From ’90s Games to Gladiator

Growing up as a kid in the 90’s I watched video games evolve rapidly. Back then, with an array of gaming consoles on the market, the gaming world was bustling with cool innovations and hit titles that amazed every kid in the world.

Childhood Awe: My Genesis in Gaming

When I was really young I remember visiting a dimly lit video game studio. Walking past each desk, I was barely tall enough to see the tops of the keys on the keyboards. Each computer screen was lit up with pixelated character image sprites. Not having a lot of gaming experience at this age, what I was seeing at the time was totally abstract. The concepts were like magic to me. Eventually, I would play Tetris on Gameboy, and then… around the age of ten, I would find my way to playing the Sega Genesis console…

Sega Genesis was a groundbreaking 16-bit gaming system that caught my attention the moment they released the first X-Men game in 1993. I was totally obsessed with it. Then I began to discover other games that all had a common thread. They were weird, funny, totally ridiculous, and massively fun. I’m talking about games like ToeJam & Earl, Earthworm Jim and Boogerman. The characters were odd and charming, and as a kid who frequently felt out of place, I gravitated to these characters. I would spend countless hours playing these games escaping reality.

The things that made you weird as a kid – make you great today.

Fast forward to today, my love for oddities, weird things, technology, and art has grown immensely. I’ve grown to become a creative professional and throughout my experiences, self-actualization has been a guiding light for me. Over the years I would travel to Adobe MAX, which exposed me to brilliant and inspiring speakers, like the great and powerful James Victore. In November of 2022, I found myself at his camp – a transformative experience that would reshape my perspective forever.

Nestled in nature’s embrace, surrounded by creative souls, our days were filled with profound conversations, artistic exploration, and moments of play. One pivotal moment was the campfire ceremony. On our first day of the trip, we each received a tiny envelope, instructed to open only at this final gathering a few days later. Amidst laughter and reflection, with a burst of energy from a pouch of gunpowder thrown into the fire, we revealed our new middle names. With a smile, I declared myself Daniel ‘Gladiator’ Hendrickson. That night, a promise was made, and a new chapter began – to embody the spirit of a gladiator in all my endeavors.

Game On: Turning Childhood Play into Reality

My journey from player to creator has been a continuous process of honing my skills, much like a gladiator sharpening their weapons. While I truly enjoy building multimillion-dollar projects for clients, it was time to create something for me and other creators like me.

Finally, I would craft something uniquely mine that led to the birth of Cosmic Muffins and Sacred Moths, not just as digital collectibles but as the cornerstones of an interactive gaming universe. These creations are more than just adorable googly-eyed characters or majestic moths emerging from the darkness; they are characters playable in an NFT game engine I’ve built. A digital arena where art and technology collide, giving life and new value to every NFT it hosts.

Gladiator: An unparalleled in-browser digital collectible card game experience.

Inspired by celebrated games like Hearthstone, Skyweaver, and Magic the Gathering, the Gladiator engine is the heartbeat of this venture. This gaming engine is comprised of both a client and a server that work together to deliver a fun-filled browser-based gaming experience. The front end is aptly named “Gladiator,” while the server-side infrastructure is christened “Colosseum,” echoing the grandeur of Rome’s iconic amphitheater. The perfect place for all kinds of creations to come together and battle.

Developing this engine has been a passion project that I’ve been building for most of 2023. I’ve used every tool in my toolbox to put it together. Designing the interface, tweaking card art, writing the code, choosing music, editing sound effects, crafting animations, video editing, and writing content. And today marks an important milestone. Gladiator is ready for alpha release! Let the battles and game testing begin! In this early version Muffins and Moths are required to play in real-time against other players online. The alpha testers and I will be incrementally improving all aspects of gameplay preparing for the beta phase.

Elevating the NFT Arena: Calling all Creators

Gladiator is not just a realm for my creations but a grand stage set for all NFT artisans out there. If you’re an NFT creator with a vibrant collection, imagine your digital treasures coming to life, your community connects to the Gladiator client, their collectibles battle in the Colosseum, and elevate their value in the digital domain. I’m extending an open invitation to join this next chapter of interactive gaming. Let’s bring our creative sparks together, integrate your collections, and redefine how the world interacts with NFTs.

Join, Support, Embark

For those inclined to support, invest, or collaborate in this ambitious endeavor, the portals are open wide:

• Check out the Gladiator page
• Direct donations via Paypal.
• Digital collectibles await on OpenSea Cosmic Muffins & Sacred Moths.
• Exclusive Sacred Moth prints here prints are available for the tangible art aficionados.
• Contact me about joining forces.

I can’t wait to share it with you all. This is the beginning of my own little universe. A place and platform for both personal creativity and collaboration. Stay tuned for what’s next!