WebX2024 was held as one of the largest Web 3.0 conferences in Asia. J-CAM, the publisher of Iolite, participated in the conference as a platinum sponsor.
In addition, the J-CAM booth hosted booth sessions by experts in the Web 3.0 industry over two days. They touched on a wide range of topics, including crypto assets, stable coins, the payment sector, and blockchain games, and gave candid talks about the current state of the industry.
This time, we will summarize the sessions at the J-CAM booth as a report.
The first speaker at the J-CAM booth session was Sekiguchi Aimi, a globally active VR artist. Sekiguchi spoke about the future of the Metaverse.
First, in terms of gadgets, Sekiguchi mentioned the characteristics of each device and what they can and cannot achieve as the focus shifts from Meta's Oculus to Apple's Apple Vision Pro. As Apple Vision Pro focuses on spatial computing, Sekiguchi also compared it to existing gadgets. During the session, she also had participants draw pictures using Apple Vision Pro.
While frankly saying that "there are still some parts that are not yet clear" about the future of the Metaverse, she also hinted at her expectations for upcoming gadgets. It was also impressive that she hinted at her own future activities using these next-generation gadgets.
Next, Sekiguchi demonstrated a public production based on the concept of Iolite at the booth. Many visitors watched the spectacular performance with bated breath.
The works drawn in this public production will also be connected to Sekiguchi's performance on the second day, so we will go into more detail later.
In the session titled "What are the elements and tokenomics required for the development of blockchain games?", KAZU from "WLF PROJECT", which turned the werewolf game into a blockchain game, Takahiro Ishihama from Nanameue, who is in charge of the virtual world "Yay!", and Tetsuya Sanada from BLOCKSMITH&Co., who is in charge of the Web 3.0 game "Captain Tsubasa -RIVALS-", took the stage.
The discussion was particularly heated on the part of "What are the elements necessary for the spread of blockchain games?" in light of the current situation.
Sanada said that current blockchain games are polarized, and that it is difficult for operators to make a profit unless there are two models: "Make it very rich" or "Make it easy to play, such as a puzzle game, and incorporate advertising."
He then stated that to work on blockchain games, Web 3.0 elements that are not present in Web 2.0 are necessary, and that at this point in time it may not be necessary to make the game high quality.
Ishihama shared the same view, and said that the key to making it "Web 3.0-like" is "convertibility into cash." The element of "earning money," which is not present in conventional games, can provide a new experience to users, and he further expressed the view that this is the essence of blockchain games.
On the other hand, KAZU mentioned that high quality is necessary based on his own experience. He stated that in the WLF PROJECT, he wants to "make content that takes into account the facial expressions of users while playing the game." He also stated that in the future, he will work on creating apps for the WLF PROJECT so that such facial expressions are displayed on the app.
Continued from "The current state and future of stable coins: what is needed for their widespread use in Japan? In the session entitled "The 2019 Symposium on Stablecoin and Strategy", Noritaka Okabe of JPYC, which is involved in the Japanese yen stablecoin "JPYC", and Tatsuya Saito of Progmat, a digital asset platform, appeared. The two companies announced a collaboration last year to issue a "trust-type JPYC".
First, regarding the expected distribution of stablecoins in Japan, both Saito and Okabe predicted that it would occur between this fall and the end of this year.
They explained the various factors behind the delay in distribution from the initial forecast. They also mentioned that not only stablecoins, but the Web 3.0 field is an emerging field, and it takes time for partner companies to investigate each other, and the regulatory authorities also take time to confirm, which is affecting the progress.
In addition, the two leaders of the stablecoin field in Japan shared their unique views on the elements necessary for the spread of stablecoins, and the booth was a great success, attracting a large number of visitors.
In addition, Saito mentioned an upcoming announcement regarding future developments. For more details, please wait for the official Progmat update.
Okabe also spoke about his enthusiasm for the JPYC IPO, and emphasized the progress of the ongoing project with Circle Inc. and his intention to continue working with Progmat to issue a trust-type JPYC.
Danny of KEKKAI, which develops the Web 3.0 security tool "KEKKAI," and Kenta Ozawa of AstarGames, which aims to "excite Japan with Astar," spoke at the event "Are blockchain games "safe"? A new world of entertainment from a security perspective," where they discussed the current state of blockchain games and their security aspects.
Regarding the current state of blockchain games, Ozawa said, "Games that can be played without tokens have appeared," but that the entry of general users has led to issues with UI/UX. He cited the need to design games to accommodate users who are accustomed to Web 2.0 games as a future challenge.
Danny mentioned that scams such as phishing and address poisoning are also seen in blockchain games. He also warned that in many cases, users fall victim to these scams due to their own carelessness.
