A beginner's guide to The Sandbox (SAND), the Metaverse token where players can play, build, own and monetise their virtual experiences.
Welcome to our guide to The Sandbox (SAND), an exciting virtual gaming world that allows players to create, share, and monetise their own gaming experiences.
With a rapidly growing user base and an innovative blockchain-based ecosystem, The Sandbox offers endless possibilities for gamers, creators, and investors alike.
Whether you're a seasoned gamer or new to the world of blockchain technology, this guide will provide you with all the information you need to get started with The Sandbox and explore its potential.
So, let's dive in and discover what The Sandbox has to offer!
Introduction to The Sandbox (SAND)
The Sandbox is a play-to-earn, metaverse game where players can monetise their gaming experiences in the Ethereum blockchain.
At the heart of The Sandbox ecosystem is the SAND token,
SAND is an ERC20 utility token running on the Ethereum Blockchain, for use within the Sandbox metaverse ecosystem
As a player or creator within The Sandbox, owning SAND tokens is crucial for accessing various features and participating in the ecosystem's economy.
In addition to its utility value, owning SAND tokens also provides users with a stake in the success of The Sandbox platform.
As more players join the platform and the ecosystem grows, the demand for SAND tokens is likely to increase, potentially leading to an increase in its value.
Furthermore, SAND token holders have the opportunity to participate in governance decisions for the platform, such as voting on proposals or changes to the ecosystem's rules.
Overall, owning SAND tokens provides users with both utility and ownership benefits, making it a valuable asset for those looking to engage with The Sandbox ecosystem.
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What is The Sandbox (SAND) used for?
Let's now take a closer look at what The Sandbox (SAND) is used for within the platform.
The Sandbox offers a variety of ways for players and creators to engage with the ecosystem, from designing and monetising their own gaming experiences to buying and selling unique NFTs.
In this section, we'll explore the different use cases for the SAND token and NFTs within The Sandbox, and how they contribute to the platform's overall economy and user experience.
The SAND token
As mentioned earlier, the SAND token is the primary currency within The Sandbox ecosystem.
It serves several functions, including:
- Purchasing LAND: LAND is the digital real estate within The Sandbox, where players can build, create and monetise their gaming experiences. To purchase LAND, players must use SAND tokens.
- Buying and selling NFTs: Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are unique digital assets that can represent various in-game items, including characters, weapons, and more. SAND tokens are used to buy and sell NFTs within The Sandbox marketplace.
- Accessing premium features: Some premium features within The Sandbox, such as purchasing special in-game items, require the use of SAND tokens.
- Staking: SAND token holders can participate in staking, which involves locking up their tokens to help secure the network and earn rewards in the form of additional SAND tokens.
Owning NFTs
NFTs play a crucial role in The Sandbox ecosystem, as they enable creators and players to own and monetise unique digital assets within the platform. Here are some examples of how NFTs are used within The Sandbox:
- Gaming items: Players can purchase NFTs representing various in-game items, such as weapons or costumes, that they can use in their gaming experiences.
- LAND ownership: Each LAND within The Sandbox is represented by an NFT, which means that players can buy, sell, and trade LAND just like any other NFT.
- Creations: Creators can design and sell their own NFTs representing unique creations within The Sandbox, such as buildings, vehicles, or characters.
Overall, owning SAND tokens and NFTs within The Sandbox ecosystem provides users with a range of possibilities to explore and monetise their gaming experiences.
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How does The Sandbox (SAND) work?
A look at how The Sandbox (SAND) works, with a focus on what you can buy and build inside this metaverse.
The Sandbox metaverse offers the ability for anyone to create or simply buy, vibrant virtual worlds.
If you can dream it, then you can create it for use as an NFT, or even as an entire game itself in The Sandbox.
We’re talking virtual goods, skins and avatars for entirely custom games made in VoxEdit and Game Maker, two of the tools we’re going to talk about below.
From there, you’re able to completely monetise your area of the Sandbox Metaverse, charging for NFTS (as items and experiences) within the in-game Marketplace
This section of our guide to The Sandbox takes a look at how each aspect of the unique metaverse game works, before moving onto what the SAND token itself is used for.
Let’s get into it.
How the Sandbox Game works
As a virtual world and part of the greater decentralised metaverse, The Sandbox can be described as a user-generated content platform.
Unlike other play to earn games such as Splinterlands, there are no rules in the Sandbox.
Using a set of free tools, all you have to do is think about it, build it and monetise it using the LAND you’ve acquired with the in-game currency called SAND.
