An Exclusive Report by the Blockchain Research Newsletter from the Decentraland Game Expo
When answering the question, “Which project leads the metaverse?”, Decentraland inevitably comes to mind. As one of the first fully operational metaverse projects, Decentraland attracts thousands of players and passersby daily to its streets. This time, at one of the largest intersections in the city, a major event unfolded: the grand Decentraland Game Expo #DCLGX.
Though the metaverse concept became widely recognized around 2018 and its functionalities began to be utilized globally, many people still believe this technology won’t have a long lifespan. Among these functionalities is hosting virtual expos within blockchain and metaverse platforms.
It’s worth noting that, beyond the general public’s lack of awareness about the topic, many also confuse metaverse expos with virtual exhibitions, like the virtual tours of landmarks that were popular in past years.
In this article, we dive into one of the largest exhibition events in the metaverse, the Decentraland Game Expo #DCLGX, sharing firsthand experiences from the event.
As the name suggests, this event took place in the Decentraland metaverse from June 26 to 29, 2024 (Tir 6–9, 1403 in the Persian calendar), spanning four days with various segments. Before diving into the expo, we’ll briefly outline its key sections to provide a comprehensive overview of the experience.
This event featured over 30 diverse activities, including discussion panels, design competitions, and numerous games for participants, players, and enthusiasts to enjoy.
One intriguing aspect of this type of expo is the booth addresses. Unlike traditional expos, where hall numbers and booth plaques are expected, here, locations are defined by coordinates (X,Y), requiring navigation to specific points.
For example, the opening ceremony took place at coordinates (0,81). Most metaverse lands are based on a two-axis grid system (X and Y), with addresses expressed as coordinates.
To enter the world of Decentraland, two options are available: via the website or its application. Initially, connecting your Web3 wallet to the platform lands you at coordinates (0,0), where you receive essential training for navigating Decentraland. Eager to explore the expo, we immediately accessed the map and traveled to the event location at coordinates (0,81).
Similar to Tehran’s International Exhibition Center, essential guidance was provided through large signboards and environmental advertisements, albeit with no physical constraints. Some boards were enormous, even floating in the sky, adding to the unique charm of such expos.
Buying and selling digital assets occurred on the Ethereum blockchain using its native token and Decentraland’s MANA token.
At the expo’s central plaza, all avatars were offered a free skin, which could be minted and appeared in their wallets within minutes.
Decentraland provides three viewing perspectives for avatars: third-person (viewing your avatar from behind), first-person (viewing from the avatar’s eyes), and fully immersive 3D through virtual reality glasses.
In the center of the expo, four shortcuts led to various games, each offering unique rewards, including MANA tokens, NFTs, and collectibles from projects like ClayNation.
Four game booths, featuring activities like bumper cars and hockey, rewarded winners with green, yellow, red, or purple tickets, redeemable for prizes at matching-colored booths.
Various companies occupied booths at the expo, each staffed by at least one avatar ready to assist visitors. Notably, one booth guide was a flying dolphin avatar!
Free NFTs were scattered throughout booths as giveaways, reminiscent of physical expos where visitors collect freebies.
Beyond ongoing activities like gaming, networking, and advertisements, discussion panels featuring blockchain, metaverse, and Web3 industry leaders also occurred during the event.
Prominent figures from Web3 gaming, including representatives from DeFi Kingdoms, Planet Mojo, Aavegotchi, MotoDex, Chibi Clash, and KMON, participated.
Among the panels we eagerly attended was one by Kim Currier, Decentraland’s marketing director, with whom we had a prior interview published in Issue 10 of the newsletter.
Other notable speakers included Jyro Blade, PlayFi’s product manager, and Lenna Onto, co-founder of ClayNation, whom we previously interviewed in Issue 4 under the title “From Clay to Metaverse.”
The only downside to the experience was the slow internet speed in our country, occasionally causing lags. However, compared to physical expos, attending one of the world’s largest events from the comfort of our home, enjoying pleasant weather, was a groundbreaking opportunity made possible by blockchain and its offspring, the metaverse.
Interestingly, we connected with a blockchain developer from Singapore via the chat feature, who expressed surprise at Iranian participation in the blockchain world.
However, it was disappointing that our Persian-language messages in the chat received no replies, perhaps due to a lack of Iranian attendees at the time. Unfortunately, the potential of such platforms remains vastly underutilized in our country.
As metaverse applications continue to grow across various fields, we must strive to stay ahead of the curve.
