Altcoins

If Bitcoin Was Game of Thrones, Crypto Winter May Already Be Leaving

Osato Avan-Nomayo · @OsatoNomayo | Apr 15, 2019 | 13:10

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Assuming there are people who are at the intersection of Bitcoin and Game of Thrones enthusiasm, which of the great houses of Westeros would be BTC and which one(s) would be the usurper Bitcoin Cash (BCH)/Bitcoin SV (BSV)? 

Is Daenerys the Bitcoin of GoT?

On Sunday (April 15, 2019), HBO’s hit TV show Game of Thrones (GoT) returned to screens around the world. Here on Bitcoinist, we’d like to see if there are parallels between George R. R. Martin’s fantasy juggernaut and Satoshi Nakamoto’s creation.

Bitcoin has risen from relative obscurity to become one of the major talking points across computer science, finance, and politics — to mention a few.

Fans of the show might say that ‘the journey sounds a lot like that of Daenerys Targaryen.’ The dragon queen was born on Dragonstone in the midst of a storm (à la 2008 financial crisis), forced to live in hiding for most of her life, but now arguably the most powerful person in the seven kingdoms.

In the fifth season of the show, Tyrion Lannister captures Daenery’s arc with some obvious similarities with Bitcoin’s progression, saying:

When I was a young man, I heard a story about a baby born during the worst storm in living memory. She had no wealth, no lands, no army, only a name and a handful of supporters, most of whom thought they could use that name to benefit themselves.

Tyrion’s monologue continues with the following lines:

And then a few years later, the most well-informed person I knew told me that this girl without wealth, lands, or armies has somehow acquired all three in a very short span of time, along with three dragons. He thought she was our best and last chance to build a better world.

Sounds familiar.

What About the Usurper and Others?

If the Targaryen dynasty is Bitcoin, then who would be the best candidate for The Usurper Robert Baratheon? The person declaring to be the ‘legitimate’ king of Westeros – BCH, BSV, or both? Pretenders to the throne, destined to ultimately flame out.

And what about those who also support these pretenders? Bitmain incurred losses of a staggering proportion in 2018 by joining banners with BCH. BSV miners are yet to be in the green, five months since the bitter “war of the Bitcoin forks.”

Craig Wright and Calvin Ayre are on the warpath with those who dispute the former’s claim to the Bitcoin cryptographic throne. Sounds a lot like Cersei Lannister and the late King Joffrey Baratheon killing all of Robert’s illegitimate children.

Is Winter Coming For Altcoins?

Teased sparingly for most of the show’s run, the Whitewalkers and their army of wights bent on death and destruction seem to be the primary focus of this final season. Just like Game of Thrones has an imminent great war, many experts say a day of reckoning is coming for altcoins.

Commentators like Matt Hougan of Bitwise Asset Management, Barry Silbert of Digital Currency Group, and Wences Casares of Xapo all say many altcoins will not survive the cryptocurrency mass extinction event.

This bit of premonition brings up an interesting question – who are the Whitewalkers of the cryptocurrency kingdom? Answer: regulations.

Now, where’s my dragon-glass (Bitcoin full node)?

Are there other parallels that you can draw between GoT and the cryptocurrency space? Please share your examples with us in the comments below. 

Images via HBO.com, Shutterstock