If you owned a computer before the year 2005, you might remember a game called The Sims. For those of you that don’t remember, The Sims was an early virtual gaming environment that allowed you to do fun things like put a grill inside of your kitchen and then sell it when guests started to arrive so that you could afford to buy more chairs.

The game allowed players to start by doing “real-world” things, like building a house, starting a relationship, and growing a family. The Sims provided players with the opportunity to decorate digital homes in Sims City from a curated inventory (or an expanded inventory through expansion packs, sold separately).

While it began a movement in life simulation gaming for PC, The Sims was created before developers could fully take advantage of advancements in virtual reality and blockchain. Today, newer virtual environments are being created that create experiences which truly blend the digital and real world more than ever before. All in all, The Sims should be praised for being a pioneer of its time because it laid a foundation for the future of life simulation in gaming.

Ahead of its Time in Many Ways

After all, The Sims was way ahead of its time in many ways, especially with virtual currency. In 2005 (nearly 4 years before the invention of Bitcoin and 10 years before the invention of Ethereum), online players of The Sims were using what the New York Times described as a virtual currency called “Simoleans.” The currency was purchased by players of The Sims using real-world cash in order to purchase in-game items.

However, The Sims did not capitalize on this trend to integrate the marketplace more fully into the gaming experience. Although it is easy to say now as hindsight in the future, what was missing from The Sims was a blockchain platform that allowed “Simoleans” to be more easily exchangeable with fiat currency. It is here that a modern blockchain protocol could have helped.

Catching up with the times, modern consumer demands, and the newest VR technology, virtual environments are now beginning to build upon the early VR world of The Sims.

New VR Experience Steps in Where The Sims Left Off

One example of a new virtual environment that is continuing from where The Sims left off is called BeachHead. More than just a game, BeachHead allows participants to own rare pieces of digital real estate, own assets, and earn rewards. It is like being in both the physical and digital world.

The connection point that integrates both worlds is a common currency: the BHT token. You can use it to purchase things like rare pieces of digital property. To use the currency, a web portal will be available for users to purchase BHT as ERC20 tokens on the Ethereum blockchain. Players can send these tokens through the Ripple Ledger issuance gateway to convert them into BHT issuances that can be stored in their in-game wallets.

All-in-One: Entertainment, Commerce, and Gaming

BeachHead combines entertainment, real-world commerce, and gaming onto a dual-blockchain layer with a self-sustaining economy with a built-in trading engine. This dual-blockchain architecture consists of Ethereum and Ripple, with the BeachHead platform on the top layer. A Ripple Ledger issuance gateway lies between the Ethereum and Ripple blockchains.

Now more than ever, the virtual realities of today integrate the real world with the digital world. Modern VR puts into question where the distinction between the two worlds lies. Some say that this phenomenon goes beyond gaming and actually serves as the blueprint for the future of reality.

While The Sims undoubtedly laid a foundation for the coming era of virtual reality gaming, it was more of a game than an actual virtual reality experience. VR experiences of today like BeachHead offer totally immersive worlds that include decentralized economies—the ultimate escape from participating in the modern world. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? maybe know you envision being totally immersed in a virtual reality world. The future is here.

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