DBS plants flag in metaverse through new adventure game
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The first iteration of BetterWorld will allow users to earn in-game rewards that can be redeemed via QR codes through PayLah.
PHOTO: DBS BANK
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SINGAPORE – DBS Bank is jumping on the metaverse bandwagon in the form of its upcoming DBS BetterWorld virtual universe game.
DBS hosted a preview of the concept on Wednesday after around a year’s work with The Sandbox, an Ethereum-based decentralised virtual gaming world.
The virtual experience will take the form of an adventure game with about 20 to 25 minutes of playtime while spotlighting sustainability issues, in particular, food waste.
DBS expects the game to be available to the public later in the year. Users will have to download The Sandbox platform to access it.
They will interact with characters and take part in activities to complete missions and learn more about sustainability issues.
The first iteration of BetterWorld will allow users here to earn in-game rewards that can be redeemed via QR codes through the bank’s digibanking application PayLah!.
Ms Karen Ngui, head of group strategic marketing and communications at DBS, said: “(DBS believes the metaverse) can be harnessed... to increase awareness of important environmental, social and governance issues and spotlight those who are finding innovative ways to address them.
“With DBS BetterWorld, we have chosen to delve into the challenges of food waste and food resilience.”
The foray into the metaverse is part of the bank’s strategy to attract younger audiences and build brand awareness.
Ms Ngui said the younger generation tends to be more aware of sustainability, so aligning with such values will also help DBS better align with customers’ values.
Players will have to complete a series of activities that feature sustainable companies supported by the DBS Foundation.
These include local craft beer-maker Brewerkz, which hosted the BetterWorld preview at its Fullerton Bay outlet.
Brewerkz looks to reduce waste by upcycling brewers’ spent grains, a by-product of beer making that is often discarded, into food products.
Another featured local business is Edible Garden City, which aims to make urban farming and edible gardening more accessible.
DBS Bank expects the game to be available to the public later in the year. Users will have to download The Sandbox platform to access it.
PHOTO: DBS BANK
Edible Garden City marketing head Sarah Rodriguez said being a part of BetterWorld will allow the organisation to draw attention to its cause on a larger online platform.
“For small organisations like us, the opportunity to go into the metaverse on our own is more difficult to come by, we lack the expertise for it. Working with DBS means that we can enter this space,” she added.
“This will also allow us to reach people who might be differently abled, or who might not have the ability or interest to garden or grow their own food, and allow them a space where they can learn about it, and the ways that they can contribute without having to physically farm.”
