Web3 Gaming: 2022 and Beyond

Crypto Winter

According to the observations of GameFi in 2022, the ecosystem has already risen and fallen on the back of the 2021 NFT hype cycle. Early token rises and NFT mints were rewarded by the “NFT go up” mindset for games that were still in development and solely intended to provide players with an opportunity to earn money. 

Many P2E gaming projects that were released in the last 12 months include sustainable design rather than providing genuinely enjoyable play experiences. These games instead of holding the Ponzi schemes are controllable using WASD (The game controlling keys other than arrow keys).

As traditional equities and other assets saw a wider worldwide decline, the 2022 cryptocurrency market also had a severe correction. Investors have tightened their decisions to risk-on assets, such as cryptocurrencies, as a result of rising interest rates that are intended to fight inflation. With the exception of Web3 gaming, which is proving to be a significant factor in the global growth of blockchain and cryptocurrencies, venture capital funding in those industries has also somewhat decreased. Despite the weak market, blockchain gaming has been demonstrating its strength in these trying times. Blockchain games may receive over $10 billion in investments this year, more than tripling the US$4 billion raised in 2021, according to a report by market watcher DappRadar. To be precise, 2022 has been a significant year for growth, investment, and development in both web3 gaming and NFTs, indicating a fruitful crypto winter.

According to the Binance research, the situation at current leading Blockchains in Web3 gaming are:

Report: games on BNB Chain dominate GameFi industry in Q3

Moving forward let’s review some of the major topics and metrics that indicate the development of these markets in this 2022 Web3 Gaming report. Read below how these turning points handled the market slump and how things are shaping up for next year after a year of significant growth for cryptocurrency markets and increasing attention to the web3 gaming field in particular.

Web3 Gaming 

1. Gaming Model Switch

The gaming model transformation is partially a result of the game developers switching to concentrate on the game play aspect rather than the earning part. The phrase “play to earn” also establishes certain standards for the playerbase. In some regions of the world, playing Axie Infinity used to be a full-time job. However, their faltering economy made it clear that this was an unstable arrangement.

Developers started using the phrase “play AND earn” instead of “play to earn (P2E),” suggesting that you can make money while playing. Actually, this more closely reflects what true gamers desire. They prioritise enjoyable games. Additionally, if they manage to uncover a way to earn a little money while playing their games,

The problem gap arises when the small gaming startups embracing the new economic model and the profound AAA studios with high-calibre games devoted to a premium $60 price tag and paid subscriptions. But the twist comes as the AAA studios that are now converted to the wildly successful F2P(Free-to-Play) model. The difference between the rising P2E economic model and AAA game quality will eventually close.

Many studios and developers are working to create a Web3 game that is genuinely entertaining. Businesses are exercising a formula that is entertaining, equitable, and profitable for both the gamers and their creators of them.

Web3 gaming is not readily switching back to a free-to-play (F2P) model from a pay-to-earn (P2E) model, as both models can coexist in the web3 gaming space. However, there are a few reasons why some developers and players in the web3 gaming space are experimenting with F2P and other models such as play-to-play (P2P), Factory Models etc.:

Player engagement: F2P models give players the opportunity to earn rewards for their skill and effort, rather than just spending money. This can create a more engaging and satisfying experience for players.

Fairness: F2P models can be more inclusive and fair for players, as it allows everyone to access the game without spending money.

Revenue generation: F2P models can generate revenue through in-game purchases, while P2E models generate revenue through the sale of in-game assets or currency.

Community engagement: F2P models can build larger communities, as it’s more accessible to a wider range of players.

It’s worth noting that many developers and players are experimenting with different models to try and find the best balance between player engagement, revenue generation, and fairness.

2. Newly Launched Web3 Games in 2022

The top games with the most DAUs (Daily Active Users) in 2022 are listed by collective Research as follows:

3. 2022 As The Year of Alphas

An essential stage of development is the alpha release. In software development, reaching a working build that you’re ready to share with the public is a significant accomplishment. It’s encouraging to see so many alphas and betas released this year.

