Consider a Blockchain where proof-of-work mining takes place by solving a hard problem: for a given set of parameters, determine how long life will last in a realistic ancestor simulation. Consider also a play-to-earn game in the form of a realistic ancestor simulation where players grind menial portions of the game and sell the artifacts of their progress in a market backed by the aforementioned Blockchain. With apologies to Bostrom, we must accept exactly one of these as true:

- that this is not technologically possible with current or future tech

- no one would possibly do something this stupid

- it is nearly 100% certain that our universe exists in someone's hair-brained web3 Ponzi scheme

You forgot the possibility that the outside civilisation is destroyed (eg by itself) before such simulation technology becomes technically feasible.

Not sure whether I should welcome my simulator overlords or search for weaknesses in Bostrom's argument.

Wow this is so weird, I've had this exact same idea before! I don't know if you're familiar with Dark Forest strikes from the Dark Forest book, but in the book, or the one after that, aliens use bombs that slow the speed of light in the space of single solar systems, to prevent civilizations from becoming threats. Always thought it would be funny if actual dark forest strikes were just the bitcoin whitepaper and bitcoin/crypto eventually use up all available resources before civilization can become a problem lol. Hope someone makes this an actual story someday.

This is gold!

Considering Humanity's capacity and even drive for destruction (entropy incarnate, that's us), by having handed us this concept they will have certainly accelerated the destruction of potentially hostile civilisations... but also their own, the rest of the universe, and whatever surrounds it.

There is some really good fiction to be found in this vein on https://old.reddit.com/r/HFY/

Would torrent this movie

crypto is basically mimetic crack.