The possibilities are literally endless.
Acquire virtual LAND in The Sandbox metaverse
Players are able to own a piece of digital real estate within The Sandbox metaverse by buying LAND.
Multiple plots of LAND when combined are called an ESTATE.
Once you own LAND, you’re then able to use it to build experiences on top of and populate it with NFT assets which can be gamified in whichever way you see fit.
A total of just 166,464 plots of LAND will ever be available, contained in a map that will form the overall Sandbox metaverse.
VoxEdit
The first of these free tools available in The Sandbox, is VoxEdit.
This is a 3D voxel modelling tool where you can create in-game assets.
When we say Voxels, we mean the square 3D pixels that look like lego blocks, which artists can easily put together to build the world they desire.
Some examples of what you can create in VoxEdit include:
- Avatars
- Clothes
- Weapons
- Animals
- Houses
- Scenery
- Landscapes
Everything you build in VoxEdit is an NFT that can then be used on your LAND, or exported to the Sandbox Marketplace to be traded as you please.
If you’ve built it in the SandBox, then you own it.
The Sandbox Marketplace
You can buy and sell in-game assets that you’ve created, as well as LAND you’ve acquired, on the official Sandbox Marketplace.
The Sandbox Marketplace is an NFT marketplace that you can use to trade in-game assets for SAND.
As the native cryptocurrency of The Sandbox metaverse, everything is denominated in SAND which helps fuel the economy and ultimately adds value to the token.
Once you create or simply buy assets off the market, you can then incorporate them into LAND using Game Maker to create unique games.
Keep in mind, as all The Sandbox assets are NFTs, you can also trade them on external NFT marketplaces like OpenSea.
Game Maker
The final free tool offered by The Sandbox is Game Maker.
This is a tool that lets you build unique 3D games that be incorporated into LAND and used within the Sandbox metaverse.
Game Maker is a simple program that lets even those without any prior coding experience create from templates and libraries.
Of course there is also the ability for more advanced coders to build from scratch too.
You’re able to design and organise different elements and objects, including the NFTs created with VoxEdit that we spoke about in the section above.
For example, you’re able to build natural or populated worlds and place characters within them as you see fit.
Best of all, you’re then able to create gameplay around the worlds you’ve built, such as quests.
Again, everything can be sold or shared with the community as you see fit.
How the SAND token facilitates commerce in The Sandbox
How everything we’ve described working in this section of our The Sandbox guide is ultimately facilitated by the SAND token.
There is an entire economy surrounding the metaverse and everything is denominated in the platform’s native SAND token.
Let’s take a look at how this works.
The SAND token
SAND is the platform’s utility token that is used throughout the entire Sandbox ecosystem when transacting in any way shape or form.
When it comes to how the SAND token allows things to work, it has the following use cases:
- Commerce: For trade and use within The Sandbox metaverse games.
- Governance: For participation in governance decisions surrounding the network.
- Staking: For earning rewards.
Keep reading our guide to The Sandbox (SAND) to discover what the SAND token itself is actually used for in much more detail.
The Sandbox (SAND) vs Decentraland (MANA)
An unbiased feature set comparison of the blockchain metaverse platforms, The Sandbox (SAND) and Decentraland (MANA).
Metaverse platforms that make use of NFTs and platform assets are being released every year.
In this subsection of our LeoFinance The Sandbox (SAND) guide, we compare what are arguably the best two Metaverse projects presently existing in the cryptosphere:
- The Sandbox (SAND)
- Decentraland (MANA)
We will undertake this examination by taking the relevant factors concerning both projects and examining them on a point by point basis.
Both SAND and MANA have experienced huge price gains
Since October 28, 2021 the price of MANA (the native token of Decentraland) has rallied 400%:
Within the same time period, the price of SAND (the native token of The Sandbox) has rallied 300%:
Tokenomics of SAND and MANA
Per CoinMarketCap, at the time of the writing of this article (November 21, 2021 at 06:25 EDT) there is a circulating supply of 892,246,119.22 SAND.
With the current price of $4.08 the market capitalisation of The Sandbox (SAND) is $3,636,873,906.
There is a total supply of 3,000,000,000 coins authorised yielding a fully diluted market capitalisation of $12,249,170,663.
Presently, The Sandbox (SAND) is ranked No. 49 by CoinMarketCap.
Per CoinMarketCap, at the time of the writing of this article (November 21, 2021 at 06:20 EDT) there is a circulating supply of 1,820,000,000 MANA.
