Since we first reported on Gala Games back in 2021, they have become a force to be reckoned with in blockchain gaming with a complex ecosystem and have many promising games in the works. On 1st June 2022 Gala announced they’re integrating Chainlink VRF to “ensure fun and fair gameplay”. But what is it and what purpose does it serve? Furthermore, why is it so important to blockchain gaming?
The initialism RNG (Random Number Generation) is used in many capacities within gaming and players refer to it to describe all manner of mechanics, but for good reason: randomness plays a central role in gaming. Whether you’re opening a loot crate, taking the spoils from a boss, or receiving rewards, RNG will likely be involved. Nearly all areas of gaming where luck plays a role will be underpinned by RNG. So, why does that need to change in web3?
There have been enormous amounts of unexpected friction in the transition from web2 to web3 as we make our first steps across the threshold. Many systems require rethinking to fit our new framework and as innocuous as it might seem, RNG is one of them. Fair and transparent distribution of loot and rewards is essential and it must be beyond manipulation, particularly with the values that move around in blockchain games. So far, Chainlink VRF is the go-to solution for this problem.
Chainlink VRF (Verifiable Random Function) allows the building of smart contracts that can utilize RNG that is provably fair, verifiably random, and secure. There is no more a succinct description of how this works than by Chainlink themselves:
“Chainlink VRF generates one or more random values and cryptographic proof of how those values were determined. The proof is published and verified on-chain before any consuming applications can use it. This process ensures that results cannot be tampered with or manipulated by any single entity including oracle operators, miners, users, or smart contract developers.”
For a little more depth, the following video is useful:
For Gala’s purposes, the Chainlink VRF has been integrated on the Ethereum mainnet, but it is also compatible with BNB, Polygon, Fantom, and Avalanche.
For RNG — which lives at the heart of much of the gaming experience — to operate comfortably on-chain without being tampered with, it needs a new system and Chainlink VRF is providing it. This news isn’t particularly glamorous, but it might prove to be essential as the blockchain gaming space grows.