It is true that 2022 was the year of the alphas. Axes Metaverse, Mytheria, Everseed, Sunville Farms, Moonville Farms, Eternal Dragons, Big Time, Ancient Society, Phantom Galaxies, Star Atlas, Farsite, Spider Tanks, Mirandus, Legacy, Superior, War Park, Chicken Derby, Green Rabbit, Guild of Guardians, R-Planet: Conquest, Farming Tales, My Neighbor Alice, TreeVerse, Life Beyond, etc. are some examples of games that fall under the initial release category.

4. Web3 Gaming investments/Funding review

The Web3 gaming and metaverse sectors received a lot of investment from venture capital firms this year. But the overall amount of money invested in these sectors fell from $5.5 billion in 2021 to $3.7 billion in 2022. (Footprint Analytics).

Animoca Brands is the market leader as of the publication date of this study, having invested in 61 projects in the web3 gaming and Metaverse categories. They are followed by Shima Capital with 29 projects and Infinity Ventures Crypto with 30 projects (CoinMarketCap). Even if it is happening more slowly than in previous years, the number of Game-Fi projects is still increasing. Yat Siu, a co-founder of Animoca Brands, has also made plans to launch Animoca Capital, a $2 billion metaverse fund.

With a $50 million B round, indie gaming studio Theorycraft secured the largest investment of the month in September. The trend of well-known gaming firms and developers entering the Web3 area is evident, with the founding team including members of Blizzard, Riot Games, and Ubisoft (Cryptoslate).

In October, Ubisoft and Take-Two Interactive participated in a $40 million Series A fundraising round led by Horizon Blockchain Games, the company that created the video game Skyweaver (DappRadar). More recently, Web3 game producer Fenix Games secured $150 million in order to purchase, fund, and distribute blockchain games (DappRadar).

Despite the unpredictability and difficulty of the market in 2022, it is evident that investors are still upbeat about the future of the blockchain gaming sector. 

Number of GameFi Projects by Investor

5. Ecosystems and Web3 

Even if Axie Infinity and STEPN may have been the first projects to become widely popular, they are no longer the leading initiatives in the field. Alien Worlds and Splinterlands are the current leaders in terms of active users, with Alien Worlds claiming 131K average active users and Splinterlands closely trailing at 98K. Only the players of these two games account for almost 30% of all gamers on the web3 platform (Footprint Analytics).

The best performers in terms of transactions are WAX and Hive. The popularity of Alien Worlds and Splinterlands, which account for 54.55% and 99.85% of each platform’s overall users, respectively, is crucial to both of them as a blockchain technology (Footprint Analytics). BNB, the third-largest chain in terms of gamers and gaming transactions, hasn’t yet created a standout game in the genre.

Despite this, BNB Chain is still one of the gaming industry’s most resilient chains. With 299 new projects debuting on the platform in 2022 alone (excluding December) and a 37% market share in terms of web3 gaming protocols, BNB continues to dominate in terms of both new project launches and market share (Footprint Analytics). When it comes to new initiatives, Ethereum comes in second.

It is obvious that the world of cryptocurrency gaming is continuously changing, with new players appearing and established ones fading away. Although Splinterlands and Alien Worlds may currently be the dominant powers, the future is still uncertain.

6. Rise of Metaverse

The six basic elements that make up the Metaverse—blockchain, interactivity, games, AI, networks, and IoTs—are more popular than ever. According to Goldman Sachs, the potential Metaverse economy could represent an $8 trillion opportunity by 2022, according to Gartner, which recently designated the Metaverse one of the top five emerging trends and technologies for that year (Bitcoin.com). Due to the fact that gamers have long been participating in immersive virtual experiences and creating social ties, gaming is crucial to the growth of the Metaverse.

