The creation of the static web or Web 1.0 was groundbreaking. Despite being made of only read-only webpages, and overall lacking in interactive features, Web 1.0 set the foundation for the dynamic web or Web 2.0 as we enjoy it today. In Web 2.0, users get to explore the bounds of YouTube and social media, and gaming enthusiasts are able to thoroughly maximize the platform for both traditional videogames and specialized fields like online poker.
What, then, is Web 3.0? Forbes says that Web 3.0 is the “read/write/own” upgrade to the internet that, as a collection of ideas, encompasses the broad range of technologies and concepts that are at the heart of cryptocurrency. One major concept is decentralization, which focuses on user privacy, transparency, and ownership through allowing business peer-to-peer transactions and removing power from controlling entities.
How does this manifest in practical applications? Keep reading for a closer look below.
Virtual reality
With new generations of immersive technology, players can interact with games in new ways. For one, virtual reality poker is presented similarly to physical poker in terms of mechanics. However, the inclusion of props allows players to play Texas Hold’em and even modernized versions of Deuces Wild in virtual reality.
While playing virtual poker isn’t currently illegal in the U.K. or U.S — considering how no money changes hands — gaming regulators are looking into tightening standards for player protections. Simultaneously, many stakeholders are working to support moderators and maintain the benefit of accessibility that virtual reality has granted.
Blockchain
The gaming industry is highly sensitive to legislation. Sustaining its economic growth is thereby challenging, especially as pandemic disruptions underscored the difficulty of predicting the outlook of the casino industry. Experts have posited that sustainable gaming tax revenue will be more attainable by legalizing new forms of gaming, like online gaming.
More legislators are thus considering cryptocurrency as an avenue. The blockchain doesn’t fall under the Interstate Wire Act of 1961, which bans banks from processing online wagers outside of states with legal poker sites in operation. This means that cryptocurrency could lead to more poker legalization in the U.S. because Bitcoin is only acquired through a cryptocurrency exchange or app. The virtual coin can therefore become a legitimate mainstream investment, and is already the main form of funds in some sites like Americas Cardroom.
Metaverse
Unlike simple virtual worlds, metaverses allow users to own virtual assets and experiences. Here, users have the ability to create and modify the environment itself. This removes the static limitations of virtual gaming experiences while simultaneously transforming them into dynamic platforms that go beyond the limitations of physical reality as well.
Metaverses like Decentraland are already buoyed by gaming platforms where players can use an avatar to engage in real estate projects and even access virtual experiences like a gaming tournament. Poker parlors in Decentraland are run by Decentral Games, which doesn’t possess a gaming license in the U.S., and also doesn’t look to be needing one anytime soon with how they primarily utilize cryptocurrency as their main form of funds.
Artificial intelligence (AI)
Thanks to computer science programming, machines can mimic human thought and activity and even execute human-like tasks. Here, artificial intelligence allows us to play games like chess against a series of algorithms. When used to detect fraud, AI technology can monitor and record shady gamers’ activities. This also allows gaming industries to provide 24/7 customer service using chatbots and other AI-powered tools.
Web 3.0 will expand the playing boundaries for every gaming enthusiast. As it moves to decentralize the industry Web 3.0 will increase its accessibility and potential for gameplay. This is only the beginning of a new era of technology, and everyone, inside and outside of the gaming field, can look forward to the benefits of further developments.