With the current price of $3.72 the market capitalisation of Decentraland (MANA) is $6,787,942,269.
There is a total supply of 2,193,991,427 coins authorised yielding a fully diluted market capitalisation of $8,229,049,672.
Presently, Decentraland (MANA) is ranked No. 31 by CoinMarketCap.
Metaverse platform goals
The Sandbox
"The Sandbox is a community-driven platform where creators can monetise voxel ASSETS and gaming experiences on the blockchain."
"With the support of creators around the world, our goal is to make The Sandbox the new standard in world-building games, with multitudes of user-created 3D voxel assets and games available on the blockchain."
Decentraland
"Decentraland is a decentralised virtual reality platform powered by the Ethereum blockchain. Within the Decentraland platform, users can create, experience, and monetise their content and applications.”
“This gives users full control over the environments and applications that they create, which can range from anything like static 3D scenes to more interactive applications or games."
Wallets available
Decentraland (MANA) is an ERC20 standard token and accordingly may use any ERC20 compatible wallet in the market.
The Sandbox (SAND) is likewise an ERC20 standard token which accordingly may use any ERC20 compatible wallet in the market.
There is in this regard one significant difference between the two projects.
Decentraland has recently created and enabled a bridge using wallet connect which now allows Polygon users access to the platform.
Metaverse project scalability
As both projects are built upon Ethereum, they face the same limitations in this respect.
These limitations are:
- Exorbitant transaction fees apply: The necessary platform fees for both projects are paid in Ethereum which is very high and very volatile. We are all very aware of the pain associated with the payment of Ethereum transaction fees.
- Ethereum itself is in the throws of change from PoW consensus to PoS consensus: Presently neither project has sufficiently scalability to be able to support mass adoption. However when ETH 2.0 takes effect with its 20,000 transactions per second, this scalability issue for both projects should abate.
Metaverse platform governance
Decentraland has two tokens.
"With the launch of the Iron Age, we are introducing two digital assets: LAND, the non-fungible parcels in which the virtual world is divided; and MANA, an ERC-20 token that is burned to claim LAND, as well as to make in-world purchases of goods and services."
Decentraland operates using a DAO structure, where the community votes for such things like:
- Proposing and voting on policy updates.
- Whitelisting of NFT contracts.
- Future land auctions.
- Whatever other items the community deems relevant.
With respect to The Sandbox, the governance mechanism is similar, however it is less structured than that of Decentraland (and it is not as easy to find in the official documentation as that of Decentraland).
The Sandbox likewise follows a DAO structure where holders of the SAND token vote on such things like:
- Prioritisation of the features contained in the project's roadmap.
- Delegation of voting rights to other players.
- Placement of foundation grants to the platform's content and game creators.
- Whatever other items the community deems relevant.
Support teams
Decentraland operates with a security advisory board that oversees the DAO and responds to all bug and vulnerability reports concerning the platform.
This SAB also includes five Solidity experts (originally selected by the development team).
Decentraland boasts of its team being comprised of leaders in such fields as computer science, blockchain engineering, and venture capital to name a few.
The Sandbox team is spread through four different countries.
The Sandbox support experts are from the fields of start-ups, finance, and blockchain businesses to name a few.
Buying LAND assets in each respective project
In both ecosystems, it is the community that owns the land to be purchased.
As such, the community has complete authority over each project.
Landowners, however, have control over the material that is published on their owned land.
Land is identified by a set of cartesian coordinates making identification very easy.
And as a result of this, land in both projects is a non-fungible, rare and transferable digital asset stored in an Ethereum smart contract.
In Decentraland, you buy land by connecting your wallet and going to 'the marketplace' where you can access and browse all parcels and estates in the system.
To access parcels that are available to be purchased, a user must activate the 'on sale' option and all parcels that can be purchased will turn sky blue in colour.
At this point it is up to the user to choose the best land for their purposes.
But in any event, general real estate principles should be followed and you need to find land near strategic places where people gather to be successful.
In The Sandbox, you have two separate options to purchase land.
You can purchase land on the platform by simply connecting your wallet, choosing your land and paying.
However, the best way to acquire affordable land is to browse the Marketplace on OpenSea, write down the coordinates of available lands, then check the Map to see if the available land is near commercial lands.
Parenthetically, The Sandbox also has a separate 3d party P2P NFT trader.
Here, users can swap their Sandbox NFTs in an easy, efficient and secure fashion.