Ancient8 Web3 gaming analysis

Tokens

Sensational Projects In 2022

  1. Kiraverse: Built on Unreal Engine 5, is an online multiplayer game, which allows players from all over the world to participate, compete, and gain achievements to unlock or rent avatars, skins, weapons, and other items. Battle Royale and Elimination are the two game types that KIRAVERSE will debut with. To improve their gaming experience, players can acquire in-game achievements and own, buy, or rent characters, skins, weapons, and other items.
  2. Illuvium: A collectible 3D fantasy RPG game with 343k Twitter followers that has developed a substantial and devoted fan base. In addition to concluding a virtual land deal for over $72 million this year, Illuvium also just made the auto-battler game mode’s first private beta available. The game has received overwhelmingly positive reviews so far and has AAA visuals and gameplay.
  3. Shrapnel: The project has garnered a lot of interest from the public, particularly in the West. It is being developed by a team of seasoned developers that have won BAFTA and Emmy awards from series like HALO and Call of Duty. Shrapnel, which won “Most Anticipated Title” at the Polkastarter GAM3 Awards this year, is evidence that Web3 games’ quality will continue to rise.
  4. Big Time: A forthcoming multiplayer action role-playing game that is now in early access. This project’s aim of creating a “second-generation crypto game” in terms of its in-game economy has been obvious this year, among other things. Big Time recently unveiled full information on its token and economy, which aspires to build a player-driven circular economy.
  5. Tatsumeeko: A multi-chain MMORPG designed to “build communities and deepen worldly relationships” and based on the Tatsu.GG Gaming Bot in Discord. The Tatsumeeko proof-of-concept generated over $369K in microtransactions, surpassed 62K MAU, and over 4.7M virtual products sold. The well-known Discord communities of PewDiePie, Davie504, Moistcr1tikal, Mobile Legends, and Team Liquid, and the fan community of Kanye West, Ariana Grande, and Hololive Fan Server already have Tatsumeeko.

What’s in for 2023?

Cryptocurrency volatility is nothing new, and 2022 was a true rollercoaster for the entire sector. It also represents a remarkable chapter in the artifacts of crypto history. It will be a useful lesson to educate both experienced developers and beginners that cryptocurrency is still “a work in progress” while simultaneously highlighting how far it has come. Future developments in this quickly evolving industry will be shaped by innovators and visionaries who remain focused and persistent.

The two industries that are most likely to use blockchain technology to spread cryptocurrency are Web3 gaming and Metaverses. Following a bright start to 2022, economic and social unrest has had an impact on international markets, particularly tech.

Crypto and NFT advocates have had to deal with hacks, significant falls, and plummeting token prices. Web3 gaming and NFTs are still very much alive and moving forward in spite of all the FUD (Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt).

As the industry develops, there will be more obstacles and setbacks, but we also anticipate that market recovery, adoption by Web2 businesses, and significant technological advancements will serve as the catalysts for a number of innovative NFT and Web3 Gaming projects and trends in the coming year and for many years to come.

The blockchain sector may have been jolted by the bear market and other problems, but the web3 gaming alternatives are just becoming better. In 2023, It can be confidently expected that there will be even more advancements in blockchain gaming with good value returns. 

What Is The Mighty Ethereum Merge: How It Will Affect GameFi

What is The Ethereum Merge?

The Ethereum blockchain, as we know it, is the foundation of numerous Web3 applications, cryptocurrency, and NFT projects. The Ethereum Merge, also known as Ethereum ETH 2.0, is essentially an upgrade to the Ethereum blockchain that will lessen its environmental impact, boost network security, allow Ethereum developers to add new features, and improve the chain’s scalability. This is due to the converging of two independent chains “Beacon chain” & “Ethereum”. The latter one will integrate the consensus mechanism of the Beacon chain into it. Let’s dive deep into it below.

When will Ethereum Merge?

The existing Ethereum Mainnet and the Beacon Chain proof-of-stake network will soon converge, indicating that Ethereum will entirely switch to proof-of-stake, putting an end to the proof-of-work. The merge is expected to be in operation in Q3/Q4 of 2022, with the tentative deadline of September 15 this year. 

This will result in Ethereum’s 99.95% reduction in energy consumption

What is Proof-of-Work & Proof-of-Stake?

Algorithms that are used to validate cryptocurrencies on a blockchain network using proof of work and proof of stake. The key distinction is in the method used to select and qualify users for adding transactions.

