Moore convinced more than 40 people to give him money by claiming he would use it to buy crypto mining equipment and deliver steady daily profits.

From January 2021 to October 2022, Moore ran a company he called Quantum Donovan LLC. He told investors their money would be used to set up mining machines that could generate about one percent in returns each day. Instead, he used the money to buy an upscale apartment, expensive luggage, and electronics.

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Moore also used some of the funds to repay earlier investors, which made the operation appear to be working and encouraged others to join.

Many of his victims were fellow rugby players from states including Washington, Utah, Oregon, Connecticut, and New Jersey. Prosecutors said he took advantage of personal connections and trust within the rugby community to find new investors, who together lost more than $387,000.

At the sentencing, Acting US Attorney Teal Luthy Miller said Moore used the hype around cryptocurrency to carry out a “Ponzi scheme”. Miller also noted how the case left behind broken relationships among teammates and friends.

Judge Tana Lin, who handed down the sentence, said Moore’s actions caused emotional and mental harm to his victims, not just financial losses. Along with the prison term, Moore was ordered to repay the money he stole.

On July 16, Paul Chowles, a former officer from the UK’s National Crime Agency, was sentenced to five and a half years. What happened? Read the full story.

Russian professional basketball player Daniil Kasatkin was arrested in France at the request of the United States for allegedly acting as a negotiator for a ransomware gang.

Daniil Kasatkin is a Russian basketball player who briefly played NCAA basketball at Penn State before returning to Russia in 2019. In four seasons with MBA-MAI, he appeared in 172 games before he left the team.

According to French media, Kasatkin was arrested at Paris’s Charles de Gaulle airport on June 21st after landing in France with his fiancée.

The arrest was made as part of a United States international arrest warrant for his role as an alleged negotiator for a ransomware gang.

Kasatkin is now under custody while the US seeks to have him extradited to face charges of “conspiracy to commit computer fraud” and “computer fraud conspiracy.”

His lawyer alleges that Kasatkin is not guilty of these crimes and that they are instead linked to a second-hand computer that he purchased.

“He bought a second-hand computer. He did absolutely nothing. He’s stunned ,” his lawyer, Frédéric Bélot, told the media.

“He’s useless with computers and can’t even install an application. He didn’t touch anything on the computer: it was either hacked, or the hacker sold it to him to act under the cover of another person.”

While the name of the ransomware gang was not disclosed, it is reported to have been behind attacks on more than 900 companies, including two federal agencies, between 2020 and 2022.

This description closely matches similar language used by the Department of Justice to refer to the notorious Conti ransomware gang, which emerged as a successor to Ryuk in 2020 and shut down in 2022, following a data breach.

However, it was not previously reported that Conti breached any federal agencies, though they are linked to attacks on state governments.

Last month, French police also arrested four alleged operators of the BreachForums hacking forum, including threat actors using the alias IntelBroker and ShinyHunters.

It’s no secret that internet users, including gamers, have grown wary of big tech companies profiting from their personal data. For the longest time, people just accepted it: they’d sign up for a service, click “I agree,” and assume their data was part of the bargain. Lately, though, there’s been a shift in thinking—especially among gamers, who spend countless hours online creating valuable digital footprints.

That’s where the Kratos Gaming Network (KGeN) comes into play. Rather than leaving data ownership solely in the hands of developers or platform owners, KGeN aims to give gamers direct control over how their information is used and monetized.

It’s a framework that could shake up more than just gaming circles, because it implies a future in which users hold the reins—and companies respect that. But to see how it all works, it helps to get a sense of KGeN’s core technology and community approach.

An Overview of KGeN

KGeN describes itself as a “gamer-owned reputation engine.” That might sound like marketing lingo, but it’s actually pretty straightforward: each player creates data whenever they engage with a game, make a purchase, or interact with fellow gamers.

Instead of a faceless corporation scooping up all that info, KGeN stores it in a way that they say respects user rights. This approach lines up with a growing demand for transparency in a world where apps and platforms seem to hoard personal details behind the scenes.

Why start with gaming communities? Gamers, by their nature, are highly interactive. They build friendships through guilds and Clans, spend real money on virtual items, and master complex gameplay mechanics. Each of these actions generates valuable data.

