What is The Sandbox the Video Game?

The start of the 2020’ decade was really big for the term “metaverse”. The incorporation of VR and crypto technology is slowly but surely changing the video game future. Big players entered the game like Facebook and Apple who have developed their own VR hardware. This all connects with the term that we hear it so much often - so let’s define it.

What is Metaverse?

Well, it is defined as a shared virtual space that is created with visual enhanced reality that is part of the digital world. Basically, it is a virtual environment where users can interact with each other. But it is not only the big players who are in the metaverse game. There are also live and breathing video games that are shaping the digital world. One of them is The Sandbox. We will learn more about it below.

The Sandbox Metaverse

The Early Beginnings

The first ever release of The Sandbox game dates back to 2012, when it was released on mobile - as a phone game. This game was a collaboration between Pixowl studio and one game developer named Onimatrix. Pixowl is still run by the same people (Sébastian Borget and Arthur Madrid), who in 2018 decided to transfer this game into their own metaverse. Their goal was to incorporate the 3D style game and use blockchain technology. This created a unique world that was received with skepticism by gamers and journalists. Since then, times have changed.

Funding and Creation of the Sandbox Metaverse

As everything was set, and they had the 3D building blocks, next was to offer their coin to the players. In mid 2020, they raised more than $3 million so they continue with development of the game.

Today, The Sandbox is a full metaverse game that runs Ethereum and makes use of this blockchain technology to the max. This game offers players NFTs called LAND - where they can buy plots of land - called LAND. Through owning the land, players can sell or share their land with other users creating unique interaction in the digital world.On the other hand, they have two other tokens - SAND and ASSET tokens. The SAND token is primarily used for purchasing LAND in the metaverse world, trading with other players and even staking some of these tokens to be part of the game’s governing organization. On the other hand, ASSET tokens are other NFTs, that are simply the in-game items players can use or trade with other players.

If you are interested in entering this metaverse, you first need to know how to buy Ethereum so you can have a starting point with your in-game tokens and read a guide or two on how to progress through the game.

The Actual Game

The main goal of this game is to create a new gaming experience of world-building games. In The Sandbox metaverse, players have the power to pave their own gaming experience through the use of the Game Maker tool. This tool allows players to design and publish their creations, which can then be monetized using the game's tokens. What makes this game (like any other game) is its community. Their backing is both financial and creative, contributing to the game development and its growth.Developers give all the freedom to players to use their creativity and make their imagination real. Players can design many important aspects of the game like animation and interactions by using Voxel Editor. With this tool, players can create their own Voxels which can be used to make creations of flora and fauna, and even their own character gear.

Also, the game offers all these creations to be sold on the Sandbox marketplace. As these creations are made they are designed as ASSETS by using ERC1155 tokens. If players want to sell or trade these creations, they will be sold by the SAND currency.

The game offers different types of experiences: Single and Multiplayer, customization of their own avatar, tools to create and launch new games, PVE and PVP experience, and being part of a dynamic economy supported by the SAND and ASSETS tokens.What Can Players Do with SAND Tokens?

There are a couple of ways to earn and use SAND:

• By doing activities and Play and Earn Mechanics players can earn SAND
• Players can use SAND to purchase gear, access story experiences and even avatars
• Buy LAND from other players
• Create gear or other assets that later can be sold on the SAND marketplace
• Make some money by keeping up to 95% of their SAND token

Future Developments and Partnerships

The Sandbox has a dynamic development and always finds interesting partnerships. One of those is with the legendary Snoop Dogg and his "Snoopverse". Players can fully explore a virtual replica of Snoop’s Los Angeles mansion. Another notable collaboration is with “The Walking Dead” universe, adding a zombie themed experience for players. More interesting collaborations are in the pipeline, and players are excited for what comes next.

Conclusion

The turn of events in video gaming is becoming quite intriguing through the creation of these types of metaverse games. The Sandbox, through its user-generated content and constant development and updates will surely break into mainstream sooner or later. Not only that, but we think this game will be taken as an example by future game developers on how to create a successful and interesting metaverse game. The future of gaming looks promising!