The Proof of Work consensus algorithm involves challenging puzzles that must be solved by powerful computers used by miners. Trial and error are used to find solutions to the issues. The right to add new blocks to the blockchain for transactions is granted to the first miner to solve the puzzle or cryptographic equation.

In Proof of Stake, before confirming the transactions, miners promise an investment in digital currency. Miners need to put up a stake with their currencies to validate blocks. Miners also provide the duration of their transaction validation history. A weighted algorithm that is weighted based on the stake and validation experience determines at random who will validate each transaction.

Integrating the Mainnet

Since Ethereum’s inception, the Mainnet has used the proof-of-work (PoW) consensus mechanism. The PoW holds each transaction, smart contract, and balance from 2015 till now. 

The Beacon Chain, however, was established on December 1, 2020, and it has functioned parallel to Mainnet as a separate blockchain. Beacon Chain has not done transactions on the mainnet, but it reaches consensus on its own by agreeing to active validators and their account balances. 

When the Beacon chain is integrated with the Mainnet, and then this composition is merged into Ethereum, the Beacon Chain will work as a consensus engine for all data, account balances, and execution layer processes.

The Merge Impact on Game-Fi

Now that we are fully equipped with the Ethereum merge, it can be simply put as a quick swap of the new engine for the old one of the jet mid-flight. Everything, including the games based on this blockchain, will be swapped and altered eventually in The Merge spell. The three pillars: transparency, immutability, and traceability are fulfilled via wallet, smart contract, and the game server in blockchain game architecture.  

gaming-architecture-flowchart

Games Security

Research shows 34,200 smart contracts in blockchain games are vulnerable to attacks. The causes of vulnerability are platforms and contract programming languages. Which opens up to Calls to the unknown, Gasless send, Exception disorders, Type casts, Re-entrancy, etc. 

The merge promises a better tomorrow with higher security for the game-fi industry. The upcoming updates will increase Ethereum’s security by requiring major ETH deposits from validators. In addition, the protocol has the authority to delete their ETH immediately in the event of attempted fraud.

Faster Transactions In Games

Currently, when the players make microtransactions in the games to buy any virtual assets or skins, it takes time due to the PoW consensus. The merge update, however, will not speed up the transactions. It is here to lay down the foundation for all the anticipated upgrades. The next updates planned in the Q4 of 2022 and Q1 of 2023 will bring high core speed to the chain.  

Less Gas Fee 

For those who wonder what is a Gas Fee? On the Ethereum network, the user must pay a set amount of gas for each transaction. So in essence, “Gas” serves as a unit of measurement for determining the costs associated with putting a transaction in the “blocks” that make up the ETH blockchain.

Since 2020, there has been a dramatic increase in Defi and NFT activity in the Game-Fi, which has greatly increased transaction volume and can also clog the network with raised gas fees during peak times. 

The merger won’t directly reduce gas prices. The Merge’s technical advancements have included nothing intended to minimise fees. However, activating PoS would be the first step in allowing sharding

Sharding is the division of a network into “shard chains” that distribute Ethereum’s load, relieving congestion and boosting transaction throughput. It is expected to start in 2023, which will allow the network to scale dramatically and eventually lower the gas fee to an exceptional level.

More Players at a Time

As discussed above, the merger will focus on security and reduce the energy consumption of the current transactions. But it will set the stage for all other areas that users have been waiting for so long. After the merge, sharding could hypothetically boost Ethereum’s transaction throughput to 100,000 transactions per second, outpacing all major credit card providers in speed and throughput. This allows more users to play games at once. Reducing the time consumption for data processing and transactions.

99.9% Reduced GPU Energy Consumption Cost 

There are glad tides on the way with merge for the gamers. Game Processing Units (GPUs), which are used for mining Ethereum, are becoming less expensive as the network gets ready to convert from a proof-of-work (PoW) mechanism to a proof-of-stake (PoS) one, which would make these gaming processing components essentially useless for Ethereum miners.