KGeN considers players vas stakeholders in the data economy, rewarding them for participation and giving them actual control. Anyone familiar with how big gaming has become—worth over $200 billion globally—can see that this shift might have far-reaching effects on user empowerment and monetization models.

Source KGeN

The P.O.G Engine (Proof of Gamer)

The backbone of KGeN is its P.O.G Engine, which stands for Proof of Gamer. While many traditional systems merely track things like hours played or items purchased, the P.O.G Engine digs deeper into different facets of a gamer’s identity.

It collects over 100 attributes per user, painting a detailed picture of individual skills, spending habits, social connections, and more. Yet KGeN also prioritizes privacy, letting gamers decide which of these attributes stay private (off-chain) and which go on-chain for public verification.

The Five Pillars of POG

POG stands on five pillars that shape your ever-evolving Proof of Gamer score:

• Build Proof of Human by linking social handles and completing biometrics.

• Elevate Proof of Skill through higher leaderboard ranks on KGeN and Steam.

• Increase Proof of Play by completing more K-Quests and K-Drop campaigns.

• Enhance Proof of Commerce by shopping on the KStore and Steam.

• Boost Proof of Social by staying active on platforms like X, Discord, and Telegram.

P.O.G.s: Your On-Chain Gamer Identity

In the KGeN platform, a P.O.G. (Proof of Gamer) is an on-chain digital identity that represents a gamer’s profile and reputation across various games and platforms. By minting a P.O.G. NFT, players can bring all their achievements, skills, and activities together in one verifiable place. The NFTs are designed as Soulbound Tokens (SBTs), meaning they are unique and non-transferable.

Since its launch, the P.O.G. initiative has taken off, with more than 1 million P.O.G.s minted in over 100 countries. This global adoption shows how eager players are to build trusted gaming identities and how committed the platform is to uniting gamers around the world.

Data Governance and Gamer Rights

KGeN’s dedication to user empowerment isn’t just talk—it’s built right into the platform’s data governance. The network holds user information under a framework designed to protect individuals and give them fair benefits. Gamers can decide:

• What to Share: They choose which data remains private and which gets publicly verified on-chain.

• How to Monetize: They can opt in or out of letting certain publishers or advertisers see specific parts of their profile.

• Where to Take It: They have a “right to port,” which means they can move their data to other ecosystems if they find a better fit.

Source KGeN

Engagement Features on KGeN

KGeN’s real strength shines through the gaming features it offers, making the platform lively and rewarding for casual players and die-hard enthusiasts with tons of games to play.

Quests Arena

Quests Arena personalizes the user experience with tasks called K-Quests. Gamers might need to accomplish a special achievement in a partnered title or promote a new game on social media. In return, they earn points or in-platform rewards. Meanwhile, developers gain a way to funnel motivated players into their games, often for less cost than typical ad campaigns.

K-Drops

K-Drop is a dynamic feature in the KGeN (Kratos Gamer Network) Web3 gaming platform that motivates players to complete social and gaming tasks in exchange for K-Points. Usually part of limited-time events, these tasks help spark excitement across the community and drive platform growth.

Clans

Clans are essentially mini-communities where gamers who share similar preferences—maybe they love the same titles or live in the same region—form a Clan. They collaborate on quests, split rewards, and learn from each other.

Source KGeN

rKGEN: The Rewards Token

One of KGeN’s more exciting features is rKGEN, a reward token that can be exchanged 1:1 for the platform’s main $KGEN token after its Token Generation Event (a specific date for this is yet to be announced). The idea is simple: gamers collect K-Points by completing tasks (Quests, campaigns, or gaming activities), and these points later convert into rKGEN.

Though rKGEN isn’t transferrable, the promise of eventually swapping it for $KGEN is a push to reward gamers with what they are calling a ‘fairdrop’. The platform also plans to introduce staking options, letting gamers potentially increase their rewards before the TGE.

Final Thoughts

If the platform proves that gamers are open to a more transparent, user-owned data model, it could spark similar changes in other corners of the internet. That alone makes KGeN a fascinating project, especially as discussions around data privacy and monetization grow more heated daily.

