From Virtual Mining to Fair Asset Distribution: Analyzing Cellula's Innovative Design

Since 2017, the threshold for asset issuance in the Web3 space has significantly decreased. However, traditional ID0 and IC0 models have exposed many fairness issues, and people have been seeking a more fair and reliable asset issuance protocol. The Cellula project offers a new perspective to address this issue by implementing an asset distribution layer that simulates POW, utilizing virtual proof of work (vPOW) to "mine" the asset distribution process, thereby simulating a more equitable asset allocation paradigm similar to Bitcoin.

The core of Cellula lies in replacing the traditional POW hash calculation with a computation method that yields unpredictable results - Conway's Game of Life. In Cellula, players need to allocate computing power to a virtual digital entity called "BitLife". Simply put, it's like breeding cell clusters in a petri dish; over time, the more surviving cells in a player's dish, the higher the corresponding mining power, thus increasing the likelihood of earning mining rewards.

Conway's Game of Life is a two-dimensional grid game where each cell has two states: alive and dead, evolving continuously according to specific rules. Cellula divides the "petri dish" into 9*9=81 squares, with each cell in a square having alive/dead states. Players need to choose an initial pattern for the petri dish, which is equivalent to randomly selecting an initial state for their petri dish. With possible initial states reaching up to 2^81, this offers participants a vast selection space.

The cell state of BitLife changes with the increase in block height. Cellula allocates computing power based on the state of BitLife at different block heights. At a given block height, the more surviving cells there are in BitLife, the higher the computing power it possesses, which is equivalent to creating a virtual mining machine. The player's goal is to construct or purchase the BitLife that is most likely to receive mining rewards.

Cellula also introduces a charging mechanism and a lottery function, as well as a variable rate progressive Dutch auction ( VRGDAs ) pricing algorithm to balance the game ecosystem and prevent scientists from infinitely minting BitLife.

From the perspective of player competition, Cellula simulates the operation of the Bitcoin mining machine market but lowers the threshold for mining machine research and development. A dynamic balance is formed between scientists, MEV players, and ordinary participants, with no single party able to fully control the market.

Overall, Cellula provides a fairer and more transparent paradigm for Web3 asset issuance through innovative gamified design, which can be called "a social experiment paying tribute to Bitcoin Mining."