91传媒

Living in Neon

Rebels on homemade motorbikes clash with gleaming cyborgs in the cyberpunk landscape of Neon District. The soon-to-be-released video game is the brainchild of CEO Marguerite deCourcelle, 鈥�09. Hidden riddles and surprise attacks await players in the painterly tech-noir environment.

鈥淚鈥檝e always been interested in how art, science and technology crossover to create interactive experiences,鈥� she said.

Neon District鈥檚 innovative approach integrates grassroots puzzle-solving with a new kind of utilitarian artistry. DeCourcelle, an art alumna turned creative technologist, stepped onto the Bitcoin scene in 2013 and realized that art could play a role in the emerging marketplace. Bitcoin mining involves a network of computers using algorithms to solve a puzzle. Why couldn鈥檛 people do something similar? So she created the first in 2014, a painting called .

鈥淭here鈥檚 a that lays out the whole trail, but the image is basically a portal to multiple platforms across the internet. It鈥檚 a rabbit hole that keeps leading you back to the painting for the next clue,鈥� deCourcelle said. 鈥淚 wanted to mimic the concept of Bitcoin mining by creating an image that holds secrets.鈥�

The painting garnered huge attention and spawned a new outlet for the growing Bitcoin community. DeCourcelle is more interested in bringing people together around a digital puzzle than making money, she said. But her puzzles continue to serve tech companies and organizations by engaging users.

鈥淭he most incredible art pieces become special because of their lore,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he stories and secrets you can unravel take art beyond something nice to look at, into something you can interact with.鈥�

A puzzle created specially for the 91传媒 community. The answer is an Ethereum private key that gives access to about $200 worth of $ETH. This puzzle uses a cipher.

After graduating from 91传媒, deCourcelle focused on traditional fine art for about four years before moving to the very cutting edge of what curators consider artwork. DeCourcelle said the crypto-puzzles demonstrated, 鈥測ou can pull value out of art.鈥� But she鈥檚 not talking about the price of paintings hung in a gallery. DeCourcelle trades in art with utility.

If an artist creates a texture for a jacket that video game characters wear, every time players trade or re-sell the jacket, a fee goes to the artist. DeCourcelle said consumers, sellers and artists all win with this decentralized arrangement, in which digital assets maintain their bond with the original artist. Likewise, players in this system own the game assets they invest in, and can carry them into other games. The idea has been around for decades, but recent advances in blockchain technology make it possible to monetize the exchanges.

DeCourcelle, a fine art major who now uses her skills in digital media, founded Blockade Games in early 2018. Today it employs over a dozen people across the globe and produces several blockchain-based games and interactive experiences.

鈥淏lockchain is to Bitcoin, what the internet is to email,鈥� Technology Reporter Sally Davies said. 鈥淎 big electronic system, on top of which you can build applications. Currency is just one.鈥�

Blade Runner meets Terminator in Neon District, the company鈥檚 largest undertaking yet. The party-based role-playing game sends a group of characters, equipment and other assets through a series of challenges against robot enemies. Unlike other video games, weapons, clothing and armor in Neon District evolve with each triumph or defeat, and become more valuable as gameplay progresses.

The allows players to buy, sell and trade the crypto-collectibles among peers and across platforms. Industries from stock trading, to business contracts, voting polls, file storage, identity protection, and land title registration could soon benefit from the transparency and security of blockchains.

Blockade Games employs a number of independent artists, fulfilling deCourcelle鈥檚 aim of freeing her peers from the paradox set up by the conventional art world. She said creative technologists have often been excluded from opportunities to make a living from their most innovative work. Her company opens the door for artists and developers to invest in passion projects without sacrificing their own financial stability.

鈥淰ideo games aren鈥檛 considered fine art, but 50 percent

of game development is really intense art production,鈥� she said.

DeCourcelle oversees game development for all of the company鈥檚 products, including its free mini-games like Plasma Bears and the Pineapple Arcade. She also heads its strategic marketing and fundraising efforts. , which launches a private beta version on May 1, is already valued at more than $13 million.

鈥淢aking a video game, especially a fun one, is very difficult,鈥� deCourcelle said.

As the company has grown, deCourcelle has learned to navigate the rocky terrain of managing finances, employees and production simultaneously. She said early mistakes taught her to identify the organization鈥檚 priorities and adapt quickly to change.

“That鈥檚 the thing about being an entrepreneur,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou have to take hard hits, then get back up and try to do better. That鈥檚 the differentiator between being successful or not.鈥�

Blockade鈥檚 staff is fully distributed: they all work online, meet through video calls, and maintain ongoing chat threads that keep team members in touch. The company鈥檚 business model mirrors the blockchain itself, decentralizing an entire office. The TechStars incubator connects start-ups with 鈥渁 network of people who will be successful alongside鈥� one another. This spring, deCourcelle鈥檚 team is one of just 10 young companies participating in the New York City accelerator鈥檚 blockchain-focused program.

鈥淲e鈥檙e in a good position to show vision for the industry and it鈥檚 exciting to be there as a pioneer,鈥� deCourcelle said. 鈥淲e want to help steer the course of where these blockchain applications can go in a crossover with game development.鈥