Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends: Elford Stephens, Phil Thomas, and Andy Hunter. This time around, we dive into the world of cryptocurrency and its relationship to gaming. We examine the basics of blockchain technology, decentralized digital currencies, and NFTs as well as some of the hopes (and very, very real problems) with the current crypto scene. We use this to talk about "play-to-earn" (P2E) games, a genre where people can earn crypto by buying, selling, and trading NFTs.  

Topics discussed include: How a Magic: The Gathering  online exchange/Flash game homepage ended up losing millions of dollars worth of Bitcoin, how to make a ton of money selling a Metroid Dread receipt, and the rise and fall of Scandal Coin (TM).

To learn more about the chaotic world of anarcho-capitalists, shoddy cybersecurity, questionable legality, and hilarious crypto scams, check out David Gerrard, Attack of the 50 Foot Blockchain: Bitcoin, Blockchain, Ethereum & Smart Contracts (2017). https://davidgerard.co.uk/blockchain/ 

Check out Phil's sweet NFT: https://nflallday.com/moments/666efe5d-7a4c-4a3a-9e91-50a63fe0429b

For More on the WATA Games Scandal: Karl Jobst, "Exposing FRAUD And DECEPTION In The Retro Video Game Market," YouTube, August 23, 2021, https://youtu.be/rvLFEh7V18A

Watch the Evolved Apes trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g63XqyYL8w0

Theme Music: Occam's Sikhwee by Sikh Knowledge (Free Music Archive: https://bit.ly/33G4sLO), used under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US (https://bit.ly/33JXogQ) 

More info, including show notes and sources at http://scandalousgamespodcast.wordpress.com.