A player can opt to link their profile to cryptographic keys. Doing so turns the concept of a "wallet" into the "PLAY ID". The verified profile can then be used to initiate and respond to transactions on the blockchain.
Once verified, the profile becomes a "trusted" entity in the "trustless transaction" context of the blockchain.
The profile can be anonymous (decoupled from any “real world” identity) yet verifiably identified.
It can also be sold to another owner, allowing for complex “play to earn” dynamics in a secondary market for profiles.
The PLAY ID can be the owner of the player inventory, including tokens and smart-contracts affiliated to unique game objects they own.
Thus a “legendary player” can decide to exit the profile, and put their profile up for auction, receiving a material reward for their gaming efforts. The new owner inherits the profile and the unique owned inventory in the profile.
Verified player profiles enable deployment of cross-game leaderboards without requiring separate logins (e.g. via Apple or Google login), where the standings can factor in player performance in separate games.
This opens up the enticing possibility for the sponsorship of pseudonymous players in an esports context.
Web 2 conditioned people to register for services using their “real world identity.” In the context of a closed platform, like Google or Facebook oAuth, this creates the “trust” that allows for a “friends list” to appear.
A verified user profile - backed by an ERC-20 token, is capable of generating “trust” without any association to a “real world identity” and Web 2 platforms.
Trusted pseudonymity liberates people from being judged for their biology- their gender, age, skin color, body type.
They can forge a new identity while permitting for the development of trusted reputational capital and social connections over time.
Trusted pseudonymity allows for the posting / sharing of game moments with confidence that the event is truly associated with that verified player.
This allows for the development of reputational capital independent of “real world identity.”
Social feeds can be syndicated across games, allowing for cross-game discovery.
Trusted profiles remove the need for complicated Web 2 style “oAuth login” systems- the smart contract behind the profile handles authentication seamlessly in the background.
Rewards pertaining to achievements can be optionally bound to a smart contract. The player who owns the reward can now trade it to another player (if the contract permits the trading of rewards).
This opens up the core mechanic associated with “play to earn”- as players achieve goals, their reward(s) can be sold for remuneration.
Developers can receive “downstream royalties” from the smart contract as the object is traded (if they opt to include this right in the minting of the reward).