Blockchain games have been around for a while and compared to their established counterparts in the traditional gaming industry, they are still quite novel. However, being relatively young is not an excuse for a lack of innovation and with the amount of innovation in the Web 2 space, I feel like the Web 3 gaming industry has stagnated in recent years.
It is no secret that I am a proponent of blockchain games because I am a living witness to the value that can be derived from them. At the same time, I am also a casual gamer who likes to enjoy what I play and "fun" is one of those intangibles that adds value to life.
I think I speak for anyone who enjoys video games when I say that our priority in games is to enjoy ourselves. This is regardless of the type of game you play: if you're not having fun, you're simply not having it.
My interest in deriving entertainment from games has me scouring through Web 3 spaces, looking to find the game that will finally put Web 3 in the spotlight. So, while I'm not actively blogging and sharing on Hive, I spend a lot of time researching and reading up on the latest developments in the Web 3 space.
If you're reading this, you're either my wife and biggest fan or a crypto/blockchain aficionado. One thing that either of you have in common is that you want blockchain/web 3 games to be a success.
I'm afraid to say that while there have been some developments in the Web 3 gaming industry, the penny is far from dropping. I know Web 3 games can be lucrative for the trader/investors but if you take off your rose tints or shall I say, dollar sign tints, you will find that we are pretty much in the same place we started.
Web 3 games are still not "gamey" enough. There's still not enough emphasis on gaming and far too much focus on the "Web 3" side of the equation. Funny enough, this is also a general problem with Hive as a whole because the emphasis on the blockchain side has still not led to the breakdown in entry barriers.
Anyway, Web 3 games have seen some development in recent years but there is still far too much left to be desired. A handful of games have shown to be innovative and also worked towards breaking down entry barriers but there's still a huge chunk of "Web 3-ness" about it that makes it difficult for normies to accept.
Many Web 3 games are just not as popular as Web 2 counterparts and I think the problem might be the target audience. I feel like Blockchain games come out and chase after the investors more than the players, which in turn leads to a lack of popularity among the actual target audience, gamers.
For example, the Candy Crush saga, a straightforward game to play, might I add, has reached $20 Billion in revenue and that's largely because of how simple the game is to play.
Don't get me wrong, the success of Candy Crush isn't solely on the simple gameplay. Investments, ad revenue and a lot has been put into the game but all of that would not be possible without the cult following that you have to admit is as a result of low entry barrier and simple gameplay.
Going back to gameplay, it is also worth noting that Web 3 games are not exactly at the cutting edge either. There's still quite a lot to be desired, particularly in the AAA gaming category.
For the unindoctrinated, "AAA" games describe a category of Blockbuster games that require a high budget and investment to bring to life. So, gaming franchises like Call of Duty from Activision, GTA from Rockstar and games of this level fall into this category.
Nb: You don't have to invest as much as deep pockets like Activision or Rockstar to be classified as an AAA game. You will be rekt beyond repair
Web 3 games are still so far away from actually even reaching AAA status. There's a short and inconclusive list of AAA web 3 games on Alchemy but you'll find that pretty much all of them are all talk and little substance.
On Hive, we also have Psyber X which has been in development for quite some time. Despite investing time, emotions and resources into the project, it seems to have gone quiet but I'm still holding on to feint hopes that there's work being done in the background. For what it's worth, I have played PsyberX so, hopefully, the game will be completed in the coming months or years.
The thing is, web 3 is the future of the internet. With data breaches normalised as breathing and very little by way of digital ownership for the public, this is just the natural path of the internet.
The Web 3 space might seem quiet now but that's only because it is ahead of its time. This is pretty much the same situation with Web 3 gaming.
I think the Blockchain gaming industry needs to find a way of seamlessly offering the best of both worlds. It has to appeal to gamers first and then crypto/Blockchain as the base layer or foundation.
AAA games like Call of Duty and the like have hacked this by creating extremely entertaining games and then selling skins, load-outs, finishers and the like to make money in the game.
If you scroll through gaming forums you'll either find a high level of apathy or disillusionment from gamers towards Web 3. To all of them, it is just a cash grab and an opportunity to make people buy "Bitcorn".
Ironically, gamers aren't targeted by Web 3 gaming companies when gamers are just the kind of tech savvy peopple that will invest a pretty penny PC mods for entertainment.
Splinterlands is one of my favourite web 3 games and they have hacked it by constantly adding features to the game. However, there's still an unhealthy amount of interest in tokenomics and all that crypto stuff that gamers frankly don't want to be bothered with.
If you ask most gamers, they simply want a fun game and a company that makes all the changes in the background. They also want to whine about the changes on Reddit but that's about it. They don't care about governance tokens and all that. That boring stuff is for the admin and devs.
I think Web 3 will benefit a lot from being run in a Web 2-like format. Let gamers game and let the crypto side be for those who care. The key is to find a way to prevent them from overlapping. Then, if like me, you're a gamer and also a crypto person, you can do both at your convenience.
Web 3 games need to focus on creating entertaining games that are attractive enough for the general populace to play and their competitive side will kick in. Allow people to buy things with debit/credit cards and then shove that revenue into tokens to line the pockets of investors.
