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Web3 Player Profiling May Help Blockchain Go Mainstream
Disclosure: The views and opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and do not represent the views and opinions of the crypto.news editorial team.
What is a “gamer”? A G-Fuelled teenager grinding out battle royale wins? A laid-back gamer enjoying an indie gem? A commuter playing Candy Crush Saga? The fact is, there’s no one-size-fits-all definition. Most people play video games in some capacity, and they fall into a huge number of categories. Things have changed a lot since Richard Bartle created the original taxonomy of gamer types in 1996.
Some attempts have been made to classify web3 gamers in the same way that traditional gamers have been categorized, in particular Naavik’s 9 Types of Blockchain Players in 2021. The web3 gaming audience is smaller than we would have predicted in those heady days, and that’s okay. It’s time to refocus and understand who we’re targeting right now and what makes them tick, which will make it easier to bring in mainstream players and build sustainable gaming economies.
Now, let me introduce you to our core group of web3 players.
The grinder
The Grinder wants to see the numbers go up and will work hard to make that happen. Think of that hardcore friend you had on Runescape back in the day or World of Warcraft beast who you desperately want by your side for every raid.
The incredible level of dedication of this player is essential to the health of the game. They are ideologically opposed to spending money, but will engage with the game mechanics in ways that educate the rest of the player base, and their time commitment will lead to a strong community within the game ecosystems.
The Grinder shows the path and the other players follow it.
The Optimizer
The Optimizer falls somewhere between the Grinder and the Speculator. Instead of grinding for hours to maximize production or making large purchases to maximize potential profit, this player maximizes the efficiency of their time. If the Grinder is a WoW fanatic, the Optimizer is savoring the Updates earned from their last game of a roguelike like Hades, climbing the leaderboard in Candy Crush, or even getting a better time than their friends in the New York Times Mini Crossword.
Unlike the Grinder, they are happy to spend a little to earn a little more, such as buying a card that optimizes their competitive deck to win more games. Playing like any other mainstream player, this type of web3 player is essential to facilitating the liquidity and sustainability of the game economies.
The Evangelist
This player loves web3. The Evangelist wants to see the web3 game succeed at all costs and will put in effort to spread the good word. If a friend has ever desperately tried to convince you to join a million Discord servers or team up with them on a recent web3 release, you’ve met an Evangelist.
The merits of this profile are clear. The Evangelist will often lead community building efforts and support the development team with a tenacity we rarely see in mainstream gaming. As a bridge between traditional gaming communities and the emerging web3 space, no one does it like the Evangelist.
The explorer
The Explorer is fueled more by curiosity than defense, like someone who try out a game they saw on Instagram just because it looks cool. They are digital natives, aware of the hype surrounding blockchain and web3 gaming, and want to know more about what all the hype is about.
This is an example of a more entry-level web3 player bringing fresh perspectives and ideas to the web3 gaming space. We can learn a lot from the Explorer; in fact, they are probably the most important person among web3 players. If an Explorer fails to get past the onboarding of a game or quickly exits the game itself, it is highly unlikely that the average consumer will do any better. On the other hand, the more web3 Explorers can attract and engage, the more new and curious players will crossover.
The Speculator
The Speculator is in web3 for financial gain. This individual seeks out early stage web3 experiences that have the potential to be great, allowing for a return on their investment in the game. Getting in early to purchase in-game assets and currencies is their daily bread.
Blockchain skeptics may consider a player like the Speculator to be unimportant or even undesirable in the gaming community. It is true that having a player base that is 100% Speculators is not sustainable, but there is a role for the Speculator now and in the future. By investing in game projects early, Speculators are literally funding the development of the game itself and can help bring a lot of attention to high-potential titles. While they will likely eventually withdraw their profits from the game, there is a space that all types of web3 games can carve out for Speculators.
Web3 gaming is not where 2021 commentators expected it to be. Again, that’s okay. Quality games and well-designed economies take time, and we now have a much clearer picture of who Web3 gamers are and what drives them.
Gaming can be so much more than just “fun”. Even the BAFTAs has a “Game Beyond Entertainment” award category, prioritizing factors beyond pure gameplay enjoyment and technical quality. So why is there a level of snobbery when it comes to web3 games that bring more motivation to play? Is there even a difference between motivation and fun? Who are we to tell people that what they find fun isn’t actually fun?
By focusing on creating a solid mix of currently available player profiles, web3 gaming can create a positive and productive environment where the general public can connect and feel at home in the ecosystems we have created.
Canaan Linder
Canaan Linder has been at the forefront of blockchain gaming as CEO of Stardust since 2018. An engineer at heart, Canaan founded Stardust with a simple mission: to make game developers more successful in web3. Stardust has partnered with some of the biggest web3-based games such as Midnight Society and Tilting Point, a web2 mobile publisher. Canaan’s vision and leadership continues to redefine the gaming landscape, ensuring that through Stardust, the fusion of creativity and technology enables game developers to unlock new realms of possibility in the ever-evolving world of web3 gaming.