According to calculations made by Ethereum experts, the GPU models on eBay have decreased by 37% since May 2021, and more are expected to drop very soon after the merge. Much more GPUs will be pushed to the secondary market when Ethereum eventually switches to PoS, which will probably cause prices to rise even higher.

The fact that the price of Ethereum has been relatively low, as mining has become more challenging, adds to the downward pressure.

Reduced Costs and Increased Speed 

The major 2 upgrades after The Merge are the “Sharding update” and the “Shanghai update”. Both of the upgrades are anticipated in Quarter 1 of 2023, possibly in action by January. Sharding following the merge describes the division of the whole blockchain ecosystem into manageable units called Shards.

Sharding will assist the network in facilitating secure distribution of data storage requirements, as well as making transactions quicker and making nodes easier to operate at a reduced cost. Next, we will witness The Shanghai update. It will tackle 3 critical functionalities; EVM object format, Beacon Chain withdrawals, and L2 Fee reduction. 

We are fully aware that news can be trending on the internet and still be wrong. To tackle that for the upcoming Ethereum Merge, we have busted some of the myths that went viral below.

Myths about The Merge

Myth No. 1: “Gas fee will be reduced following the merge”

False. The merge won’t lower gas prices because it only modifies the consensus mechanism, not increases network capacity.

Myth No. 2: “After the merge, transactions will be quicker.”

False. On layer 1, transaction speed will mostly not change despite minor adjustments.

Myth No. 3: “Once the merge takes place, you can withdraw staked ETH.”

False. The merge does not yet support stake withdrawals. However, withdrawals from bets will be possible after the next Shanghai update.

Myth No. 4: “The chain will increase the downtime after the Merge.”

False. Merge will provide zero downtime, as the chain will switch to proof-of-stake.

Myth No. 5: “In the dissipation of merge, new tokens will be generated.”

False. Ether will continue to be the native asset of the Ethereum network when The Merge is finished. Therefore, there will not be new tokens created.

What is “Eth 2”?

There won’t be two separate Ethereum networks anymore; there will only be Ethereum after ‘Eth1’ and ‘Eth2’ have been combined into a single chain.

The eth developer community has changed these terminologies to avoid ambiguity:

These terminological changes solely affect naming standards; they have no impact on Ethereum’s objectives or development timeline. 

A decentralized network scaling strategy and a switch to proof-of-stake have long been on Ethereum’s roadmap. Researchers initially worked on these projects independently, but in 2018 they were brought together under a single roadmap for “Ethereum 2.0.” a term coined.

Conclusion:

The existing ethereum mainnet and the Beacon Chain proof-of-stake(PoS) network will soon converge. This will complete Ethereum’s shift to proof-of-stake and signal the end of proof-of-work. This curates the way for later scaling improvements like sharding. Ethereum’s energy use will be reduced by 99.95% due to the merge. It will also make the chain highly secure, a welcoming tide for all. 

The original Ethereum developers planned for sharding in the first phase, but since gamification holds 51% of the blockchain’s transaction operations, it was viable to make the chain scalable first. For the development and popularity of layer 2 technologies to scale transaction execution, the focus of the sharding plan was shifted to enable the rapid increase in network capacity. The developers realized that this would not have been possible without switching to proof-of-stake.

Upcoming developments after the merge would be focused on sharding, modifying the EVM functionality, and reducing the beacon withdrawal delay. This means there will be a threefold surge of players onboarding on the chains. This is nothing more than a piece of good news considering the almost negligible prices of GPU and reduced gas fees for microtransactions.

What Is GameFi? A Beginner’s Guide To Blockchain Games

This guide brings the objective to restructure the way people think about the Gaming industry or GameFi, how blockchain is part of it, how it gives ownership and more control to players, brings new global friends using decentralization, and establishes the earning habit while playing games.

GameFi allows users to earn incentives for playing games and matches players with shared interests via a peer-to-peer approach. Gamers may make new acquaintances and take part in international gaming events thanks to GameFi.

First, let’s understand the few concepts to bridge the gap between conventional games and Blockchain-based games.

