Bitcoin in Cyberpunk 2077?

[1Max1]

Bitcoin in Cyberpunk 2077?

Hi there CDPR and RPG games fans!

Im now thinking alot about this new game 2077 and decentralized money - Bitcoin.

I hope there wont be any unnecessary paper money in this new game about our future, because it seems like the new money is already here and it is Bitcoin.

I would like to know, if CDPR staff thinks of implementing decentralized cryptocurrencies into this game? Or will the game be available for buying for Bitcoins?

And in general. Why cant I buy The Witcher games for Bitcoins? Why dont guys from CDPR support the future form of money?

I have been working as a bitcoin journalist for about 2 years so please people dont flood this thread with stuff like ''Bitcoin is a financial pyramid' 'Its a fake virtual money' and so on. Youd better read more articles and dive deep into the nature of traditional money and this new type of money called Bitcoin. Because if youll spend at about 4-20 days reading articles on WIRED, TECHCRUNCH or COINDESK, youll understand what is happening now in the financial world and how can Bitcoin adoption help all the people to live happier.

PS. ALL MONEY OF THE WORLD ARE FAKE MONEY. Bitcoin and Gold are the 2 real forms of money we have.

To read more about Bitcoin:

bitcoin.org
news.bitcoin.com
wiki

news

cointelegraph.com
coindesk.com
bitcoinmagazine.com

in russian

lurkmore.to/Bitcoin
bitnovosti.com
coinspot.io
forklog.com

If youll have any questions about the nature of money and the cryptocurrencies - please, ask in this thread.

With great respect to CDProjekt Red and fans, Max from Ukraine.

 

[227]

Because if youll spend at about 4-20 days reading articles on WIRED, TECHCRUNCH or COINDESK, youll understand what is happening now in the financial world and how can Bitcoin adoption help all the people to live happier.

And if you spend 4-20 days watching Ancient Aliens, you'll walk away with some pretty weird ideas. Doesn't mean they're based in reality, though. People get themselves hyped about ideas they believe to be the future, whether it be Bitcoin, VR headsets, cloud gaming, or whatever else.

Personally, I'm a fan of holodecks being the future. I refuse to accept the legitimacy of any future I can't have sex with.

 

[1Max1]

I asked not to do this before reading about the specs at least in one source. Didnt I?

 

[Sardukhar]

I asked not to do this before reading about the specs at least in one source. Didnt I?

You can ask all you want, but it's a discussion forum. If people feel that's what they want to talk about, that's what they want to talk about.

 

[Suhiira]

There will ALWAYS be a "need" for some sort of hard currency the powers that be can't trace. I'd be willing to bet 99% of us have delt with the "Black market" once or twice in out lives (if not regularly).

 

[Shando92286]

Eh, I am sure everyone will still be using some sort of card or scanning something that has access to money. Hell the only time I use "hard" currency is at work because the school cafe and deli near my job don't take card. If I see dollar bills in cyberpunk then I know the future is bleak because people barely ude cash now

By the way, what is the point of bitcoin? Isn't it just an official PayPal currency (sharing money on-line and such)?

 

[Suhiira]

Bitcoin boils down to an independent (i.e. not regulated by any government) form of electronic currency.

 

[Decatonkeil]

All forms of currency are a lie, including bitcoin and including gold (a metal that isn't all that useful and that doesn't even define how modern economy works, as the gold standard was abandoned). All form of currency are a distraction to where true value lies: the goods and services and the surplus value of the work done to produce them. Any form of currency can only be understood as a way to measure how big a part of the cake supposedly belongs to you according to how productive or useful you are, and even that is corrupt.

 

[Shando92286]

All forms of currency are a lie, including bitcoin and including gold (a metal that isn't all that useful and that doesn't even define how modern economy works, as the gold standard was abandoned). All form of currency are a distraction to where true value lies: the goods and services and the surplus value of the work done to produce them. Any form of currency can only be understood as a way to measure how big a part of the cake supposedly belongs to you according to how productive or useful you are, and even that is corrupt.

This is perhaps the most paranoid yet truthful thing I have ever heard. This is why I don't really think bitcoin will matter but time will tell.

 

[Decatonkeil]

This is perhaps the most paranoid yet truthful thing I have ever heard. This is why I don't really think bitcoin will matter but time will tell.

My second name is Paranoid and my surname is Truthful. It's like those hilarious ID cards, passports, driver licenses things that you see all around the Internet.

