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Major League Baseball Is Going Crypto (engadget.com)

The blockchain gaming company Lucid Sight is partnering with Major League Baseball to launch MLB Crypto Baseball. Engadget's Daniel Roberts explains: Ethereum, launched in 2015, is a decentralized platform for "smart contracts," which are automated agreements for an exchange of value. It runs on a blockchain, the same peer-to-peer, immutable, public ledger technology that bitcoin runs on. The cryptocurrency of Ethereum is ether. Because of Ethereum's usefulness for smart contracts, it has become a proving ground for blockchain-based games, where users collect and trade one-of-a-kind items that no one can duplicate or steal. On a blockchain, each digital item (or contract) is verified and tamper-proof.

In MLB Crypto Baseball, users will pay in ether to buy digital avatars tied to specific moments in recent games. They can then sell the items, or in some cases, earn rewards and stickers. The game is a decentralized app, or "dApp." [...] To play the game at launch, users must own some amount of ether and must transfer it to a web plug-in called MetaMask. (CryptoKitties works the same way.) Lucid Sight hopes to have an easy mobile app ready shortly after launch. "We are not building this just for tech savvy people," says Lucid Sight cofounder Octavio Herrera. "That said, the game will roll out in stages. So yes, for version 1 you will need ether, you will need MetaMask, it will be a little bit difficult to get into. But I do think people will open up Coinbase accounts, buy some ether, and transfer it to MetaMask, in order to collect these things they'll enjoy so much."

51 comments

  1. That makes sense by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Trying to spice up the one game that's even more boring than soccer.

  2. Lucid Sight is trying by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    But check out the graphics from one of their recent games. There are screenshots. They aren't trying very hard.

    1. Re:Lucid Sight is trying by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I use PhotoShop daily! :)

      I have a hearing loss in one ear, so my audio will always be suspect. I use a Zoom H2 audio recorder with a pop filter 12" away from my mouth, Audacity to clean up and normalize the audio, and sync the audio to the video and apply a "voice enhancement" eq to the audio in the video editor.

      My PC has an eight-core processor and a Nvidia 1050 Ti 4GB video card. A minute of 1080p video renedered on the processor takes a minute. A minute of 1080p video rendered on the Nvidia card takes 10 seconds. I don't think an iPad has the same performance of my PC for rendering videos longer than a short clip.

      I can't imagine using Photoshop without a keyboard and mouse, or not being able to access my files from my file server. Video rendering on the iPad will probably suck donkey balls.

      Blackmagic also charges high prices for their gear as Apple does. Need an HDMI to USB3 capture device? Blackmagic is $300. Any generic company is $50.

      I take public transit. A local bus take me down the street to pick up the express bus, the express bus drops me off in Palo Alto, and a local bus take me down the street to my job. An hour each way. Driving through Palo Alto during rush hour is insane. Since I work in government I.T., I start work at 7:00AM.

      Yes, but what did you have for breakfast and did you post it on FB?

    2. Re:Lucid Sight is trying by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Damn, Star Fox looks great on that new N64 emulator.

  3. *eyecross* by Hognoxious · · Score: 3, Funny

    Didn't understand a word of that.

    Think I'll wait for the movie to come out.

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    1. Re:*eyecross* by PolygamousRanchKid+ · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Didn't understand a word of that.

      "Bitcoin Beanie Baby Baseball Cards"

      Major League Baseball is worried that a future enraged, confused and heavily armed O. J. Simpson will rob a baseball card traders convention in Las Vegas, claiming that he is just "looking for his shit".

      With Bitcoin Beanie Baby Baseball Cards, there is nothing physical to steal.

      So, what can he do . . . raid a data center . . . ?

      --
      Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
    2. Re:*eyecross* by meglon · · Score: 1

      I'm thinking it's something like that Pokemon Go, only staring really boring baseball game characters.

      --
      Fascism: An authoritarian and nationalistic right-wing system of government and social organization. See also: NAZI's
    3. Re:*eyecross* by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      lol so now we can get "limited edition" bitcoins wooooooooo !!!!! touched by MLB PLAYERS WOWWWWW

    4. Re:*eyecross* by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah. If I understood that correctly (no guarantees), they're essentially talking about in-app purchases but with the additional headache of having to acquire a cryptocurrency first.