For now, it’s enough to say that KGeN offers a refreshing alternative for gamers tired of feeling like someone else always owns the value they create and are looking for new gaming experiences.

Everyone has rights. The right to privacy. The right to vote. The right to own a cat. When it comes to gaming, there are also rights in place that dictate the freedoms players have within the virtual worlds they roam for hours. These include the right to explore anywhere and, in some instances, the right to own the assets they create. But what exactly does ownership mean in the context of gaming, and why’s it such a big deal to a growing subset of players?

From Zero to Full Ownership

If you’d asked a video gamer in the late 90s if they’d like to own their in-game assets they’d have laughed at you. They already own the console and the cartridge: what else could they wish to own – the rights to print t-shirts displaying their high score? Back then, hardware was owned by the players but all game assets were owned by the publishers. The idea that original content created by players could form a multi-billion dollar economy would have seemed as far-fetched as the notion that the entire world would one day be on the internet.

Fast forward a quarter century and here we are: not just are we all online, but gaming is larger than Hollywood and, thanks to a 21st century invention called blockchain, it’s possible to own the assets that are created in-game. And not just to own them but to trade them, transfer them, and in some cases control the rights to their IP, allowing for the creation of cartoons, comics, and other content originally conceived deep within a video game world. It is, as the saying goes, quite a time to be alive.

Web3 Ownership in Action

To non-web3 gamers which, for the foreseeable future constitutes the majority of all players, the idea of wanting to own your character or armor might seem strange. Who cares whose ball it is so long as you can play? But the idea of “true” ownership, as popularized by the web3 model, is about much more than bragging rights or catering to the whims of “not your keys, not your characters” blockchain zealots. It’s ultimately about evolving the capabilities of what can be done with gaming, particularly when it comes to user-generated content.

Not so long ago, character customization options were limited, leaving little scope for creating anything unique or remotely valuable to other players. But as gaming has evolved, the parameters of what can be created within sprawling virtual worlds has expanded dramatically, creating a huge secondary market for items that can advance game progress, level up characters, equip them with powerful weapons, and add exclusive accessories. Web3 games developers have taken this seemingly marginal use case and created an entire industry around it. And a sizable tranche of gamers have bought into this model with aplomb, demonstrating that players rights is an idea whose time has come.

As web3 studio Mythical Games reasons, “Players who have the freedom to trade their game items as they wish are more engaged, have more fun, and value their assets more.” That, in essence, is the elevator pitch for granting players the right to own their content. Mythical is adamant that economies centered on digital ownership will grant players a greater stake in the games they love and create powerful second-order effects such as the ability to govern game development or even to develop spin-off content of their own.

Mythical Games, as with most other web3 studios, automatically tokenizes in-game items as NFTs, enabling seamless ownership and the ability to freely lend, sell, or transfer them to other players. Web3 gaming platform The Sandbox takes a similar approach, empowering users to create, own, and monetize their gaming experiences. Players can buy, develop, and monetize virtual real estate and use their NFTs across different experiences within The Sandbox ecosystem. Like Mythical Games, The Sandbox lets players experience genuine ownership, enabling them to reap the rewards for their creativity and time spent in-game.

The Case for Letting Players Own It All

The benefits to players of being able to own the weapons, skins, or virtual real estate they’ve spent hundreds of hours refining are evident. What’s less commonly examined is the benefits to developers of doing so. Introducing a decentralized, player-driven model allows developers to be far bolder and experimental than they could otherwise be were they operating a traditional video game.

From setting up a virtual casino on your patch of metaverse land to having your character fight an opponent in an entirely different game, there’s a lot that can be done once studios learn to let go and allow communities to steer the ship. This doesn’t mean relinquishing control altogether, incidentally: studios still retain the right to build whatever they like and to launch new content, sequels, prequels, and tie-ins. But through furnishing an army of players with the rights to own their content and tell the world about it, they gain an army of ambassadors who will onboard new players and drive greater revenue to studios.

Just as the success of NFT collections such as Bored Apes would have been impossible without owners supplying the energy, amplification, and trading volume, the same is proving true of web3 games. It’s not the only case for playing them – we haven’t even touched upon unique features such as token rewards or universal access or censorship-resistance – but it’s one of the most compelling.

