Darkish Forest is an unlimited universe, and most of it’s shrouded in darkness. Your mission, do you have to select to simply accept it, is to enterprise into the unknown, keep away from being destroyed by opposing gamers who could also be lurking at midnight, and construct an empire of the planets you uncover and may make your personal.

However whereas the online game seemingly appears to be like and performs very like different on-line technique video games, it doesn’t depend on the servers working different standard on-line technique video games. As a substitute, Darkish Forest runs utterly on a blockchain, in a method meaning nobody is accountable for the way it performs out. 

The sport’s success demonstrates that blockchains can be utilized in much more attention-grabbing and sophisticated methods than merely transferring digital cash round, one thing some blockchain champions have been repeating because the expertise first emerged.

And it could level to one thing much more profound: the opportunity of a metaverse that isn’t owned by an enormous tech firm. Learn the complete story.

—Mike Orcutt

The must-reads

I’ve combed the web to seek out you right this moment’s most enjoyable/essential/scary/fascinating tales about expertise.

1 Crypto alternate Binance isn’t shopping for its rival FTX in spite of everything
We nonetheless don’t know the complete extent of FTX’s monetary woes, although. (WSJ $)
+ Nothing and nobody in crypto is just too huge to fail. (NYT $)
+ Crypto markets are much more unstable than regular proper now. (Bloomberg $)
+ In the meantime, crypto is again on the agenda for New York’s new Governor. (The Verge)

2 Why the Republicans’ ‘pink wave’ did not materialize
The specter of Donald Trump and the Dobbs determination loomed giant. (Vox)
+ Trumpism’s enchantment actually appears to be waning. (The Atlantic $)
+ Conspiracy theories linked to the outcomes did not take off, too. (NYT $)
+ That didn’t cease election deniers from attempting, although. (Bloomberg $)
+ Right here’s the best way to keep away from being tricked by misinformation. (WP $)

3 Brace your self for a winter of sickness
It’s a triple risk of flu, covid, and a respiratory virus. (Wired $)
+ The respiratory bug wave has hit earlier than we’ve a vaccine. (Slate $)
+ Is a covid and flu “twindemic” on the horizon? (MIT Expertise Evaluation)

4 How Donald Trump unwittingly helped the Paris Settlement
His withdrawal from the treaty really spurred different international locations into motion. (The Atlantic $) 
+ Reparations may lastly compensate the hardest-hit nations. (Wired $)
+ Local weather motion is gaining momentum. So are the disasters. (MIT Expertise Evaluation)

5 A viral app has been falsely accused of being a entrance for intercourse trafficking
It’s simply the newest in a protracted line of buzzy apps to be focused by trafficking hoaxes. (WP $)

6 There are fewer ransomware makes an attempt than there was once
An unwillingness to pay ransoms might be one issue behind the decline. (FT $)
+ The world’s greatest ransomware gang has disappeared from the web. (MIT Expertise Evaluation)

7 Twitter’s sacked staff have been inundated with job provides
Regardless of the tech hiring freeze, they’re in sizzling demand. (The Info $)
+ Greater than 11,000 Meta workers can be becoming a member of them. (Motherboard)
+ Twitter’s verification and ‘official’ rollout has been a multitude. (WP $)