  4. Here is an idea for free by Sqreater · · Score: 2

    Do it with collectibles like coins. Own the blockchain version of a particular coin. Buy and sell collectibles of all kinds without the hassle of actually dealing with a physical copy. Why not blockchain stamps also. Cars too. Anything people collect can be blockchained I believe. People who own and warehouse a thing can sell the blockchain ownership rights to it. End of physical auction houses.

    --
    E Proelio Veritas.
    1. Re:Here is an idea for free by Megane · · Score: 1
      --
      #naabhaprzrag, #sverubfr-000, #agi-fcbafberq, negvpyr[pynff*=' negvpyr-ary-'] { qvfcynl: abar !vzcbegnag; }
    2. Re: Here is an idea for free by Sqreater · · Score: 1

      Not joking. Aware of kitties.

      --
      E Proelio Veritas.
  5. I see by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm pretty sure I didn't understand what the fuck this was talking about, but I am still quite certain that it is completely retarded just the same.

    1. Re: I see by c6gunner · · Score: 2

      I'm pretty sure I didn't understand what the fuck this was talking about,

      It's cryptokitties for baseball dweebs. Like collecting baseball cards but without the cards.

      but I am still quite certain that it is completely retarded just the same.

      Yep. You know it'll make money though, so "retarded" is more descriptive of the target audience rather than the venture itself.

  6. Re:Fake creimer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Non-dairy creimer?

  7. Better Idea by dohzer · · Score: 2

    A better idea would be blockchained loot boxes containing baseball cards.

  8. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    CryptoKitties works the same way.

  9. Let explain it to you in four words. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yet another speculation instrument.

  10. Oh boy! More funny money! by Chas · · Score: 3, Insightful

    And the new buzzword is "CRYPTO!"

    Like "The Cloud" before it.

    And like "The Internet" before that.

    *Dumb Idea* + *BUZZWORD* = a bunch of stupid lemmings screaming "BRILLIANT!" and diving off their cliffs.

    --


    Chas - The one, the only.
    THANK GOD!!!
  11. immutable? by dontbgay · · Score: 1

    Accenture recently proposed a blockchain editing tool. Sure seems like immutable isn't what it used to be.

    It's only a matter of time before blockchain is easier edited than the actual books

    --
    Sig not found.
    1. Re:immutable? by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      Accenture recently proposed a blockchain editing tool. Sure seems like immutable isn't what it used to be. It's only a matter of time before blockchain is easier edited than the actual books

      Damn, I laughed when I read that article. Of course, the financial industry "needs" to get in there and massage the data.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    2. Re:immutable? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Accenture recently proposed a blockchain editing tool. Sure seems like immutable isn't what it used to be.

      It would be less incorrect for you to say "Sure seems like blockchain isn't what it used to be"

      A blockchain isn't undetectably immutable because each transaction is signed based on those before it.

      What Accenture is claiming to have made is some other non-blockchain software. Their software doesn't do anything a blockchain does. So if course its editable.
      Quickbooks is editable, does that reflect poorly upon real blockchain software simply because Quickbooks renames their software to "Quickbooks blockchain edition" ?

      (Sadly these days, it seems like to most people that would be the case)

  12. That's just stupid... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And pete rose wants to know if you can use it to bet on major league games...

    1. Re:That's just stupid... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Everyone associated with baseball is allowed to "gamble" now, other than Pete Rose. Except they don't call it gambling anymore, they call it "fantasy sports."

      Pete Rose's major fault was, he was gambling and MLB was not getting a cut of the funds.

  13. i just got an idea. by Blaede · · Score: 3, Funny

    What if we put CRYPTO...in the CLOUD...via MOBILE...using a THIN CLIENT...on the INTERNET?!?!?!?

    You just made me a rich person.

    1. Re: i just got an idea. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You forgot AI, cyber, blockchain, and Apps!

    2. Re: i just got an idea. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Synergize!

    3. Re: i just got an idea. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm going to bring this up in my scrum because it may be a disruptive tech

  14. Crypto-Collectibles? by Xnet+Project · · Score: 1

    I have a feeling if Major League Baseball continues down this path the the term "Crypto-Collectibles" will be coined at some point in the marketing realm for collector items.

    1. Re:Crypto-Collectibles? by Ranbot · · Score: 1

      ..."Crypto-Collectibles".... marketing... collector items.

      Tangentially related to the idea of "crypto-collectibles" (and I don't see a better place to put this thought)...

