoping for DOTA2, because I’m sure it served a great deal of time some of our lives. I’ve known people who don’t work or earn in DOTA2 and yet have served so much play time in it.
Time will come and years will pass by, I probably won’t be as skillful, and will rage a lot more once I enter that Herald*1 motor-skill phase where motor skills don’t even matter bc people leave and throw anyway. I yearn for the day in our our later years, where I get to rampage in the metaverse as a noob DOTA2 character, and still be a part of this beloved community.
Yours,
Ken