Conventional Games vs Blockchain-based Games

Despite not being restricted to certain platforms like smartphones and desktop PCs, blockchain games and conventional games mostly function differently. Here are four distinctions between blockchain games and conventional video games.

1. Who’s in control?

The standard video games or conventional games as we have played in the past end when the player has achieved the conquest or the character ran out of lives. Where does all the data go? What happens next? IT only starts over as a fresh game. In centralized gaming models, all player data, and game-related intelligence including player account information and all of the events and in-game items users acquire on their virtual journeys, is kept on servers that are entirely under the authority of the game producers or administrators. 

In addition to the fact that players never actually own their own data or the in-game items, they spend countless hours earning, all of the aforementioned are also at risk of being taken or even lost forever in the event that the game developers themselves damage or shut down the servers. This means that the player itself is not controlling the events/happenings about his character. Whereas, in blockchain games there is a strong belief in decentralization. We will discuss that in detail below.

2.  Where do the accomplished game assets go?

It is indeed a milestone for players when they win hard levels, reach the finale, and end the game with an amazing victory. After winning in traditional games, the player is bestowed with all the coins, cups, new skins, diamonds, and relevant game assets. Once the game ends all the assets are gone. And while remaining in the game, the assets are accessible on that system only with no procedure of sharing or using the swags afterward. 

For obsessive gamers, it would be a dream come true to keep the items even after the game stops. The rewards acquired are limited to being used in the next level or sometimes the rewards are purely visual and have no effect on the earning and gameplay. The revolutionary gaming industry known as the Blockchain or Web3.0 gaming industry has changed its concept and put a lot more into the game assets being only static assets.

3.  What’s in for the next level of game?

With traditional technology, players can not actually get info about the procedure, and activity going on behind the video game screens. It restricts the freedom of players where they can truly take a peek behind the scenes. This is a lack of transparency in the older game-plays. 

The trust that players and game producers have in a game is increased by this level of openness. Gamers may observe every move done by developers and other players, eliminating the need for them to wonder what is occurring in the server of a game they have spent hours playing. However, in Blockchain gaming development, games offer expandability chances for ongoing game improvement in the industry and allow a fault-free and righteous gaming ecosystem. 

4.  Having permanent storage to increase reliability:

Since conventional video games are centralized, there is an enormous risk of losing everything you have played so hard to obtain. The only way to save your massive win and show it to your circle is by taking a screenshot of the final screen and framing it which does not sound like a rational approach. With blockchain games, this is not the case because of decentralization, as stated earlier. 

The blockchain factor in games will store all game data on the Kronoverse/FYX platform. With Kronoverse’s Twitch-like match viewer, games that have been permanently saved may be broadcasted while still allowing for game replays. This implies that you may review earlier games to learn from your failures and achievements and advance your knowledge and skills.

What is Game-Fi?

The phrase “GameFi,” which combines the terms “gaming” and “decentralized finance” (DeFi), refers to the incorporation of blockchain technologies in the gaming industry for monetization and other uses. Particularly smaller publishers take advantage of the tokenization option to monetize their games. The tokens are often released as part of an Initial Coin Offering and are based on the ERC-20 standard of the Ethereum network (ICO). This helps to pay for the expenses spent during the game’s production. Players get automatic tokens from the publisher via smart contracts in return for a payment using currently available cryptocurrencies, and they may spend those tokens in the game that is subsequently created.

It blends cryptocurrency, blockchain, non-fiat currencies (NFTs), and game mechanics to provide a virtual world in which users may engage and make money. GameFi has a “play-to-earn” business strategy. This idea is around offering players cash incentives to play games and advance through the stages. Some blockchain games let players make a full-time living while they play.

Such gaming initiatives are introduced on the blockchain distributed ledger. This implies that any items players obtain are fully their property.

For instance, some blockchain games offer rewards for in-game achievements, while others let players generate income from the many assets they hold.

