Crypto

How Much Innovation and Change Are Crypto Assets Bringing to the Gaming Industry?

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Fikri Basrizal

How Much Innovation and Change Are Crypto Assets Bringing to the Gaming Industry?

The gaming industry has always been at the forefront of technological innovation, providing players with a more immersive and engaging experience. Recently, with the emergence of crypto assets and blockchain technology, the gaming industry is facing a new wave of transformation.

And these innovations affect all aspects of gaming, including new monetization models, platforms like Bitcoin Live Gaming, and player engagement. This article takes a deep dive into how crypto assets are changing the gaming industry and making a positive difference.

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Economic Innovation in Games

Economic Innovation in Games. Source: VCGamers

One of the most significant changes that crypto assets will bring to gaming is the in-game economy. In traditional games, in-game currency and items only have value within the game. However, with the introduction of crypto assets and blockchain technology, in-game assets now have real-world value. 

For example, in games built on Ethereum, items and currencies earned by players can be traded in the real world of the game or exchanged for other crypto assets or legal tender.

This economic model has given birth to a genre of games known as Play-to-Earn. Popular titles in this genre, such as Axie Infinity and The Sandbox, allow players to earn unique crypto assets by playing the game, which can then be exchanged for real-world currency. In other words, gaming has gone beyond mere entertainment and has become a potential source of income.

Changing Ownership and Scarcity

Changing Ownership and Scarcity. Source: VCGamers

Additionally, crypto assets are significantly changing the way we think about ownership and scarcity of in-game items. Many crypto asset games have introduced NFTs (non-replacement tokens), where in-game items have unique identifiers and their ownership and transaction history are managed on the blockchain. This ensures true ownership of digital goods and increases their value as collector’s items by proving their scarcity.

For example, in NFT games like CryptoKitties, rare characters can trade for hundreds of thousands of dollars, changing the way people value digital items.

The technology has also opened up a new revenue model for game developers. While in traditional games, the main source of revenue comes from game sales and item purchases, games using NFTs have introduced a system where royalties are paid to developers every time an item is traded between players.

This allows games to be maintained and developed over the long term and a sustainable game development model is being built.

Cross-Platform Interoperability

Cross-Platform Interoperability. Source: Resi.co.id

The introduction of crypto assets also facilitates cross-platform interoperability. It is technically possible to share items and currencies between different games, allowing players to use their assets across different gaming environments. 

For example, you get a weapon in one open world . You can then use it directly in another open world.

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Formation of an International Gaming Community

The Formation of an International Game Community. Source: Media Indonesia

The introduction of crypto assets has facilitated the formation of an international gaming community. While traditional payment systems can result in high fees and long processing times for cross-border transactions, the use of crypto assets significantly reduces these barriers. 

This makes it easier for players from all over the world to make transactions, enabling the creation of a global gaming ecosystem.

New Funding Model

New Funding Model. Source: VCGamers

Crypto assets have also created new funding models in the gaming world, with methods such as ICOs and IGOs allowing game developers to raise funds for their projects directly from players, rather than relying on traditional publishers and investors.

This makes more innovative and adventurous game projects feasible and stimulates creativity across the industry.

New Possibilities for Game Design

The Sandbox Crypto Game. Source: VCGamers

Crypto assets and blockchain technology also open up new possibilities for game design. In particular, games that incorporate the concept of decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) allow players to participate directly in the management and development of the game. 

This means that players can vote on new game features and balance adjustments, as well as suggest in-game events. This makes the relationship between developers and players more equal and cooperative, and allows for a sustainable, community-driven game development model.

Better Transparency and Fairness

Better Transparency and Fairness. Source: VCGamers

Crypto assets and the underlying blockchain technology increase transparency and fairness in gaming. Game rules and transactions recorded on the blockchain are verifiable by everyone and are difficult to tamper with.

This reduces the risk of cheating and hacking and creates a fairer gaming environment.

Changes in Social Aspects

Changes in Social Aspects. Source: VCGamers

New social aspects are emerging in games that use crypto assets. For example, in-game organizations such as guilds and clans are starting to function as real economic entities. 

These organizations then form mini-economic systems, such as lending in-game assets to new players or distributing income. This phenomenon suggests the possibility of new forms of social relations and economic activity through games.

Data Ownership and Management Transformation

Data Ownership and Management Transformation. Source: VCGamers

Crypto asset games also contribute to the transformation in the concept of data ownership and management. In traditional games, player data and progress are managed by a central server, but blockchain technology allows this data to be owned and managed by the players themselves. 

This has increased privacy and data permanence, giving players full control over their gaming history and achievements.

Implications for Esports

Implications for Esports. Source: VCGamers

The introduction of crypto assets is also relevant to the Esports industry. This is because the use of crypto assets will allow prize payments for international tournaments to be made faster and more efficient.

In addition, new ways are emerging for fans to support players and teams directly. For example, by purchasing tokens linked to player performances, fans can directly benefit from the success of the players they support. 

This makes the entire Esports ecosystem more active and strengthens the relationship between players, teams and fans.

Educational Aspects

Educational Aspect. Source: VCGamers

From an educational perspective, games using crypto assets open up unprecedented possibilities. Educational games using blockchain technology are an effective tool for promoting financial literacy and understanding cryptography.

Players can practically learn how crypto assets work and economic principles through games, which can have a significant impact on future financial and technical education.

Challenges and Risks

Challenges and Risks. Source: VCGamers

On the other hand, there are some challenges in introducing crypto assets into games. First, the use of crypto assets with highly volatile prices can cause instability in the in-game economy. There are also several issues to be resolved, such as legal and regulatory uncertainty, security risks, and environmental impacts.

Therefore, overcoming these challenges while maximizing the benefits of technology will be a major challenge for the gaming industry in the future. 

The introduction of crypto assets into gaming also brings a new dimension to other social issues such as gaming addiction and problem gambling. The presence of in-game assets with real monetary value can lead to excessive immersion and financial risk for some players. 

Therefore, developers and regulators need to take steps to mitigate these risks, such as limiting in-game spending and introducing systems for early detection of problematic behavior.

Future Prospects

Future Prospects. Source: VCGamers

While the integration of crypto assets into gaming is growing rapidly, it is still in its early stages overall. Therefore, as the technology advances, more innovative applications and use cases are expected to emerge. 

In particular, more complex and dynamic in-game economic systems could be realized when combined with artificial intelligence. There is also the potential for new gaming experiences that, when combined with augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality ( VR ) technologies, will blur the lines between the physical and digital worlds.

Fikri Basrizal