From humble beginnings to unprecedented power, cycles of strength and weakness, good intentions marred by bad actors and varying agendas, large-scale wars and a fight for the throne – much is common between the hit HBO show, Game of Thrones and cryptocurrencies, or the Game of Coins.
If the crypto space can be likened to Game of Thrones, the creator Satoshi Nakamoto would be akin to the noble Ned Stark, putting his self-interest aside in the pursuit of justice and equality. Much like Stark, Nakamoto is not actively involved in the game, but his philosophy and legacy, espoused by Bitcoin, drives the space forward.
Like in the show, the journey has not been straightforward for the crypto space. We’ve had attempts at seizing power, maligning the technology and usurping the throne, where the war of forks resulted in Bitcoin rivals, like Bitcoin Cash and BitcoinSV, much like Cersei Lannister and Stannis Baratheon, both of whom have their eyes on the throne.
There are also other powers in the making, such as Daenerys, rising from humble beginnings to become a force to be reckoned with. She can be compared to Ethereum in the crypto sphere, which rose to prominence with its unique approach towards blockchain implementation and growing support from talented developers. Today, Ethereum stands as the closest potential heir to Bitcoin, but like Daenerys, it doesn’t just want to spin the wheel – it wants to break it altogether and create a more transparent, decentralized ecosystem free from governmental control.
Meanwhile, we have Jon Snow fighting the good fight, branching out from Ned Stark, like Litecoin branched out from Bitcoin, to become the silver to its gold. Even though Litecoin gets a lot of criticism for being nothing more than a clone, it is effective at what it does – fast, reliable and cheap transactions.
Possible analogies between the Game of Thrones and Crypto are countless, but the bigger theme is the coming of winter, which has dealt a major blow to cryptocurrencies during 2018. As is said in Game of Thrones, though, ‘what’s dead may never die.” Perhaps the corollary in crypto is “what’s decentralized may never die.” With Bitcoin finally fighting back with strength, it appears that winter is over.
Bitcoin took its time to consolidate during the winter, and starting in 2019, has been on an upwards trajectory, first crossing the $5,000 mark and now eyeing the $6,000 level. While the rise has not been without ups and downs, we believe more setbacks can be expected before Bitcoin can truly rise as the king and lead the market to another period of prosperity.
That being said, not all coins will make it this time around, and just like in Game of Thrones, there will be death. When you play the game of coins you win or you lose, there is no middle ground, and when the market finally finds a strong footing and matures, only the worthy will be left standing.