Bitcoin evangelist and blockchain gaming consultant
The world of blockchain and cryptocurrency is full of interesting characters with trenchant views, so perhaps I should have been expecting Peter Bergstrom’s opening salvo.
“The world is becoming a worse place, unless you’re one of the 1%,” he states, as we spoke following the launch of blockchain-backed VR gaming portal Terra Virtua.
Blockchain is more than sending money. It’s about unlocking new opportunities for business, especially in the video game industry
Amongst many other roles, Bergstrom is the company’s chief strategy officer, particularly working on the design of the platform’s tokenomics.
“I did a lot of ICOs last year but ICOs are boring. I want to help create something,” he explains of his decision to become a formal member of the UK startup, despite now being based in Singapore.
But back to geopolitics.
Blockchain shaking up gaming
“Crypto appeals to the revolutionary in me. It’s almost like a religion,” the Swede says of his attitude to such decentralized services.
“But it’s more than sending money. It’s about unlocking new opportunities for business, especially in the video game industry.”
Before getting involved with Bitcoin, initially investing in 2011, becoming a life member of the Bitcoin Foundation in 2014, and since founding BitBlock Ventures, Bergstrom worked for game companies such as Microsoft, Sony and UK indie Warthog so he knows the scene.
Unsurprisingly, he hates the current free-to-play trend almost as much as he hates Facebook and Google – “They’re evil,” he says.
“F2P games are dishonest. They are about exploiting the 3% of players who spend money.”
In this context, he sees the potential for blockchain games to reward their players as being key.
This isn’t about chasing money. It’s about passion and having fun
“Today games are formulaic. There’s no innovation because that doesn’t fit into the cookie-cutter approach of the publishers,” he fumes.
“But I think this will change. Players will demand better games.”
And although limited to VR games, that’s something he hopes to encourage with Terra Virtua.
As well as acting as a marketplace for professional game developers it will also encourage user-generated content through its Unreal Engine-based creation tools.
As for Bergstrom, who also acts as an advisor for Serbian blockchain gaming outfit GameCredits, he says the underlying market and opportunities remain as vibrant as ever, despite the general decline cryptocurrency valuation in 2018.
“This isn’t about chasing money. It’s about passion and having fun,” he ends.
“And I’m enjoying the ride.”
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