Uplando is based in the states but after having used a popular DNA testing has discovered a significant amount of European DNA, of which Ireland plays a big part. He is based in Kansas City, Missouri, right in the heartland of America.
He studied computer science at university and is old enough to remember dial-up internet. But even before the lure of early gaming platforms attracted him, he was playing Dungeons and Dragons, the fantasy tabletop role play game.
“For me, gaming was always a great distraction. Getting together with like minded friends immersing ourselves into alternate personas, adventuring in faraway lands full of mythical foes. It was creative and fun. Once online cooperative games via PC and console games hit big it was a good way to hang out and game for a while but those games typically reward the publisher and game developers by unlocking their programmed rewards for players.
“All that time spent and in the end there’s accomplishments but as we players just get a visual representation of the awarded items. With the advent of blockchain games the players are now being rewarded with ownership of digital assets, which have built in provenance. The rewards are in the form of NFTs that can be traded and resold. That’s a great value proposition for ones time and effort.”
Like many people in Web3, Uplando wishes he had started learning about cryptocurrency earlier in his career. He took over the leadership role of the Meetup.com group KCBC (Kansas City Bitcoin Cryptocurrency) around 2016. As the group’s organizer he orchestrated regular educational meetups for all levels of crypto and blockchain enthusiasts.
“I did a deep dive into online communities and games like Second Life & CryptoKitties but while going down the rabbit hole on DAPPs I discovered Upland and that’s been my metaverse home ever since.”
Uplando started his journey into Upland back in November 2020. He chose his nickname Uplando based on the combination of the Upland name and popular Star Wars character, Lando Calrissian. Hey presto – Uplando. Other inspirations for his online character come from his love of film noir, such as Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca.
“I wanted something unique and iconic. Creating a persona, crafting the characters we portray in Upland is one of the social elements and part of the overall metaverse experience.”
Many newcomers to crypto and blockchain gaming find that it can be a steep learning curve. Uplando describes his time there in Upland as a hobby but admits it can get very busy very quickly.
“I took it all in as fast as I could. There was a combination of things that stood out about Uplands game mechanics but the Eureka moment was learning that for every property a player owns in Upland the player earns a varying amount of an in-game token called UPX. There are boosted earnings for every property designated in a collection thus earning them additional UPX all on a monthly basis. A steady passive earning for HODLing? Count me in!”
This led Uplando to collaborate on and eventually found his own neighborhood Nodes. Woodward Park Fresno and School in Oakland California. Node is a term coined by an Upland player, Ben68, to describe a group of players that are based in a neighborhood where they purchase land and benefit each other by supporting that Node’s leadership and vision.
Upland implemented metaventures as a pathway to player run businesses in 2020. Uplando was one of twenty initial players that were approved for the metaventure beta program allowing players to operate NFT shops selling digital assets for UPX and USD. His Block Explorer shop is one among a number of other metaventures in his Woodward Park Node. Some players resell Upland NFTs/ Legits while others actually design, manufacture and sell their unique NFTs in Upland.
Uplando is a Moderator in the Upland App and on its official Discord server.
“There’s great incentive to open the Upland App on a daily basis.”
Verified players have the option to log on daily to collect a Spark bonus at the end of a rolling seven day logon period. Uplando is no stranger to this incentive logging into the Upland App and on the Upland Discord server to run down the daily list of todos.
“There’s always that feeling of not wanting to miss out on something. For example, when I first saw the notification that Upland was taking player applications for metaventure Speedways, I instantly applied for it and months later I now have a Speedway racetrack that runs around the Woodward Park lake. This is a core Upland experience – we get to hang a shingle over the door, set up a business and generate new income.”
Layer2 has been a buzzword within the Web3 space for a while now proving to be advantageous for gamers wanting to tie into platforms. Uplando partnered with OG Upland player Noice2meetya creator of Uplandia: Tales of a another world. Uplandia is a medieval fantasy-based layer two game using text and graphics played on Discord. The duo entered the hackathon innovation tract and presented during Uplands Genesis week where they took second. Since then the Uplandia team has opened three new expansions to their game.
“We hit the ground running. Our team collaborated with Upland to coincide with the opening of Tokyo Japan. Our collaboration introduced the first ever Layer2 utility for Block Explorers.”
Known as BE’s that act as a player’s digital self in Upland, BEs are the first asset you can earn when leveling up in Upland.
“We also work with notable players in Upland such as Morecheese, Shaktilyn and TMSHRV to expand Uplandia into their Nodes
Uplando loves the fact that Upland is a mobile app first and foremost. He doesn’t have to be in front of a PC to login and take part in joint Upland activities.
“During the week my time is definitely less – it might be 30 minutes to an hour a day, but at the weekends, it’s definitely much longer. I am also a moderator so I tend to keep logged in, keeping an eye on things, but basically it absorbs about the same amount of time that any other hobby might require.”
Uplando invested originally and used the referral program until he reached his goal level in the game of Executive and now his property holdings deliver a net return in addition to the occasional sale of digital assets in his shop.
“It’s more a fun activity for me than a job. It’s a hobby where I get to hang out with my metaverse friends. It’s important to keep things positive and have respect for other players. That is what really elevates this game.”
Uplando has also attended both Genesis week in real life events.
“People from all over the world attend Genesis week. It’s a lot of fun and Upland is getting better at hosting every year. While meeting people online is great – actually meeting them in person makes all the difference. All those conversations we’ve had over the years, it is surreal to meet someone who you only know by their in-game persona.”
As Upland continues to evolve and improves on the player experience Uplando is continually working on projects that are slated for end of the year release. His partnership with Uplandia has scheduled new expansions well into 2024.
“Each time I accomplish a goal. I set a new one. My priority right now is looking for full stack developers that want to leverage their skill sets and partner up on a number of projects in varying stages that range from services to games. Sliding in a coy “Know of any? haha, seriously message me!”
At the end of the day, Upland is for Uplando is a Web3 game that offers him an escape into another world.
“Upland is a great use of blockchain technology. An entire community of players from all over the world are collaborating and working with each other. We all get to take this ride together. Connecting on both a social and business level. I’m hanging out with friends as we explore and build the metaverse together.”
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