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Hybrid Web2/Web3 Experiences Are Increasing the Appeal of Blockchain Gaming
The gaming industry has long been celebrated as one of the most promising areas of Web3, offering tangible benefits to players by allowing them to own their game assets and earn token-based rewards. Blockchain also improves transparency and provides developers with a way to integrate true randomness, and therefore fairness, into their games.
These advantages have helped propel blockchain gaming to the forefront of the Web3 revolution. It has emerged as the largest segment within blockchain, with growth and popularity outpacing DeFi and NFTs according to various metrics, such as active wallets and total value locked, according to data from DappRadar.
In a December 2022 survey, Coda Labs revealed that 75% of game developers said they were “excited” about working with Web3 technologies in future games, while 56% said they believe blockchain is set to transform the gaming industry.
It’s a big vote of confidence in the prospects for a bright future for Web3 gaming, but developers aren’t the only ones with a say. There’s also a need to convince actual gamers, and some of the early Web3 titles haven’t quite nailed it. There’s even been a backlash against traditional game developers who’ve attempted to integrate Web3 into high-end games, like Ubisoft’s early NFT initiative for the Ghost Recon franchise.
However, developers seem to be listening to such complaints and taking such feedback into consideration. In a December 2023 report, DAO 7 game has noticed some significant changes in the blockchain-based gaming industry, where developers are focusing more on the gaming experience.
This trend is playing out at the infrastructure level, with gaming-focused blockchains like Cronos, Oasys, and KARRAT Protocol building integrations for popular game development engines like Unity and Unreal Engine.
Chrono has developed integrations for both platforms with its high-speed blockchain network, allowing developers to write their game code in familiar languages and programming environments. For example, developers can create blockchain games on Cronos using the popular C++ language and design them within the Blueprint development environment. When it comes to Web3, the Cronos blockchain can be integrated into games with just a few lines of code.
Cronos has also integrated with Crypto.com, the cryptocurrency exchange that developed its own blockchain. This allows game developers to easily access payment services and NFT marketplaces, while also leveraging the OAuth permissions platform to simplify access for Crypto.com users. The Cronos chain may have originally been designed for DeFi, but the gaming sector is now firmly in its sights.
THE Oasis blockchain offers similar integrations with Unity and Unreal Engine and has focused on building a high-throughput blockchain infrastructure designed to enable the fast, low-cost transactions that Web3 games need to deliver the best player experience. The Oasys blockchain is in many ways the equivalent of a video game console like the Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5, except anyone can access it, from anywhere, and there’s no need to upgrade to a new version every few years.
Oasys’ experiments have attracted the attention of prominent video game players, including Ubisoft, which is developing its first AAA-style blockchain game, Champions Tactics: Grimoria Chronicles, on its platform.
A new class of Web3 games
With blockchain infrastructures increasingly optimized for gaming, developers have found more time to focus on the actual gaming experience and achieve amazing results.
For example, AMGI’s next title My Pet Hooligan is a new game-based Web3 first-person shooter game centered around KARRAT Protocol which combines elements of GTA, Fortnite, PubG, Zootopia and Ratchet & Clank. In this way, it is able to offer a first-rate AAA gaming experience that promises to offer the same kind of thrills and exciting gameplay as those titles.
The game is currently available to play in beta on Epic Gamesand sees players take control of an NFT-based rabbit character “Hooligan” who leads the revolt against the evil, slave-owning Meta ZuckBot. It’s a typical fast-paced, action-packed FPS game with impressive graphics and plenty of open-ended outcomes, with tons of different characters and weapons to choose from and the addition of a large dose of AI that powers more intelligent non-playable characters or NPCs.
My Pet Hooligan’s graphics are enhanced by its pioneering use of AI and motion capture technology. During gameplay, players can turn on their webcam if they wish, to record their facial expressions. Using its AI algorithms, My Pet Hooligan will mirror the player’s facial expressions on the face of its NFT-based rabbit character “Hooli,” enhancing the sense of immersion and making the game more fun.
Web2/Web3 Hybrid Game
What makes My Pet Hooligan different is that the Web3 aspects of the game are completely optional. The game can be thought of as a hybrid of Web2 and Web3, with players able to choose and play without investing in an NFT or winning any rewards. But if they want, they can go ahead and purchase a Hooli NFT that includes additional perks and unique attributes, and acquire various high-powered weapons that they actually own. By playing this way, players can earn tokenized rewards for their efforts. In this way, My Pet Hooligan is a premium FPS game that leverages Web3 to enhance the overall experience. But it is completely optional, which makes it much more appealing to traditional video game players.
AMGI developers have demonstrated that Web3 can be implemented as an add-on. The point is that developers should first focus on creating a game that is worthy of being played purely for fun. Once the game is ready, they can think about how they can use blockchain platforms to make those games even better, providing greater value to players.
Many other games are following this path. For example, MixMob is offering a similar experience to Web2 with its new game Racer 1, which is a kind of “strategy card game.” Players need to earn an NFT to participate in its races, but they can earn one without paying in cryptocurrency or creating a wallet. That’s because MixMob will automatically create a wallet for each new player and transfer the fiat currency they use to buy NFT accessories into cryptocurrency. These tokens act as regular in-game currency that can be used to buy items, reward players, and so on.
For those who want to dive deeper, MixMob has created secondary markets that allow players to trade their NFTs and acquire MXM governance tokens, which can be used to incentivize other players to compete, participate in organizing Turbo Arenas, and experiment with DeFi-style staking to maximize their gaming profits.
The popular metaverse game Plateau does a similar thing. Upland is essentially a type of real estate trading game that features dozens of mini-games within its metaverse-style universe. Players can visit dozens of global cities and start purchasing land on which they can then build and develop properties. Every new user who signs up receives free UPX tokens to start playing and can earn them by playing. With its built-in wallet, the gameplay is very similar to a Web2 game, but users can also withdraw their tokens to an external crypto wallet and sell them on an exchange.
This opens up various possibilities and Upland players will come across various activities called “Meta-adventures” that sell in-game items like Legits, structure ornaments, and map assets, which are tokenized as NFTs. So it’s a regular Web2 game for most players, but also a Web3 game for those who want to earn rewards for their time playing the game.
The Future of Web3 Games Looks Like Web2
The idea of making Web3 an optional feature in games is gaining traction quickly, and it is likely that this is the direction the blockchain gaming industry will continue to move.
By making Web3 aspects of a game optional, developers can tweak the experience to suit both traditional gaming devotees and “play-to-earn” Web3 titles. Those gamers who don’t take things too seriously, who just want to pick up and play every now and then, can do so seamlessly with digital wallets and signature transactions. But those who want the full experience and benefits of owning their own in-game items can dive headfirst into everything blockchain and Web3 have to offer.
This means a wider range of possibilities for players, but if a player chooses not to interact with the underlying blockchain, it will not in any way affect their enjoyment of the game. Players can choose what kind of experience they want.
The rise of blockchain gaming underscores the resilience of the Web3 and cryptocurrency industries. During the dark days of the crypto winter that spanned late 2021 to mid-2023, the best projects did what they always do: they rolled up their sleeves and focused on building. Now, as the cryptocurrency market recovers, we’re finally seeing the fruits of those efforts with a new generation of significantly more playable Web3 games that appeal to the masses.