Now seriously, it's not a paranoid thing. I don't know much about economy, but I tend to mistrust anything that presents itself in such arcane, obfuscating terms that have been proven time and time again not to stand for anything tangible or real, with mantras such as "the free market self-regulates itself"... if economic crises like the one we're all suffering right now, state intervention, public contracts, wartime production and profiteering, financial rescue of banks, the fuckery of trade agreements... is self regulation, I don't want anything to do with it. Like I say, it all just serves to obfuscate much simpler things: you can sit on your pile of gold, money or bitcoin... none of those would be getting you anything or anywhere if not for the trust that is put in those. In fact, you couldn't have got them in the first place without human labour. You can't eat them (though you can try), they don't make food grow, they don't generate energy, they can't entertain you (for long), they can't treat your diseases, they can't teach you skills... they can't make a society work, they don't make an economy, working people do. It's a mighty fine idea to create a system in which people can claim compensation for the services provided, and a currency based economy sure is more regulated and with greater potential than one based on bartering... but it's not perfect, it's not even that much better. It just creates an illusion that you're not renouncing to something you already had in order to exchange it for something you didn't have... but how is it different to renounce to some of the tomatoes you grow in your garden in exchange for something you can't or won't do from adding surplus work and surplus value in producing more tomatoes than the ones you need for your own consumption and survival, to sell them for money or to have your bosses do that, in hope that this money can later be exchanged for a supposedly equivalent value? Only currency obfuscating this simple fact.

 

[227]

I asked not to do this before reading about the specs at least in one source. Didnt I?

Yep, but no one ever grew as a person by shutting out dissenting opinions. Besides, the idea is terrible, and I'll give you a real reason if you need one: because 2077 extrapolates from the retrofuturistic setting of 2020. You can very clearly see this in the teaser, so gluing modern-day elements onto the game would come across every bit as forced as in-game billboards for Pizza Hut.

I don't have much faith in cryptocurrency's ability to last, either. Bitcoin is already just one of many, and it's inevitable that even more will be created and pushed out there until the whole field is a fragmented mess, especially since the value of each is tied to the number of its adherents and their users are thus financially incentivized to move to something newer. That means either a bunch of different variants will rise and fall (and cryptocurrency will fail as people realize the value of each can suddenly plummet to near-worthlessness, making it an unwise place to put their money), or we'll end up with dozens of equal variants existing simultaneously (and stores won't know which to accommodate, also causing cryptocurrency to fail). That's to say nothing of the regulatory problems the whole thing presents for government, or the inherent difficulty of marketing something so niche and technical to the astoundingly dull masses.

I can appreciate good nerd bait, but there's a certain point where enthusiasm gets excessive and needs to be spiked down by the cold, uncaring pimp slap of reality. The point where one starts to believe that a currency has the ability to make people happy is definitely around that point.

 

[Decatonkeil]

Yep, but no one ever grew as a person by shutting out dissenting opinions. Besides, the idea is terrible, and I'll give you a real reason if you need one: because 2077 extrapolates from the retrofuturistic setting of 2020. You can very clearly see this in the teaser, so gluing modern-day elements onto the game would come across every bit as forced as in-game billboards for Pizza Hut.

I don't have much faith in cryptocurrency's ability to last, either. Bitcoin is already just one of many, and it's inevitable that even more will be created and pushed out there until the whole field is a fragmented mess, especially since the value of each is tied to the number of its adherents and their users are thus financially incentivized to move to something newer. That means either a bunch of different variants will rise and fall (and cryptocurrency will fail as people realize the value of each can suddenly plummet to near-worthlessness, making it an unwise place to put their money), or we'll end up with dozens of equal variants existing simultaneously (and stores won't know which to accommodate, also causing cryptocurrency to fail). That's to say nothing of the regulatory problems the whole thing presents for government, or the inherent difficulty of marketing something so niche and technical to the astoundingly dull masses.

You know what? Showing a post cryptocurrency world could be pretty funny in this or in any other cyberpunk works. We've lived enough dramatic economic crises: take some elements from the crack of 29, things like the scam of preferreds or the subprime mortgages and add a futuristic spin to all the human drama. It doesn't have to be the main topic, and I certainly don't need the ego stroking of having something like that written for my approval, but it does fit the genre.

 

[Suhiira]

The thing is all the corps in CP are so corrupt they've created a cesspit where only the most corrupt survive.
Even if some altruistic type wanted to change the system ... how?

 

[1Max1]

Eh, I am sure everyone will still be using some sort of card or scanning something that has access to money. Hell the only time I use "hard" currency is at work because the school cafe and deli near my job don't take card. If I see dollar bills in cyberpunk then I know the future is bleak because people barely ude cash now

By the way, what is the point of bitcoin? Isn't it just an official PayPal currency (sharing money on-line and such)?

Bitcoin is definitely NOT an official PayPal currency. Its just a currency. Well, you can read more via the links I gave. Bitcoin is a new type of money, currently accepted all over the planet. It was created by anonymous people, Satoshi Nakamoto - is the name of creator or a group of creators. Nobody knows wh Satoshi really is, but the system he created is brilliant. Its like Torrents, but with real money instead of files. Every user of the system is its participant and helps it to live.

Bitcoin is cryptographically secured, to make sure noone can steal them or copy as many as he wants. You will need to read very many articles or at least one good book to understand everything.

In short:

Bitcoin has no owners
it needs NO banks at all
Its a decentralized system, where anyone can participate
its a way of 100% anonymously transfer any amount of money all over the world with very low commissions and fees

And yep, it is used in dar markets for selling or buying weapons, drugs, passports and other things. But people can do all that stuff with dollars and any type of fiat papers, so...

---------- Updated at 05:54 PM ----------

You can ask all you want, but it's a discussion forum. If people feel that's what they want to talk about, that's what they want to talk about.