As web3 technology matures and permeates everything, player ownership will become a standard feature in gaming. This inevitable embrace of blockchain will give players, developers, and creators something to gain, ushering in a more equitable and immersive gaming future with players’ rights at their core.

In a significant shift for Telegram-based gaming, Hamster Kombat launched DAO functionality, signaling a move toward a more transparent and community-driven model. After a period marked by uncertainty, this development aims to give HMSTR token holders a direct role in shaping the project’s future, ensuring that the game aligns more closely with the interests of its dedicated community.

Season 1 Backlash

In September 2024, Hamster Kombat faced significant community backlash following its Season 1 airdrop of HMSTR tokens. Approximately 63% of players were disqualified due to last-minute changes in eligibility criteria, notably the unexpected emphasis on in-game key collection over the previously highlighted Points Per Hour (PPH) metric. This abrupt shift led to widespread dissatisfaction, with many users feeling misled and frustrated by the lack of transparency and sudden alteration of reward qualifications.

The situation was further exacerbated by the game’s anti-cheat measures, which resulted in the banning of 2.3 million accounts. While intended to maintain fairness, these actions inadvertently disqualified legitimate players, intensifying the community’s discontent. The combination of these factors not only diminished trust in the platform but also contributed to a sharp decline in user engagement and a drop in the HMSTR token’s value.

Hamster Kombat DAO

With the introduction of a decentralized autonomous organization DAO, the project is transferring key decision-making capabilities into the hands of HMSTR token investors. Unlike many meme crypto projects that operate behind closed doors, Hamster Kombat revealed its plan to let participants vote on features, strategies, and policies. The dao aims to deliver genuine influence to hmstr token holders, granting them a say in the evolution of the ecosystem and ensuring that their interests guide the project’s future.

The move toward a DAO structure also addresses lingering concerns about trust and transparency. This change represents a firm step toward greater accountability, potentially mitigating community backlash and fostering renewed confidence among users.

Benefits for HMSTR Token Holders

The shift to a DAO governance model offers additional utility for the hmstr token, enabling holders to propose adjustments to the game, steer development priorities, and influence key updates. This empowerment extends beyond speculative trading and short-term gains, positioning hmstr token holders as active participants in shaping the project’s future.

This collaborative environment may help restore market optimism. Previous hmstr price analysis, referencing metrics like the moving average convergence divergence (MACD), the relative strength index (RSI), and identifying bearish divergence, suggested that investor sentiment had cooled over the past week.

The introduction of the DAO could provide a foundation for improved stability, potentially reversing declines toward all time low levels and steering the token back onto a growth trajectory. Some observers have noted Google Trends data tracking interest in the hmstr token, and community engagement may now serve as a counterbalance to negative indicators on the daily chart or the macd line.

Challenges and Future Prospects

Reports from financial institutions, including Vanguard Asset Management, previously accused hamster kombat operators of failing to meet expectations. Such claims contributed to waning trust and uncertainty about the project’s future. With the DAO now in place, Hamster Kombat confirmed its commitment to decentralization, demonstrating that decisions will not be made in isolation.

By recognizing that hmstr token holders and other users deserve a voice, the platform could build a stronger, more engaged community. The transparent structure may also help the project stand out from other meme crypto projects, as it replaces guesswork and speculation with verifiable voting records and community-led outcomes.

Future Outlook

The new DAO model has the potential to usher in a new era for Hamster Kombat hmstr, supporting long-term resilience and value. By empowering HMSTR token holders, encouraging more inclusive governance, and promoting fair play, the project is taking steps to restore confidence and foster a lasting, community-centered ecosystem.

As the DAO takes effect, many observers anticipate that this move will encourage many players to return, support innovation, and guide the project’s future toward tangible success. The community-driven approach may help the platform recover from previous uncertainties and transform it into a model for other projects seeking meaningful engagement and trust.

Ultimately, the decision to embrace a decentralized autonomous organization and integrate the community’s voice could redefine what it means to participate in a crypto-based tap-to-earn game, setting a new standard that places token holders at the heart of the decision-making process.

Editor’s note: This article was written with the assistance of AI. Edited and fact-checked by Owen Skelton.