DEGA gaming ecosystem uses AI-powered chat interfaces to help users deploy layer 2 blockchains, NFT marketplaces, DEXs, sidechains, dynamic NFTs, and other blockchain modules used in Web3 gaming.
Founded in 2022, DEGA provides the tools to navigate the complex world of game development in web3 through AI-assisted interfaces, familiar APIs, and web applications.
Just like AWS empowered innovators to build large-scale internet businesses, DEGA was created to simplify and scale Web3 gaming technology.
Before his foray into blockchain development, Carlos developed enterprise automation for Wells Fargo Bank and Conversational AI solutions for Latam. In this interview, you are going to learn more about Carlos's blockchain career and DEGA, his brainchild.
Mr. Rene, how did your journey to blockchain begin, and how did you carve out a niche for yourself as a developer?
I’m from Honduras, and I had just moved to Costa Rica when I first learned about Bitcoin circa 2014. I recall thinking, “This sounds really powerful for people in emerging markets.”
We can’t access capital and credit as easily as residents of the USA or Europe. Venture capital is borderline non-existent. But it was until the 2017 ICO craze that I said, “Yeah, this is transformational tech!”
I told my web application development team at the time that we’d only build blockchain-based systems going forward.
Since then, my team and I deployed new layer 1 protocols, EVM sidechains, and cross-chain DEXs. At a personal level, I led the IOHK Sidechains Program for over a year as a Technical Product Manager.
Now, we’re focused on the DEGA platform to bring blockchain technology to every single person in emerging markets through gaming.
The global Metaverse market is projected to hit $800,000,000 by 2024. Today, blockchain gaming is its key driver with about 23.2% of the market share. What does this mean for the gaming industry?
Gaming is undergoing an evolution in which it’s not just about linear story gameplay but also about creating ecosystems for third-party creators. Roblox has been wildly successful with this and Fortnite is pushing the envelope with Creative 2.0. It’s not just about going social.
We’re integrating AR, VR, AI, and Web3 to blur the lines between the digital and physical worlds. That’s what Metaverse really means.
Can you tell us about DEGA and its place in web3 gaming technology?
With DEGA, we are bringing down the barriers of adoption with our One API for all things gaming and Metaverse.
A 17-year-old Javascript developer can launch an entire Web3 ecosystem in 5 minutes with everything from a dedicated layer 2 blockchain to an NFT assets store and an in-game currency.
This allows game studios to focus on design and gameplay while we handle the complexities of decentralized protocols. You can also access our services through a chatbot with natural language so that even non-technical users can tap into the power that blockchains provide.
What inspired you to build DEGA, and was it a collaborative effort?
I’m an engineer, so after living through the exponential growth of the internet and smartphone adoption, it became obvious to me that when there’s a convergence of different technologies into a single product, we see a new platform like the iPhone arise and change every single industry around the world.
Metaverse is the next frontier and DEGA is going to be one of the infrastructure protocols powering innovation. We definitely can’t do this alone, which is why we’ve partnered with industry leaders like Meld Finance and Cornucopias Games to bring not only technology but also innovative fundraising mechanics to gamers worldwide.
Do you think mass adoption is possible through blockchain gaming and how do you position DEGA for a role in it?
One company can’t build it all, so we’re focused on the blockchain infrastructure layer. For the mass adoption of blockchain gaming, we’re going to need thousands of well-funded Web3 gaming studios to create engaging experiences.
Enter Initial Stake Pool Offerings (ISPO), a fundraising mechanic where the participant stakes their capital, keeps the principle but sends the yield to a new project in exchange for said project's tokens.
This is a well-known concept in the Cardano ecosystem that DEGA is bringing to other protocols like Polkadot, Ethereum, Polygon, and more.
What is the creative process behind the tokenomics, and is DEGA community-driven?
This year, we saw the wildly successful Arbitrum token release proving the market’s appetite for scaling solutions like layer 2 protocols. With DEGA, we’re going a step further by allowing anyone to deploy new layer 2s across multiple blockchains like Ethereum and Cardano.
The DEGA token has a unique design inspired by Ethereum’s deflationary fee mechanic. DEGA tokens are burned not only for block transaction fees but also from fees generated by NFT trading, token swaps, file storage, and any decentralized module that’s part of the DEGA ecosystem.
Since we’re chain agnostic, our community is composed of members from across the industry, and they will be key in the leadership of the open-source technology we develop.
What, in your view, is the biggest challenge facing web3 technology and how do you think it can be solved?
The biggest challenge is going mobile first. We need Web3 applications working on $40 smartphones with low bandwidth so that it reaches the people who benefit from said applications the most. That’s why enabling everything through chatbots first is a key strategy for us at DEGA.
When billions can tap into the global blockchain economy, they’ll eventually be able to afford AR and VR headsets. Then we’ll see human creativity explode like never before.
Do you think gaming brands need to enter web3 gaming to spur mass adoption and do you intend to leverage opportunities outside of it?
Yes, the best technology is the invisible one. I remember there was a time when we said “the mobile internet.” Now it’s just the internet. NFTs need to become just “digital assets,” blockchain wallets need to become just “wallets,” and Web3 gaming has to become just “gaming.”
At DEGA, we believe that this will take place in emerging markets first. Right now, if an eSports team or a studio making Roblox games went to a bank to ask for funding, they’d be laughed out of the venue.
ISPOs are going to be one of the key drivers that bring what we can do today in Web2 gaming into the blockchain space.
What’s the key point about building AI on top of your existing infrastructure? Are you inspired by the market trend for its adoption in gaming?
In the past, you would say, “I’m building an internet company.” Now all companies are Internet companies, and that label has disappeared. The same will happen with AI: soon every company will be an AI company.
Blockchain gaming is particularly well-suited to integrate with this “machine economy” since they’re digitally native and can be iteratively improved every day.
At DEGA, we are integrating our One API with large language models (LLMs) that will place the power of the entire blockchain industry in the hands of everyone with a chat application like Telegram, WhatsApp, or Discord.
Just ask the AI that you need to target a given set of clients, fundraise with ISPOs, and get paid via crypto and fiat on/off ramp providers.
Any parting words?
We recently announced our first layer 2 for gaming in partnership with Cornucopias Games and we have another layer 2 announcement in a few weeks with another partner.