Sandbox is a play-to-earn game that combines blockchain, DeFi and NFT technology in a 3D meta-universe. The virtual world allows players to create their own games and digital assets using free tools. The virtual goods created can then be monetized as NFT and sold for SAND tokens on The Sandbox Marketplace. The SAND token is a native token of The Sandbox. It is used for all transactions and in-game interactions.
Introduction
The gaming industry is investing a lot of resources in its blockchain projects, especially in the creation of meta universes to improve gameplay. After Facebook’s rebranding to Meta in October 2021, the popularity of games with meta universes has skyrocketed. Blockchain-based metal valleys offer new ways for players to interact and own digital assets in the game. The Sandbox is one of the most popular blockchain game projects, offering players a unique experience in a virtual environment. This game unleashes players’ creativity and allows them to contribute by creating in-game items and virtual lands in the form of non-exchangeable tokens (NFTs).
What is The Sandbox (SAND)?
The Sandbox is a blockchain-based play-to-earn game that allows players to create a virtual world using non-exchangeable tokens (NFTs) on the Ethereum blockchain. Players can create their own avatars and use them to explore game worlds and The Sandbox’s meta world. The game can also be thought of as a DeFi version of Minecraft on the blockchain.
Released by Pixowl in 2011, The Sandbox was originally created as a mobile gaming platform designed to compete with Minecraft. With over 40 million downloads worldwide, The Sandbox became a real hit. In 2018, however, co-founders Arthur Madrid and Sébastien Borgett became interested in the potential of a three-dimensional metaclass on the blockchain. Their goal was to allow players to truly own their creations in the form of NFT and earn rewards in the ecosystem. The new project was released in 2020, and The Sandbox has become one of the fastest-growing games in the cryptocurrency world – along with Axie Infinity and Decentraland.
In November 2021, The Sandbox raised $93 million in funding from investors led by Japanese mobile giant SoftBank. And more than 50 partners, including Atari, a well-known game company, CryptoKitties, The Walking Dead, and hip-hop star Snoop Dogg.
How does The Sandbox work?
The Sandbox is a dynamic user-created virtual world. Players can release their own NFTs, and create avatars, virtual goods, and even games using VoxEdit and Game Maker. Virtual goods are used not only to interact with other players but also to monetize NFTs and trade on the Sandbox Marketplace.
VoxEdit
VoxEdit is a handy software for creative people and players to create, promote, and animate voxel NFTs. Voxels are volumetric pixels that resemble Lego blocks. You can edit them and give them different shapes with VoxEdit. Users can create different items for their avatars, such as clothes or weapons, as well as animals, plants, game tools, and items to interact with The Sandbox. Created virtual items can then be monetized as NFTs and sold on The Sandbox Marketplace.
Game Maker
Game Maker allows users to create and test their 3D games in the Sandbox metaverse universe. It is a fairly simple program that does not require special programming knowledge. Users can edit various elements and NFTs created with VoxEdit in an environment called LAND. For example, they can edit the environment, place characters and buildings, and perform quests from the community library. Players can also share their creations with the Sandbox community.
The Sandbox Marketplace
The Sandbox Marketplace, launched in April 2021, is an NFT marketplace where users can trade in-game assets (ASSETS) using the SAND token, Sandbox’s own cryptocurrency. Purchased ASSETS can then be added to LANDs (NFTs) using Game Maker and create their own games. These NFTs represent objects, buildings, accessories and other items that can be used in The Sandbox.
As mentioned, The Sandbox uses several different tokens for player interaction with the platform. These include SAND, LAND, and ASSETS.
What is the Sandbox (SAND)?
Sandbox (SAND) is a native token of The Sandbox. It is an ERC-20 token with a total offering of 3 billion.
As a utility token, SAND is used to perform all types of transactions and interactions in the Sandbox ecosystem. This means that players need to purchase a SAND token to play, create avatars, buy LAND, and trade ASSETS in the Sandbox Marketplace. SAND is also a control token. SAND owners can vote for changes to the platform through a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO).
In addition, owners can add SAND to stacking and receive rewards as well as a portion of the revenue from all transactions in SAND tokens. SAND token stacking can increase the chances of finding valuable GEM and CATALYST gaming resources, which are used to create rare ASSETS.
What are ASSETS?
ASSETS are user-created NFTs. They are voxel assets created with VoxEdit, which are then uploaded to The Sandbox Marketplace and converted into NFTs for sale.
ASSETS can be used in different ways in the game. They are usually environmental objects – buildings, animals, or cars. They can also be attached to your avatar as clothing or weapons. Game Maker game developers use ASSETS to create unique gameplay experiences.
What is LAND?
LANDs are digital real estate items on the Sandbox platform. They are ERC-721 tokens issued on the Ethereum blockchain. Players can buy LANDs and create their own versions of games using ASSETS and the Game Maker tool, as well as combine multiple LANDs to create ESTATEs with a maximum size of 24 by 24.
LANDs allow players to monetize their game experience. For example, they can charge other players who visit their lands and play their games, earn rewards in SAND by posting content and hosting events and sell or rent out LANDs.
The total supply of LAND tokens in The Sandbox is 166,464. They can be purchased for SAND and ether (ETH) through LAND public sales. A list of confirmed public sales with dates can be viewed at Gitbook Sandbox. Alternatively, you can buy LAND from others on the Sandbox Marketplace and NFT platforms such as OpenSea, but the prices are often higher than the official public sales.
Conclusion
The Sandbox is a custom content creation platform that allows players to contribute to the meta-universe. Unlike other popular money-making games, The Sandbox does not have a pre-made game world. It takes a flexible approach to customization with free and user-friendly tools. User content can also be monetized in the form of NFT or used to improve gameplay.