Game-Fi background -the revolution:

The end of 2017 saw the global growth of the pet-raising game CryptoKitties, which is built on Ethereum smart contracts. In the first seven days after its introduction, the game’s transaction volumes surpassed $1.9 million, and it was so well-liked that it clogged the Ethereum network. Due to CryptoKitties’ popularity, traditional and online gaming firms have flocked to blockchain gaming. AxiomZen, the firm that created the video game CryptoKitties, received $70 million in a Series A investment a month later. Numerous strategic, role-playing, simulation, and other blockchain games have since been released.

However, the word “GameFi” publicly appeared in presentations given at China’s Wuzhen World Blockchain Conference in November 2019 by the founders of MixMarvel, a blockchain game publishing platform, about how the technology behind cryptocurrencies may transform the video game business.

Numerous blockchain games with NFTs, DeFi, and other components have surfaced since June of the year 2021, under the slogan “Play to Earn.” The most notable example is the pet-game Axie Infinity, whose single-day revenue of $9.72 million quickly eclipsed that of Tencent’s well-liked mobile title “Honor of Kings” in a matter of months. Over the course of just two months, the value of its tokens AXS and SLP increased more than thrice. 

Five of the top nine applications according to DApp rankings are GameFi apps. Since the summer of 2022, GameFi has had more unique users than DeFi, and as a result, it now accounts for most of all Dapp users. Game-Fi has 9.21 million weekly active users as of the beginning of December, a record number.

The two important reasons why the rise of the Game-Fi revolution happened are; The first is the freedom of trading in-game resources, which is expressed both in the freedom of trading items and the freedom of trading prices. Traditional gaming models’ transactions resemble those of planned economies to some extent.

The second element is the open pricing and trading of in-game money. Although game currencies cannot be directly monetized through official channels, it has been neglected by many experts that it is feasible to generate real money from the game currency by selling in-game objects or props for money on underground black markets. But doing so results in high transaction costs.

How does the Game-Fi system work?

The mechanics of various GameFi projects differ. In-game things often take the shape of avatars, lands, outfits, weapons, currency, tokens, and pets and are created as non-fungible digital tokens (NFTs). As a result, you can prove that any in-game stuff you buy is entirely yours.

As they play the games, users claim these things, which they can then sell for profit on NFT marketplaces or convert into well-known cryptocurrencies. Most of the time, in-game items are NFTs that operate on the blockchain and may be exchanged on NFT exchanges. However, in some circumstances, users cannot buy or sell in-game assets until they have been transformed into an NFT.

Typically, the in-game items will provide players with certain advantages so they can earn more prizes. However, some games also provide cosmetics and avatars that are entirely aesthetic and have no bearing on the game’s gameplay or revenue.

Depending on the game, players can gain prizes through completing missions, engaging in combat with other players, or constructing buildings that can be sold. Through staking or by lending their in-game assets to other players, several games can allow users to earn passive revenue without actively participating in the game.

Important Features of GameFi projects:

    Play-to-earn model (P2E)

Players may earn money for achieving game objectives in several blockchain games. The native token reserve stored within a smart contract is often where the money granted in these play-to-earn games comes from.

It differs significantly from the pay-to-play business model used by conventional video games. Pay-to-play games need players to make an investment before they can begin. Video games like Call of Duty, for instance, demand that users buy licenses or recurring subscriptions.

Most of the time, gamers of traditional video games won’t see any financial gains, since the gaming industry controls and owns all of the in-game assets. P2E games, on the other hand, may give players total control over their in-game possessions while simultaneously providing them with chances to make money.

Depending on the game, players can gain prizes through completing missions, engaging in combat with other players, or constructing buildings that can be sold. Through staking or by lending their in-game assets to other players, several games can allow users to earn passive revenue without actively participating in the game. Let’s look at a few of GameFi’s standard features.

    Ownership of digital assets

Because digital asset ownership is made possible by blockchain technology, gamers may earn money from their in-game assets in a variety of ways. Blockchain-based games provide this wonderful fortuity to gain any valuable item from the game forever in your ownership even after the game ends. Everything you win, gather, or buy becomes your property, and it is kept in your virtual wallet.

