New Experiment Allows You to Play Monopoly on the Blockchain

Just recently, a new study has been revealed using blockchain technology and the popular Parker Brothers board game Monopoly. In his study, Blocktech IVS founder and CEO Thorkild Grothe-Møller mixes innovative protocols with a classic board game that operates on the principles of basic economics.

Also read: IBM Exec to US Gov’t: ‘Safeguard’ Blockchain Innovation or Risk Falling Behind

Using Blockchain Tech with Monopoly Gives Researcher’s Informative Data

On May 22nd, 2016, Grothe-Møller published a video of his proof-of-concept that applies distributed ledger technology and the board game Monopoly. Grothe-Møller operates his startup Blocktech IVS, which delivers services within the area of blockchain applications and solutions. The company, Grothe-Møller states, “is trying to bridge the gap between technology and needs in the real world.”

This particular testing has applied blockchain techniques to Monopoly, and offers a realistic examination. Grothe-Møller explains that the board game observation serves two purposes:

Tool for everyone to understand the concept, potential, and limitations of the blockchain technology

Workbench for experimentation, demonstration and test of solutions

In the video, Grothe-Møller describes the technical applications used in the process of this experimentation. The vision is a multiplayer game running on a web browser that stores transactions and smart contracts on a distributed ledger platform. When playing the Monopoly scheme, the blockchain records titles, building ownership, and money throughout — giving insight to all moves played. They chose to use the popular Parker Brothers game because the rules are known by most everyone. Grothe-Møller says that the game also reflects real economic situations, and is the perfect testing ground for trying blockchain technology. Some of the scenarios the project supports include:

User-identity of players

Link real-world objects into a blockchain

Selling and Buying

Cross-border transactions

Smart-contracts for Escrow

Supply-chain-management

Grothe-Møller says the developers have a running prototype working with the Monopoly game. He says that, with this proof-of-concept, the Blocktech IVS team has gained a wealth of experience and knowledge throughout the experimentation. The working prototype is built on the Ethereum blockchain with Microsoft Visual Studio and its Solidity add-on. The combination of these technologies is used to “compile and deploy” contracts throughout the game. The project services also run on NodeJS, BlockApps Strato, and Web3 platforms.

Grothe-Møller gives a full demonstration on a Windows virtual environment and syncs up the platform with an Ethereum node. After the blockchain is connected, the game is booted up on the BlockApps framework, allowing the Monopoly app to run on a web browser.

Users sign up with a public/private key based on the Ethereum blockchain and each player is given their own profile. Within this interface, user data stores real-estate property titles, Monopoly dollars (MOD) and statistics throughout the gameplay. Grothe-Møller is welcoming the public to participate, and people can email him at tgm@blocktech.dk.

Not only is Grothe-Møller the founder of Blocktech IVS, he is also the CTO of Common Collection (CC), a peer-to-peer nonprofit using digital currency for charitable giving.

Bitcoin.com has done an interview with Thorkild’s family member Elisabeth Grothe-Møller regarding the CC platform. In fact, quite a few members of the Grothe-Møller family are involved with innovative applications using these technologies. The tethering of blockchain technology to a well-known board game such as Monopoly is fascinating and could lead to some significant research analysis. Blocktech IVS aims to use research and development like the Monopoly build to help bolster distributed ledger technology and apply it to our everyday lives.

What do you think about this Monopoly board game proof-of-concept? Let us know in the comments below!

Images via Blocktech IVS, and Pixabay.