In this session, it was suggested that the two companies will work together in the future. It was revealed that they will make a major announcement soon, so please keep an eye on the announcements of each company.
The final session on the first day was "Cryptocurrency Talk! Traveling Edition: Frontline Explanation of Hot Topics in the Crypto Asset Market," in which SBIVC Trade's Virtual Nishi and Ava Labs' Michiyo Hirata took to the stage. As a real-world traveling edition of "Cryptocurrency Talk!", which is distributed in the X Space, they had an honest talk about the Web 3.0 field both in Japan and overseas that can only be heard here.
They also talked about companies and projects that both parties are paying attention to, with payment being cited as a particular area of focus. The session was a great success until the very end, with a Q&A session from the audience.
The second day's session started with a live performance by Sekiguchi, just like the first day. On this day, the "finishing" process of the work created the previous day was shown.
Over the two days, Sekiguchi created a compass, named after the stone word "compass to dreams," which is also the origin of Iolite, and a work with a majestic swan motif.
Various gimmicks were used during the creation, and many visitors stopped to look and were fascinated by the performance.
In a session titled "What revolution will cryptocurrency payments bring? Unraveling the challenges to increasing users from the current situation," Keita Nakamura of Mercoin, who has deep knowledge of cryptocurrency payments, and Shinsuke Sato of Slash Fintech Limited took the stage.
In this session, they discussed the current challenges of cryptocurrency payments. The talk was a real one, with both sides talking about the difficulties they faced in terms of who would use cryptocurrency payments and what barriers they faced in providing them.
In addition, on the topic of "How much potential does Japan have in cryptocurrency payments?", both sides mentioned that there is a lot of potential. They also said that it is important to make payments seamless in everyday life, and that it is important to create an experience where cryptocurrency can be used as "cryptocurrency".
At the end of the session, the possibility of future collaboration between Mercoin and Slash was also mentioned, so visitors who visited the booth and heard the words of both parties were probably looking forward to future developments.
Next, in the session "What is the 'experience' that makes blockchain games more fun?", Kenichi Yoshida of Gallusys, the company behind the Snap to Earn service "SNPIT", and Naoto Sato of Tulingham, which supports the tokens, appeared.
In this session, the elements required for future blockchain games were touched upon from the perspective of "experience".
Regarding the elements required for blockchain games themselves, Yoshida stated his recognition that "first of all, it is important that it is easy for anyone to start right away". In addition, Sato pointed out the issues surrounding tokens in blockchain games, such as the amount of tokens issued and the process leading up to their granting. He expressed his intention to continue working on this issue, saying that more sustainable tokenomics is required.
As for the future of SNPIT, it was stated that various initiatives are planned, including the NFT camera HIS model announced recently with HIS. He also emphasized that they will continue to be conscious of making it easy for anyone to start playing.
Next-generation idol group WHITE SCORPION's AOI, NATSU, and NICO took to the stage for "Learn "Web 3.0" with WHITE SCORPION". In this session, the three speakers talked about their special skills and the fun of communicating with users within the game. After the session, the band also mentioned their first solo live show on September 8th, and all the members gathered for a photo session.
The final session, “Market Specialists Join Forces to Thoroughly Explain the Future Outlook for Cryptocurrency,” featured Yasuo Matsuda of Rakuten Wallet and Masatoshi Matsushima of Monex Securities, who have a series on Iolite.
Regarding the outlook for the future market, Matsuda pointed out that, on the condition that Trump wins the US presidential election, there is a possibility of a 3.5-fold increase between April and November of next year. On the other hand, Matsushima took the opposite opinion and expressed a cautious view of Bitcoin prices for the time being, saying that Harris' victory could lead to unpredictable movements in the future.
In addition, the current state of the cryptocurrency market was reorganized, factors that could have an impact, and the future outlook for Ethereum were also discussed, making it a very intense session.
On the second day, as part of the Iolite Presents project, a session featuring performer Mandy Sekiguchi and a special live performance by the next-generation idol group WHITE SCORPION were held on the main stage of WebX2024.
Iolite editor-in-chief Noriaki Yagi also appeared in Mandy's session, and spoke about the possibilities of entertainment and next-generation technology.
In addition, the special live performance by WHITE SCORPION was packed with many visitors, including many SCOPISTs, and the venue was filled with excitement.
This concludes the report on the sessions held at the J-CAM booth. In each session, the Iolite editorial department brought together top players from various fields in the current Web 3.0 from their own unique perspective, and each booth was a great success.
Iolite will continue to provide various content and unprecedented discussions between businesses through interviews, so we hope you will continue to pay attention to us.
Image: Iolite
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