Future generations may someday look back on our torment of helpless AI the same way we view dog fighting or foxhunting, but until then you can bet on the outcome of Cobalt bot matches via Twitch. The money isn't real, but the impact on my productivity is—and so are the prizes Oxeye Game Studio will be giving away on the date of Cobalt's release.
Oxeye has set two all-AI teams in perpetual conflict. At the beginning of each Team Strike round, bot_cobalt gives the composition of each team and their odds of winning (as I'm writing, Red is looking peaky on 2.58-1 to Blue's 1.61-1). You enter your bet in chat from a starting pool of 1,000 'Volts', so, if you were playing it safe, you could drop 50 Volts on that there Blue team.
The real compulsion comes from spread betting. You can also put money on special events occurring, such as the MULTI, when a bot takes out two others in a single shot, or an ACE, when one bot takes out the entire enemy team (odds of 138.43 currently).
With your winnings, you can buy Twitch flairs of limited stock from the post-round store. Amassing either Volts or valuable flairs gives you a chance of winning codes and signed postcards for Cobalt on February 2, 12pm CET.
The extent of the gambling ring is truly absurd, and you're best checking the Mojang blog for the full details surrounding special events and customising bots before burning your Fun Bucks. Please gamble responsibly.