      If in the near-ish future average people could easily and unobtrusively display virtual/crypto collectibles, then it becomes less crazy to think they could have real world demand/value. For example if AR becomes commonly-used technology, which really isn't a far-fetched idea, then it would be pretty natural for people to use AR to display opinions or interests in subjects as they already do with T-shirts, bumper-stickers, jacket patches, keychains, ball caps, posters, photographs, trinkets, license plate covers, etc. In an AR-capable world with blockchain to prove authenticity, the early adopters could have something relatively rare and valuable. Virtual (i.e. not-real) stuff goes against everything I conceive of as value, but only the stuff no one expects to have value ends up rare and valuable. If not for all those kids who used to jam Mickey Mantle rookie cards into their bike spokes to make noises, the card probably wouldn't fetch more than $3 million at auction today ( http://www.sportingnews.com/ml... ).

  15. Oh, a video game by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I got to the third paragraph before I realized this was about a video game, as opposed to baseball.

  16. Re:Oh boy! More funny money! by blackprint · · Score: 1

    Lemmings don't actually commit suicide. Let's not sully the good lemming name by connecting them to our marketing zombies.

  17. ERC-721 by fulldecent · · Score: 1

    Hello, I'm the lead author of ERC-721 (the "Non-fungible Token Standard" or "Deeds") which is how collectable crypto-assets can work interoperability with crypto-collecting wallets.

    I believe this is the technology that is implied to power MLB Crypto Baseball.

    Right now I am skeptical that this project is real. First all of the news is related to ICO/blockchain news/nerd news. Can anybody point to a press release or Tweet FROM Major League Baseball that confirms this licensing deal is authentic? I have seen other crypto companies that announced a deal with Visa and Mastercard, later to find out that those companies did not actually authorize any deal.

    Also the website here https://www.lucidsight.com/ does not have a trademark symbol next to MLB Crypto Baseball. Nor does it have a registered trademark symbol next to the MLB logo. Nor does the bottom of the website say "The MLB logo is a registered trademark of Major League Baseball." So I'm going to say this is pretty much bullshit. I went to the LIMA licensing conference in Las Vegas this year -- entities like MLB don't draft rookies like Lucid Sight.

    In other news, the 0xcert promo video (I'm an advisor to them) did just release a promo video listing collectable baseball cards as a target use case. So we are planning to make this work. And if MLB is reading this, call me.

    --

    -- I was raised on the command line, bitch

    1. Re:ERC-721 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hello, I'm the lead author of ERC-721 (the "Non-fungible Token Standard" or "Deeds") which is how collectable crypto-assets can work interoperability with crypto-collecting wallets.

      I write psychotic diatribes on the walls in my own excrement. But at least I'm harmless.

  18. Impersonating me AGAIN? Please... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    See subject: You impersonating me proves you wish you were me & imitation is the sincerest form of flattery - but you = poor imitation.

    * You even "threatened me" by promising you would impersonate me as you STALKED ME too by your UNIDENTIFIABLE anonymous trollings of myself also https://yro.slashdot.org/comme...

    APK

    P.S.=> Grow up & do something useful w/ yourself ... apk

  19. Wha? by Rick+Zeman · · Score: 1

    Was there even any content in that article beyond the buzzwords?

  20. STOP CALLING PROOF OF WORK CRYPTO! RAAAARRR by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    For pete's sake, please STOP calling proof-of-work and proof-of-stake and whatever other hash-collision BS you're basing your next Ponzi-scheme on "Crypto". Crypto is a prefix and means nothing by itself. Crypto-what? Crypto-sandwiches? Crypto-fidgetspinners? If anything, it already has a well-established history of implying -graphy, as in cryptography, which hash collision systems ARE NOT.

    I know it's a losing battle, but let's please try not to ruin the implied meaning of 'crypto' like 'hacker' was.

    1. Re: STOP CALLING PROOF OF WORK CRYPTO! RAAAARRR by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Lol, no, language changes. Crypto is a crypto currency. Deal with it.

  21. dapp MetaMask CryptoKitties by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    dapp MetaMask CryptoKitties - makes me feel stupid - does this mean anything?

  22. Re:Oh boy! More funny money! by Chas · · Score: 1

    It's, again, another "popular term" that's understood.

    --


    Chas - The one, the only.
    THANK GOD!!!