Welcome to SHAmory: The Bitcoin Card Game

Welcome to SHAmory! My name is Scott and I represent the crazy behind this game concept. I’d like to think that SHAmory is a game that anyone can play and enjoy. From a Bitcoin expert to someone who has never heard the word Bitcoin before. Interested in learning more about where this concept came from? Read on for a bit of a self-directed Q&A on that topic!

Tell us a little about you?

I was born and raised in sunny San Diego, California and still call it home today. My wife, daughter and ball of fluff pup named Buddy keep the dye fun and active. When we are in town you can usually find us at the beach, grabbing a burrito or catching a Padres game. I would describe myself as someone with the perfect mixture of creative brain mixed with a mathematical and structured side. This probably plays into the fact I’m a CPA by background but now run sales, marketing and operations for a local ed tech startup as my full time gig. 

When did you get into Bitcoin?

I first heard of Bitcoin sometime around 2011 or 2012. But it wasn’t until the bull run of 2017 that the rabbit hole was open for good. Since that time, it has been a daily adventure. I have gone down a self-directed learning process of absorbing as much information as possible about Bitcoin. Many thanks to podcasts like Tales From The Crypt, What Bitcoin Did and Coin Talk (RIP). As well as the many Twitter personalities that have helped educate along the way.   

Where did the idea for SHAmory come from?

After all I had gained from these sources, I knew that I wanted a way to help educate the next generation of HODLers. From my background in the ed tech space, I knew that one simple way to onboard new Bitcoin adopters would be through simple exposure to the technology and the way it functions. After about a year of various ideas, the concept for SHAmory was ultimately born. 

How does SHAmory break the complexity of Bitcoin and mining down to something that can be understood by a wide ranging audience of kids and adults?

One of the things I personally enjoy doing is taking a complex idea or problem and breaking it down into simple buckets that anyone can understand. Almost like a racehorse wearing blinders to not be distracted. I focus on the core aspects and ignore the nitty gritty details that only cause questions and confusion. When I started to learn more about proof of work mining one thing kept coming back into my head. At the end of the day it comes down to a miner picking a number, or nonce to get technical. This nonce needs to create a hash to “match” a target. Once that’s done, a block can be mined. When boiled down into this simplicity, it really can be looked at like a matching game like memory. And we’ve all probably played memory as a kid. From there, the game was born!

What are some of they key features of Bitcoin and mining that players will be exposed to?

There are really nine key features that players will be exposed:

1. Mining – Each player is a miner helping to secure the blockchain.
2. Target – A target is set in order for a block to be mined
3. Nonce – A miner must find the correct nonce to match the target
4. Reward – Each time a block is mined that player gets a Bitcoin reward
5. Genesis Block – The first block that is mined is known as the Genesis Block
6. Block Height – As more and more blocks get mined, the height of the blockchain increases
7. Hash – The nonce and target create a hash that links the blocks together
8. Difficulty Adjustment – Mining is competitive and it could get harder at anytime
9. Attack – Stay on your toes and be on the lookout for a miner attacking your chain

What do you hope to accomplish with SHAmory?

First off, I’d like to hope that SHAmory is a fun and engaging game for both kids and adults. I’ve worked hard through many iterations to create a concept that would be appealing to a wide audience. Once that is accomplished, I feel that simply exposing players to features and terminology that have helped keep the Bitcoin network safe over the past decade will help bring comfort around Bitcoin and in the long run make it more likely that one day they will purchase or earn their first Sat. 

Any last thoughts?

I truly thank everyone who has taken the time to learn a little about SHAmory, whether you choose to purchase a game or not. It’s going to take a village to take Bitcoin to the next level, and it’s my belief that games like SHAmory as well as products like Lolli, Fold and Pei will be the catalyst to do just that. I look forward to connecting with many of you, so don’t hesitate to reach out via direct message (@PlaySHAmory) or email (scott@shamory.com). As a small token of appreciation for reading this post, you can use the promo code blog10 for 10% off your SHAmory order. Enjoy the day and keep stacking sats!