Metaverse project partnerships
Major partnerships for the Decentraland project include:
- CoinGecko
- Polygon (MATIC)
- CyberPunks
- Atari
Major partnerships for The Sandbox project include:
- OpenSea
- Snoop Dogg
- The Walking Dead
- Binance
- CoinMarketCap
- WAX
- Maker
- Flow
- Opera
- Socios.com
Access to each platform
For full access in Decentraland you must connect your cryptocurrency wallet to the site.
There is, however, a 'Guest Mode' where anyone can gain limited access and experiences within the site is minimal.
The Sandbox does not offer a 'guest mode', but does offer more alternatives to gain platform access.
In The Sandbox, you need to register first, which may be accomplished by email, a social media account, Gmail, or by connecting Metamask.
Use of ERC1155 standard tokens
ERC 1155 Standard tokens are not used in Decentraland.
The ERC 1155 token is used in The Sandbox, and for those unfamiliar with this standard, which is a token representing a mix of a cryptocurrency and an NFT all within the same token asset.
"The ERC-1155 standard that [The Sandbox] co-created with other game companies in the blockchain space, was designed to support the management of millions of tokens. On top of that our ASSET contract is also ERC721 compliant and allows multiple unique items to be created by a single smart contract with the benefit of keeping the ERC-721 interface to allow interoperability with other Marketplaces and games"
The Sandbox (SAND) vs Decentraland (MANA) comparison table
This comparison table shows you an unbiased feature set comparison of blockchain metaverse platforms in the discussion.
The below table shows you the comparison points between the two major blockchain metaverse platforms.
| Sandbox (SAND) | Decentraland (MANA) | |
|---|---|---|
| Sandbox was originally launched in 2011, going through various partnerships and acquisitions, it started venturing in NFT and now has a digital asset. | Decentraland was launched in 2017, it has a VR ecosystem and NFT, digital asset and virtual map. | |
| Sandbox is deployed on Ethereum network including it's assets, NFTs and deliverables. | Decentraland uses Ethereum network for it's platform transaction and assets. | |
| Sandbox has three ERC-20 tokens named - SAND, GEM, and CATALYST token and ERC-721 tokens namely - LAND and ASSETS. | Decentraland has ERC-721 tokens namely - LAND and MANA. | |
| Sandbox's total circulating supply of SAND token is around 3,000,000,000. | Decentraland MANA has current supply of 2.19 billion MANA as it was reduced due to the Token burn. | |
| Sandbox's NFT assets are available through opensea and Rarible marketplace. | Decentraland's NFT are available through opensea NFT marketplace. | |
| Sandbox's SAND token is being used for the in-metaverse purchases and the transactions. | Decentraland's MANA is being used for the in-platform transactions and buying the assets. | |
| Sandbox's assets can be stored in both custodial and non-custodial wallets. | Decentraland assets can be stored in the custodial and non-custodial wallets. | |
| Sandbox allows game developers to publish the games on the top of the existing ecosystem. | Decentraland currently only allows making of NFT and yet to allow external game dev to design any games on the top of it's ecosystem. | |
| Sandbox is the first gaming blockchain that has the DeFi and also governance system that allows vote, stake and govern ecosystem. | Decentraland is the first VR gaming blockchain to offer the ownership of the land and decentralised metaverse. |
Final verdict on The Sandbox (SAND) vs Decentraland (MANA)
The Sandbox is one of the oldest and robust blockchain-based platforms that has its own community following.
In contrast, Decentraland is just getting started with a VR platform as its own unique offering.
If you are investing in metaverse tokens, then either one is good to start at the current time.
After giving due consideration to all of the factors herein presented, it appears that The Sandbox is in a slightly better position to take leadership in this space.
The Sandbox project appears to offer a more technologically advanced comprehensive program better matched to the burgeoning Metaverse than its competitor Decentraland.
Finally, check out our Decentraland (MANA) guide.
Is The Sandbox (SAND) free to play?
Yes, The Sandbox platform is free to play, and anyone can create an account and start exploring the ecosystem.
However, some premium features within the platform may require the use of SAND tokens, and creators may need to purchase LAND to build and monetise their gaming experiences.
Additionally, players who want to own unique NFTs within The Sandbox marketplace will need to purchase them using SAND tokens.
Overall, while The Sandbox is free to play, there may be some costs associated with accessing certain features or assets within the platform.
Is The Sandbox (SAND) decentralised?
Yes, The Sandbox (SAND) is built on a decentralised blockchain platform, specifically the Ethereum blockchain.
