Blockchain-based games want to go mainstream, but the million-dollar question is: what’s the best way to do it?
According to some web3 game developers, there might not be just one right answer.
To win Web 2.0 audiences over, it appears the industry will have to meet them where they are. To do that, web3 game devs should move web3 components to the back end and avoid promoting games as being based on web3, according to Sumeet Patel, founder of NFT-based algorithmic prediction game Exiled Racers.
That makes sense to me. When using applications, people don’t really care about what’s going on behind the scenes. They just want something that’s easy to use and does what they want it to. While some people may want to understand the technology and dive deep, the majority don’t really care.
“It doesn’t sound good, but gaming doesn’t need blockchain today, but blockchain does need gaming,” said Nicholas Douzinas, business development and growth lead at decentralized gaming platform Ajuna Network.
The global gaming industry is expected to grow from $282 billion in 2023 to $666 billion by 2030, as more people increasingly choose video games as their primary form of entertainment, and 4G-enabled smartphones enable people everywhere to indulge in mobile games, according to a report by Fortune Business Insights.
But blockchain gaming wasn’t even mentioned as a trend or driving factor for gaming growth. I think that’s fair because it’s such a small fraction of the market and has a long way to go before it can even make a dent in the industry.
“NFTs mean nothing to gaming; some people don’t care about ownership,” said Douzinas. But on the other side of the spectrum, some people want to engage deeply with web3 technology, he noted.
Ajuna Network aims to attract people who are interested in web3 technology and blockchains, but are comfortable with owning a token and the possibilities that come with it, Douzinas said.
Not all gaming companies are taking that route.
Web3 games don’t need to highlight blockchain elements to succeed by Jacquelyn Melinek originally published on TechCrunch
