Merit Circle DAO Unleashes Beam: A Revolutionary Web3 Gaming Subnet on Avalanche Network
Merit Circle DAO has launched Beam—a specialized blockchain subnet on Avalanche Network. Designed for developers and gamers, Beam leverages Avalanche's speed and low fees to offer a seamless experience.
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Web3 gaming is one of the major use cases for blockchain technology. But the sector has had issues. A major challenge for Web3 gaming is the capability of the technology compared with what is needed to power a fun and entertaining game. To solve this issue, Merit Circle DAO launched Beam, a specialized subnet for gaming.
Unlike popular gaming networks like The Sandbox, Gala Games, and Decentraland, Beam is not built on a blockchain. Instead, it is an independent network that relies on Avalanche infrastructure. This makes it similar to the Ronin sidechain that Axie Infinity was built on.
What is Beam Subnet?
Beam is a specialized blockchain for games on Avalanche Network. It is a subnet of Avalanche with its validators, consensus mechanisms, and rules. But being a subnet means it enjoys Avalanche core security. Merit Circle DAO first announced the launch in April and allowed limited developers access in August. It finally became open to the general public in November.
With a mission of onboarding more people to Web3 gaming, Merit Circle DAO developed Beam with developers and gamers in mind. The network leverages Avalanche architecture to solve the problems of slow transaction times and high fees. Avalanche is one of the fastest layer-1 blockchains, processing 4,500 TPS, and recent tests suggest it could process up to 140,000 TPS.
Beyond the speed and lower fees, Beam is also easy to use for developers. They can deploy their games and leave the rest to Beam. The network provides smart contracts, asset management, marketplaces, and oracles for Web2 games.
Beam Consensus Mechanism and Token
Beam blockchain currently uses a Proof of Authority validation mechanism where only validators with trusted credentials and strong reputations can process transactions. However, this is only for the time being. Merit Circle has said that it would adopt Proof of Stake later.
The native token is BEAM, which also serves as a utility and governance token for Merit Circle DAO. It is trading at $0.0126
Tools on Beam
Beam has only been around for a few months. But, it already has several tools that improve users' experience. These include:
- Beam Automated Market Maker Swap - a decentralized platform to trade in-game currencies
- Beam LayerZero Bridge - for transferring tokens between Beam and other blockchains
- BeamOS - for exploring tools and apps on the chain
- Beam Companion App - a mobile app for gamers on Beam to manage all their accounts and activity within the Beam ecosystem
- Sphere - a marketplace for trading gaming NFTs
Games on Beam
Beam Chain has 186 games in various categories: Live, Free-to-Play, Early Access, and Tournaments. Since it has only been around for a few months, users can expect more games on the network soon. The first game to launch on Beam was Raini: The Lord of Light. This is a fantasy card game where gamers manage an army to defeat the main villain, Quantum Rug.
Popular games include Genopets - a move-to-earn game that tracks and rewards physical activities, and Illuvium Overworld - where gamers have to fight strange creatures, gather resources, and capture Illuvials. There is also Big Time - a multiplayer role-playing game where players can explore time and space. And the card game Goons Of Balatroon.
With tons of other fun games available on Beam chain and many of them free-to-play, the network is a hub for gamers who want to try out the latest Web3 games.
