Bitcoin has taken another step toward ubiquity, and is being used in a new online RPG (role playing game) that targets media influencers and content creators, and bills itself as, “a leading online short film distribution, blogging, and film financing platform”.
The game they have created is called bitLanders. Coded in Italy and developed in Manhattan, the game is using Bitcoin as the basis for the in-game economy. Before it became bitLanders, the site was Film Annex, which had the goal of empowering independent filmmakers and presenting a new platform for interaction between fans and filmmakers.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Their game is intended to track the social media influence of the players using a proprietary algorithm known as BuzzScore. The higher a player’s BuzzScore, the greater their social media influence .
BitLanders is a way for social media influencers to reach the 125 million people who play on their site by using blog posts, tweets, video, audio and Bitcoin, as well as other social media outlets. The players are able to customize their avatar within the game using the Bitcoin they earn as a result of a high BuzzScore. This method for showing off success in the game, by having an avatar that has special outfits or equipment, has been used to encourage players to continue playing in all sorts of online games (e.g. World of Warcraft, Lord of the Rings Online, etc.).
It is also a useful method for encouraging players to continue interacting with the game’s content and other players. This social aspect is important in keeping people’s attention on the game, so there is intrinsic motivation to continue to play.
Platforms that track the influence of social media users are now in widespread use, particularly in advertising and public relations settings, but BitLanders and Empire Avenue are among the few overtly gamified instances of social media tracking currently available. There are many other applications that track social media influence including, Klout, Google analytics and SproutSocial, but these methods of tracking influence ignore the use of gamification as a tool for encouraging participation in a particular platform.
THE TEAM BEHIND BITLANDERS
The team responsible for this game include brothers Francisco and Tommasco Rulli, and their partner, Michael Sweeney. They are the founders of MTI USA Inc, a fashion and textiles consulting firm.
Sweeney has many years of experience on Wall Street, and he manages BitSovereign.com , which was formed to market, manage and invest in Bitcoin and other digital currencies. He is also very involved with a number of charities in support of research on autism
The Rulli brothers are involved with many ventures, both for profit and not for profit. Mr. Francisco Rulli founded the Women’s Annex Foundation, Inc. , a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping women gain digital literacy in developing countries.
In addition, he has founded a fashion and design consulting firm, Mrs. Mudd, with the actor John Malkovich, as well as launching Mr. Malkovich’s own clothing line, “target=”_blank”> the Uncle Kimono Collection. This work with Mr. Malkovich was filmed and became a TV movie in 2005.
The use of Bitcoin in a game designed to measure traffic in social influence serves the dual purpose of rewarding players who contribute content through social media, and continues to bring Bitcoin to the attention of a larger segment of the population.