Players may own avatars, pets, homes, weapons, equipment, and much more, much like in video games. However, in GameFi, these assets may be produced as NFTs and issued (also known as NFT minting) as well. As a result, gamers may fully control their goods and ensure their validity and ownership.

This protects you from the possibility of losing any in-game stuff if a game crashes in the middle of a match or your account is suspended. In the event that you lose Internet access after triumphing in CryptoFights combat, for instance, you still have all of your armor and weaponry. You may still trade stuff even if your account is suspended, keeping you from being totally shut out. You can trace every transaction, from purchases to exchanges, thanks to blockchain technology.

The notion of land ownership is emphasized in certain well-known metaverse games, like Decentraland and The Sandbox. They let users earn money off of their virtual property. Gamers may buy digital plots of land in The Sandbox and develop them to make money.  

    DeFi integration

DeFi items and functionalities are also offered by several GameFi initiatives. Players often risk their in-game tokens to get awards, gain access to premium products, or advance through the game’s stages.

The addition of DeFi components can further decentralize crypto gaming. Some Game-Fi initiatives let the community take part in the decision-making process, in contrast to traditional game companies that centralized control over their game updates. Through decentralized independent groups, they can suggest and vote on the next upgrades (DAOs).

Games on the blockchain are decentralized as said, which gives users and game producers more flexibility and security. The innovative environment that blockchain game developers build gives players more freedom to play and enjoy. Due to its decentralization, blockchain games vary from conventional video games like Grand Theft Auto and FIFA. DAO in Game-Fi gives freedom to the collection of individuals working together toward a common goal or project who, through the use of tokens and the blockchain, enable their members to cast votes. Game-Fi DAO also allows the players to team up and represent as a team like e-sports and share the reward. Blockchain games let you monitor and examine every action you’ve ever performed as well as the actions of other players

Players in Decentraland, for instance, may vote on organizational and in-game rules by locking their governance tokens (MANA) in the DAO. Their voting strength increases as they lock more tokens. This makes it possible for players to interact with game designers directly and affect how the game is made.

Making Friends Around the Globe:

Millions of gamers now have the chance to mix their gaming with partnerships. New resources are provided to developers for marketing and reimbursing NFTs and games. The selling of unique skins, things, and characteristics also brings in money for the investors.

As the gaming business becomes increasingly well-known every day, more influential players are joining forces with several top-tier GameFi and NFT initiatives to provide new, lucrative possibilities and features for the whole network.

This is bridging the gap between the global network and compiling a huge set of players into friend zones. People meet and greet at the GameFi events, and realize that they have met their virtual opponents, friends, and allies.

Following are some of the multiplayer games that let people compete, play, and fight in groups against other teams and earn a mutual reward, these made it huge into the industry:

·         MMO RPGs

MMORPGs stand for massively multiplayer online role-playing games. These games provide players the chance to trade, strategize, explore, earn gold, craft, and even compete within a network pool of other players and teams.

·         Battle Royale

It hit the news not very long ago that “The Next War Launches the First Blockchain-Based Battle Royale Style GameFi”. This is a great turn for all the Royale fans that they will now be joining the futuristic tech within their favorite game. 

·         Arcade

The Web3 arcade has a 5-step rule. 1. Stake 2. KYC 3. Apply whitelist 4. Buy 5. Claim and that is it. The players can play any game from the arcade using Multiplayer or solo mode abiding by these guides.

Final Note:

GameFi is projected to continue expanding quickly as blockchain technology continues to advance. It is incredibly well-liked, particularly in underdeveloped nations, because it allows users to buy stuff in games and profit from them.

It’s simple to understand how GameFi attracts gamers by providing both entertaining and monetary effects. It is expected that as blockchain games gain popularity, more and more significant businesses will begin to develop the metaverse. However, initiatives like Axie Infinity, Illuvium, and LOCGame will pave the path for the gaming generation by creating the subsequent ecosystems that will enable this market to reach its full potential. As we approach 2023, their creative fusion of NFT, DeFi, and traditional gaming mechanics has established GameFi as a leader in this market.