Born from a seemingly ordinary image, the Backrooms has evolved into a phenomenon that has transcended its subculture roots, inspiring discussions, derivative creations, and even has its own official Wiki.
On May 12th, 2019, an anonymous 4chan user started a thread in the site's paranormal board /x/ inviting users to post pictures of "disquieting images" that just feel "off." The user posted a picture of a yellow room at an off-center angle (shown below):
At first glance, appeared quite unremarkable. The scene depicted a dimly lit room with pale yellow tones, reminiscent of an old office building or basement. Outdated yellow printed wallpaper adorned the walls, and an aged yellow carpet covered the floor, illuminated by a few fluorescent lamps. Although devoid of any overtly horrifying elements, the image invoked a sense of disquiet in those who looked at it for an extended period.
It wasn't until a Fantom user add a narrative about the picture, writing:
"If you're not careful and you noclip out of reality in the wrong areas, you'll end up in the Backrooms, where it's nothing but the stink of old moist carpet, the madness of mono-yellow, the endless background noise of fluorescent lights at maximum hum-buzz, and approximately six hundred million square miles of randomly segmented empty rooms to be trapped in
God save you if you hear something wandering around nearby, because it sure as hell has heard you"
The urban horror legend of Backrooms was officially born. The term "noclip" - an expression originating in video games developed on the Source engine - refers to instances where a player inadvertently crosses a boundary obstructing their path. Just imagine Platform 9 and 3/4, where Harry Potter & his fellow wizards depart for Hogwarts.
In the Backrooms worldview, the world humans inhabit is known as "The Frontroom," while the Backrooms represent its mysterious and dangerous counterpart. As its popularity grew, internet users expanded upon the original concept by creating different levels and entities which inhabit the Backrooms.
Rapidly transitioning from subculture to mainstream culture, the Backrooms has inspired numerous fan-made video games, collaborative fiction wikis and YouTube videos have also been created. In February last year, 17-year-old creator Kane Pixels released the first Backrooms-themed short video on YouTube, which has since garnered nearly 50 million views. Rumors suggest that this series of short films will soon be adapted into a movie.
Additionally, numerous video games based on the Backrooms have been developed, primarily for Steam and Roblox, including "Enter the Backrooms," "Noclipped," and "The Backrooms Project." Now, the Backrooms has ventured into the Web3 world, enabling users to experience its liminal universe on the blockchain.
Introducing BACKROOMS: A Blockchain-Based MMORPG Escape Game
BACKROOMS, built on the Layer 1 public chain Sui Network, is a Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG) that offers an open-world escape experience. Kicked off in 2022, the official website launched in Q1 of this year. Utilizing the powerful Unreal Engine 5 (UE5.1 version) developed by Epic Games, BACKROOMS is driven by OpenAI's intelligent AI Chatbot, ChatGPT, and has undergone internal testing on Steam. Plans are in motion to release an iOS mobile game beta and a Steam PC version within the year.
The project boasts an impressive roster of partners, including blockchain networks Sui, Polygon, Solana, and BNB Chain. Additionally, BACKROOMS is working with NFT trading platforms OpenSea, Souffl3, and Magic Eden, as well as game publishing giants PlayStation, Xbox, and Steam.
Currently, BACKROOMS has initiated a seed funding round, garnering interest from the public chain Sui. The project is actively seeking additional investment from other institutions to collectively complete this round of financing.
Exploring BACKROOMS in the Web3 World: A Guide to Gameplay and Features
BACKROOMS, set in a dark and seemingly infinite maze of rooms, recreates the eerie atmosphere of the original 4Chan image, complete with drab yellow walls, damp carpets, and buzzing fluorescent lights.
The objective of the game is straightforward: to survice and run.
In the Web3 iteration of BACKROOMS, players first need to acquire a unique NFT ID. This NFT serves as the player's ticket to enter the virtual universe and represents their decentralized identity within the BACKROOMS metaverse. All activities taking place within the metaverse will be based on this NFT identity.
BACKROOMS offers three types of competitive (PVP) modes:
- Single-player race (free): Players aim to complete the level within the specified time, earning rewards for each level they successfully complete.
- Four-player race (free): Players compete against three others in the same room, with the winner, who finishes within the specified time, receiving all the rewards.
- Twenty-player room battle (paid): Players participate in a twenty-person room, with the winner taking home all the prizes plus 80% of the entry fee.
In BACKROOMS, players must develop intricate strategies, collaborate with others, and navigate the bizarre, ever-changing world in an effort to survive and escape.
To create a more realistic gaming experience in the virtual space, BACKROOMS utilizes the latest ChatGPT tool, enabling deeper and more natural interactions within the game. ChatGPT can be employed in various aspects of gameplay, such as providing task prompts to help players better understand objectives and requirements. It can also be used for emotion recognition and personalized dialogue, bringing non-player characters (NPCs) to life and heightening immersion. ChatGPT equips NPCs with more natural dialogue capabilities, as well as richer personalities and behavior patterns. Furthermore, BACKROOMS incorporates ChatGPT into the design of non-linear narratives, using the tool to generate natural dialogues and create more flexible plotlines, thereby enhancing the game's overall playability.
The Economic Model of BACKROOMS: Token Distribution, DeFi, and NFTs
For any Web3 game project, engaging game design is the first step to attract loyal players, while a well-crafted token economic model is crucial for ensuring the project's sustainability.
The BACKROOMS team introduced the system governance token, BKS, which serves as the basic governance certificate for the decentralized organization, offering incentives for ecosystem operation and maintenance.
BKS tokens are allocated as follows:
- 20% of the total supply goes to the BACKROOMS project team, with a two-year lock-up period and linear release in the third year.
- 15% of the total supply is designated for a static income mining pool, providing interest income for users who stake BKS.
- 30% of the total supply is used as a revenue pool for in-game items. All revenue from BKS sales and blind box projects goes into this pool: 70% for bolstering liquidity trading pairs of BKS-related tokens, 20% for covering team and server operating costs, and 10% for marketing.
- 15% of the total supply is distributed as a reward pool for players who win in the game. In all three competitive modes, winning players receive BKS tokens.
- 5% of the total supply is reserved for rewarding exceptional players, key opinion leaders (KOLs), outstanding community contributors, and top-tier partners.
- The remaining 15% of the total BKS supply is allocated for private placements.
Beyond token incentives, BACKROOMS incorporates DeFi elements, such as creating banking and stock exchange systems, and integrating decentralized exchanges (DEX) and Launchpad into the game ecosystem. This allows players to freely trade and issue tokens.
Additionally, BACKROOMS introduces a variety of NFTs to encourage economic circulation and interaction within the game. Apart from the NFT identity card, the game will launch various NFT derivatives and feature exhibition halls, markets, and other in-game buildings as NFT marketplaces, enabling players to display, trade, and exchange NFTs.
Conclusion
Over the past four years, we have witnessed the Backrooms culture evolve from an ordinary image posted by an anonymous user to a mainstream phenomenon in the Web2 world. With even more room for imagination, the Web3 incarnation of Backrooms, starting with on-chain games, aims to create a social metaverse based on the Sui network, integrating various projects from the Sui ecosystem into the BACKROOMS 3D environment. Users will be able to participate in nearly all Web3 activities within the BACKROOMS metaverse. In the near future, we may seamlessly transition from the "front room" of the real world to the "back room" of this alternate space, engaging in socialization, entertainment, shopping, creation, and more.
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