Im not trying to shut someone up. I just cant undestand why do people think something is bad or a financial pyramid WITHOUT lurking more and diving deep into the topic. Its like, someone is coming to you in 1993 and says Hey, I have this thing here, its called Internet, look how awesome it is! And you answer Uuugh, thats not interesting, thats weird, this thing probably die in a couple of months/days.

In fact, anyone really interested in this geeky theme will likely to become a huge fan of decentralized money. Just think of it!!! NO BANKS, no shitty control over all your monetary life, no blocked cards, no account freezing, YOU have all the control over your bitcoins and cryptographic private keys to your wallets.

I recommend everyone to watch some youtube vids with Roger Ver, Andreas Antonopoulos or Eric Voorhies, where they explain why Programmable Money is a true TYPE of money. Current fiat dollar system is based on a unexistent, printed money and many people already aknowledge that fact.

 

[kanonite]

In the hypercorrupt world of Cyberpunk, it is likely that cryptocurrency would be deemed contraband and lumped into the same category as money forgery, all because the corps that run the show do not want to have their profits cut into despite sitting on a Mount Everrests' worth of green.

From a gameplay perspective, it would likely be the black market's cash of choice, and in turn, what the player character uses to buy less than legal equipment and/or stimulants.

 

[Sardukhar]

You will need to read very many articles or at least one good book to understand everything.

In short:

Bitcoin has no owners
it needs NO banks at all
Its a decentralized system, where anyone can participate
its a way of 100% anonymously transfer any amount of money all over the world with very low commissions and fees

This is handy, but it's your first sentence I quoted that explains people's reluctance.

See, the Internet, ( which took quite a while to catch on, decades in fact), is pretty easy to explain...to my Granny. "Granny, it's this big sea of information, stored in computers all over the world. You access it over the phone lines from your computer. It's a combination instant mail service and library."

Bingo, she's got it.

Bitcoin...is more complex and makes some pretty big promises. You remember how long it was until people reliably used credit cards online? Guess what, many still won't. Trust and Money...tough.

So whether cryptocurrencies, which may well be the way of the future, catch on or not, it's going to be a while. And it will take something that uses them simply, in a trustworthy, easily-accessible, easily-explainable way before they start to hit it big. If.

I mean, cool idea and all, but so are cyberlegs and I'm not cutting mine off tomorrow.

 

[matsif]

in the CP2020 manual (which one can loosely use to translate into the environment in this game), the general purpose cash of the world is called Eurodollars, with other national currencies (such as Yen and the US Dollar) still in use. I'd expect to see a similar idea in CP2077 simply due to the fact that it's based off of that world. on top of that, if we can't steal cryptocurrency, how are we supposed to loot the drug dealer with a pocket full of cash? it doesn't work as a game mechanic as it is presented in real life.

in terms of real life, a nationally/internationally recognized currency typically has a government backing it, which is how it derives most of its inherent value. cryptocurrencies derive their value based upon what people want to trade for it in other currencies. this is a highly volatile way to derive a value which could very easily lead to an overnight crash of the value of the cryptocurrency in question. therefore, until it has some sort of way to back its value, it's not going to catch on because the general layperson who doesn't understand it (and likely never will) won't accept it. I know if I go to a shop in LA or NY or a bank in London or Berlin or Moscow or Dubai or Shanghai or Tokyo my US dollar can at least be converted to the locally accepted currency, if not just used outright. I can't walk into a mom and pop restaurant and pay them with a string of random characters, because they don't see how that is an acceptable transaction. and until a major economically trustworthy power (say the EU as a whole or the US as the world's strongest economy) backs cryptocurrency (which defeats half of the purpose of cryptocurrency), it's not going to be the future of money.

 

[dragonbird]

Its like, someone is coming to you in 1993 and says Hey, I have this thing here, its called Internet, look how awesome it is! And you answer Uuugh, thats not interesting, thats weird, this thing probably die in a couple of months/days.

I did just that. In 1993. And, strangely enough, the Internet managed to survive even though the average consumer DIDN'T go and read loads of material about it. We just used it.

And bitcoin in the game? If legal currencies have gone digital, which I would expect to happen by then, the important thing for the less-than-legal transactions would be the ability to hide the transaction and to hide the "bank accounts". That just needs a trusted parallel banking and transaction system, it can still be based on the legal currency.

I'd consider that a parallel banking system is more likely than a full cryptocurrency, as it meets the needs while avoiding all of the problems of stability and conversion.

And yes, I think that cash would still be used for street-level transactions.

 

[Suhiira]

its a way of 100% anonymously transfer any amount of money

I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings ...
But there's no such thing as an anonymous electronic data transfer.

 

[chriswebb2020.736]

I can see a place for corporate scrips and I can see an 'underground' currency, although in 2020 that currency is gold. I know back in the 18th/19th century some companies produced and paid staff in their own currencies, I can see a return of that in 2077, maybe with an illicit black market with exchange rates based in the parent corps stock value.

I don't see a place for bitcoin, specifically. That something similar maybe.