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The second annual Gam3 Awards has concluded, with Parallel earning top honors in several categories, including Best Strategy Game, Best Card Game, and the prestigious Game of the Year award. The event, celebrating the hard work of development teams in web3 gaming, showcased the diverse potential of blockchain technology in gaming.
The Gam3 Awards, hosted by GAM3S.GG, formerly Polkastarter Gaming, had a total of 40 finalists from 214 nominated games. The other Game of the Year finalist nominees were My Pet Hooligan, Wildcard, Big Time, Deadrop, and last year’s winner, Big Time.
Parallel, which is yet to be officially released, is a science fiction trading card game (TCG) that blends traditional gaming mechanics with the advanced capabilities of blockchain technology. Developed by Parallel Studios on Ethereum using the Echelon Prime ecosystem, it completed a closed alpha phase earlier this year, where participants had the opportunity to explore all game modes, experiment with different cards, and contribute feedback to refine the game. Players are currently engaging with a closed beta, which includes a $25k tournament, and the full, on-chain version is expected to ship in 2024.
The game is rooted in a dystopian future narrative. It unfolds in a world where Earth, devastated by a cataclysmic event using anti-matter, forces humanity to colonize space, creating distinct civilizations, each with unique capabilities and backgrounds.
The game’s universe is marked by five parallels – the Earthen, Marcolian, Augencore, Kathari, and Shroud, each representing different factions that have evolved over thousands of years. These groups converge in a quest to harness Earth’s newfound energy, resulting in conflicts and alliances, providing an immersive storytelling canvas for players.
Parallel’s gameplay allows players to collect and use NFT-based cards, creating decks to engage in strategic battles against others. These decks can represent a single faction or a combination of universals applicable across factions. The game operates on a play-and-earn model, where players genuinely own their digital cards and earn PRIME tokens, the utility currency within the Echelon ecosystem.
PRIME tokens serve multiple functions, including value transfer, rewards, and governance participation. The token, which lives on the Ethereum network, is up 58% over the past 30 days, reaching an all-time high following the awards ceremony. It has since retraced 13% along with the broader market, according to CryptoSlate data.
Players can experience various game modes in Parallel, such as The Ladder, where they compete in one-on-one battles, and Sectors, where they start with a 30-card deck and modify it as they progress. The rookie queue provides a training ground for newcomers, offering immutable rookie decks that evolve with player experience.
You can learn more about Parallels on Gam3s.gg, including guides and reviews from players participating in the test releases.
Information on the winners from other categories at The Gam3 Awards is available on the awards website.