Tableland for Gaming

Tableland for Gaming

Tableland offers a web3 native SQL database solution for blockchain and NFT game developers. Some common use cases from web3 game developers include: dynamic, playable NFTs, global leaderboards & asset tracking, lootboxes and more.

Tableland for Gaming

Tableland is a web3 native SQL database that enables mutability, unlocking new, dynamic possibilities for blockchain games.

Tableland provides a permissionless, relational database of SQL tables that can be easily read, queried or joined by a wallet powered app. Data is mutable, but mutability is restricted based on rules written into the smart contract. It is designed for web3 builders, addressing some critical needs including:

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COMPOSABLE Tables are openly readable & programmable by default, simplifying composability
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PERMISSIONLESS & SECURE Run via a network of database operators (validators) with every call passing through the host chain
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WEB3 NATIVE ACL ACL rules are written into the Smart Contract and managed via a token (i.e. token gated) or wallet address
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EFFICIENT Table state off-chain means efficient querying, reading and writing of data, enabling efficient dynamism

Gaming Use Case Spotlight

Some common use cases for Tableland by blockchain games include:

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Dynamic, Playable NFTs Track in-game achievements, unlock benefits, and give NFT owners permissions to customize the look or capabilities of an in-game NFT based on achievements earned.
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Global Leaderboards & Asset Tracking Create a global leaderboard or scoresheet of achievements tied to a wallet or token address. Openly readable tables enable possibilities for adjacent game ecosystems & communities to collaborate.
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Joint Data Sources Join in-game or user-owned tables with globally accessible tables or real-world states. For example, build a fantasy soccer league based on user-controlled rosters joined with real-time game results.

Solving Builder Pain Points

The following is a compilation of solutions and ideas for using Tableland to solve various industry challenges for game developers. They are compiled in response to market research and feedback from builders.*

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Crafting (Combining NFTs to generate a new NFT) is made easy with Tableland, due to the open composability of each NFT’s metadata. Expand for example use cases, and ways Tableland enables collaboration between NFT ecosystems.
  • Scenario 1: Token A & B Belong to the Same Project:
    • If NFT A is combined with NFT B, you could mint a new NFT C and burn the others: A + B = C. There are ways you could insert Tableland into the equation to make things more sophisticated, like instead of burning both A and B, you mutate A’s metadata so that it turns into C (while only burning B). Or, maybe you dynamically “downgrade” A and B metadata to a stock items while minting C.
  • Scenario 2: Token A & B Belong to Different Projects. i.e. the following is a cross-collab idea:
    • Token A’s metadata is “watching” (via a SQL query) a project that mints token B. token A’s metadata gets updated automatically if token B is collected, thus, crafting it into a “new” token via dynamic metadata. Namely, NFT metadata is a SQL query, so you could construct the query to return a specific ERC721 compliant response based on all of the table data.
  • Current ERC721 NFT standards are not well suited for the application of web3 games. ERC721’s non-fungible characteristics make it nearly impossible for there to be a trustless third-party minting interface. This makes it difficult for in-game use cases such as crafting (combining NFTs to generate a new NFT), burning (deleting NFTs), and other functionalities trustlessly onchain. (pg 13 https://cdn.game7.io/reports/Game-Developer-Report-by-Game7.pdf)
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Lootboxes (claiming tokens by opening a randomized box) with verified randomness via Chainlink’s VRF can be made cheaper with Tableland, and front-end dapps can easily update to reflect NFT updates as a result of Lootbox outcomes. Expand for more context.
  • Chainlink’s VRF gets randomness on-chain, with the smart contract asking the VRF for a random number, emitting an event. The Chainlink nodes hear the event and write the random number back-on chain. With a loot box, VRF usually updates a state storage variable which changes what the lootbox will reward.
  • Tableland can be inserted to make this cheaper since it actually mutates the NFT through ways that are less expensive than writing to on-chain storage. This can be especially beneficial in scenarios where there are multiple lootboxes in an experience (e.g. spin 3 times and the combination of outcomes determines the NFT mutations). Tableland also makes it super easy for frontend dapps to update according to any NFT changes.
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Synchronizing on-chain/off-chain data with Tableland by “listening” to changes in table state. This allows updates to a dapp based on on-chain, event driven updates.
  • With Tableland, on-chain actions will update a table, and a game developer’s app can reflect this change in real time. In other words, simply query the Tableland network, and all live state from on-chain interactions will be displayed in the frontend.
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Infrastructure—circumvent centralized databases or complex & suboptimal “mutable” data processes with distributed file systems, and instead, use a SQL database that extends the base chain.

Leading Builders Choose Tableland

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References

*https://cdn.game7.io/reports/Game-Developer-Report-by-Game7.pdf