General Idea

This on-chain smart contract establishes a framework for the incorporation of lootboxes into the user-owned gaming experience. The lootboxes are consumable items that, when consumed, yield a random chance for players to earn different in-game items with varying rarity levels. Lootboxes have significant importance in gaming. Using the Stacks VRF, the creator can offer the user an honest and decentralized fashion for receiving his earnings/bonuses. In our opinion, they are the most sustainable way of rewarding users long term.

Security Though True Randomness

Interestingly, in 2020 researchers proposed a VRF that uses lattice-based cryptography that’s secure enough to protect against attacks from a quantum computer, suggesting that VRF can remain an important technology long into the future. - https://blog.chain.link/verifiable-random-function-vrf/

VRF Use Cases in different Fields

Most RNGs don’t produce a random number that can be cryptographically verified, leaving them vulnerable to manipulation and thereby limiting their use cases. By guaranteeing the security of a random number, VRFs unlock a number of important use cases such as:

• Internet security—VRF is used to help secure domain name system (DNS) messages.

• Zero-knowledge technology—VRF is used in the protocol design for zero-knowledge proofs and zero-knowledge databases.

• Non-interactive lottery systems—VRF enables provably fair and efficient outcomes for lotteries.

• Verifiable transaction escrow schemes—VRF can help support automated escrow services that preserve user anonymity.

• Blockchains and smart contracts—VRF has become an important part of decentralized protocols and applications.

- https://blog.chain.link/verifiable-random-function-vrf/