The significance of games in the uptake of Bitcoin.
“Dickerson explained to Bitcoin Magazine that games were installed on the first PCs to acquaint users with a mouse, akin to the Snake game on Nokia,” she added, saying that the inclusion of Snake in early Nokia cellphones was aimed at helping users get comfortable with the use of the handset.
Dickerson envisions games as a crucial element in familiarizing people with using bitcoin on the Lightning Network. This is what led her to assist in the initiation of a redefined version of THNDR Games in 2021. The company produces a range of mobile games where users have the chance to earn sats simply by playing. Given her dual background as a gamer and her extensive knowledge of the Lightning Network, she was ideally placed to take up this role.
Dickerson’s voyage to THNDR Games.
As of October 2021, Dickerson had assumed the position of CEO at THNDR.
Dickerson has not only had a lengthy involvement in the gaming industry, but she has also been engaged with the Lightning Network almost since its beginning. In June 2018, she took a position at Lightning Labs. After a three-year stint there, she moved on to THNDR Games.
“Dickerson mentioned her gaming preferences with a laugh, saying it definitely needs to be something completely uncomplicated like pulling out weeds in Animal Crossing.”
Dickerson has enjoyed video games from her childhood days. She shared, “My childhood memories are filled with gaming sessions with my dad, who owned an NES, and we would often play Duck Hunt together.” Her exposure to a myriad of games throughout her life, courtesy of her dad’s massive game console collection, has shaped her into a “cozy gamer” today. Although comfortable with various games, she is not a fan of more engrossing and intense games like HALO.
Dickerson encountered Jack Everitt, the original founder of THNDR, during her tenure at Lightning Labs. It became clear to her that gaming could be a medium for promoting bitcoin, and Everitt, who is a game developer, was already in the process of building THNDR. They collaborated on a project named MintGox, which is a pun on the now-bankrupt Bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox. The project demonstrated what various companies such as ZBD, Satoshi’s Games, and Donner Lab were creating within the Bitcoin gaming industry.
Desiree Dickerson is of the opinion that games serve as an efficient method to familiarize people with Bitcoin. According to her, there have been instances in the past where games played a significant role in helping people adapt to innovative technologies.