This means that the platform is not controlled by a single entity, but rather operates on a distributed network of computers and nodes, making it more secure and resistant to attacks.
Additionally, because The Sandbox is built on a blockchain, all transactions and activities within the platform are transparent and verifiable, creating a more trustless and fair ecosystem for all participants.
Overall, The Sandbox's decentralised nature is a key feature that sets it apart from traditional gaming platforms and enables new possibilities for gaming, creativity, and ownership.
The Sandbox (SAND) pros and cons
While The Sandbox offers many exciting possibilities for gaming, creativity, and ownership, it's important to consider both the advantages and disadvantages of the platform before diving in.
In this section of our guide to The Sandbox (SAND), we'll explore five pros and cons, examining its strengths and weaknesses as a decentralised gaming platform.
By understanding both the potential benefits and risks of The Sandbox, you can make a more informed decision about whether it's the right platform for you.
5 pros of the Sandbox (SAND)
- Decentralised ownership: The Sandbox allows players and creators to truly own their digital assets within the platform through the use of NFTs, enabling a new level of ownership and creativity.
- Community-driven: The Sandbox is built on a strong community of gamers, creators, and developers, which fosters collaboration, innovation, and growth within the ecosystem.
- Revenue potential: Creators and players within The Sandbox can monetise their experiences through the sale of NFTs and other assets, providing new opportunities for revenue generation.
- User-friendly creation tools: The Sandbox provides easy-to-use creation tools that don't require extensive coding knowledge, allowing more people to participate in the ecosystem and create their own gaming experiences.
- Strong partnerships: The Sandbox has formed partnerships with several major players in the gaming and blockchain industries, including Atari and Binance, which could lead to further growth and adoption of the platform.
5 cons of The Sandbox (SAND)
- Limited adoption: While The Sandbox has a growing community, it is still relatively small compared to more established gaming platforms, which could limit its overall success and impact.
- Volatility: The value of SAND tokens can be volatile, which could impact the profitability of creators and the overall health of the ecosystem.
- Technical requirements: While The Sandbox's creation tools are user-friendly, they still require a certain level of technical expertise, which could limit the number of participants within the ecosystem.
- Competition: The gaming and blockchain industries are both highly competitive, which means that The Sandbox will face significant competition from other platforms and projects.
- Centralisation risks: While The Sandbox is built on a decentralised blockchain platform, there is still a risk that the platform could become centralised over time, either through changes to the ecosystem or through external factors.
Final verdict on the Sandbox (SAND)
As with any emerging technology or platform, it's difficult to say definitively whether the pros of The Sandbox (SAND) outweigh the cons.
While the platform offers many exciting possibilities for gaming, creativity, and ownership, it also faces significant challenges, including competition, technical requirements, and volatility.
Ultimately, whether the pros of The Sandbox outweigh the cons will depend on your individual goals, interests, and risk tolerance.
If you're interested in exploring a new kind of gaming ecosystem that emphasises ownership and creativity, The Sandbox may be a great fit for you.
However, if you're looking for a more established platform with a larger user base and fewer technical requirements, you may want to consider other options.
Ultimately, the decision of whether to engage with The Sandbox will depend on your individual priorities and preferences.
Should I buy The Sandbox (SAND) in 2021?
In conclusion, The Sandbox (SAND) offers a unique and exciting opportunity for gamers, creators, and investors to engage with a decentralised gaming platform that emphasises ownership, creativity, and community.
While there are certainly risks and challenges associated with investing in SAND tokens or participating in The Sandbox ecosystem, there are also many potential benefits, including the ability to monetise experiences, participate in a growing community, and own unique NFTs.
If you're considering buying SAND tokens in 2021, it's important to carefully weigh the pros and cons of the platform, as well as to do your own research and due diligence.
Consider factors like the current price and market cap of SAND, the adoption and growth of The Sandbox ecosystem, and the potential risks and challenges facing the platform.
Ultimately, whether you choose to invest in SAND tokens or participate in The Sandbox ecosystem will depend on your individual goals, interests, and risk tolerance.
While The Sandbox offers many exciting possibilities for gaming and ownership, it's important to approach any investment with caution and to carefully consider the potential risks and rewards.
In summary, if you're interested in a decentralised gaming platform that values ownership, creativity, and community, The Sandbox may be worth exploring further.
However, before investing in SAND tokens or participating in The Sandbox ecosystem, be sure to carefully consider the risks and challenges associated with this emerging technology.
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