Ethereum, the decentralized, open-source blockchain, appears to have arisen in part due to the creator “crying himself to sleep” over a nerf to the Syphon Life spell in World of Warcraft.
“I happily played World of Warcraft during 2007-2010, but one day Blizzard removed the damage component from my beloved warlock’s Siphon Life spell,” reads Buterin’s about.me bio.
While an amusing anecdote, it appears the links between Warcraft and the Etherium blockchain largely end there.
“I cried myself to sleep, and on that day I realized what horrors centralized services can bring.