For the past 3 months, I've been writing news articles for both gaming and gambling blockchain industry. Prior to this, I had little to no understanding of cryptocurrencies and the blockchain technology, let alone the blockchain gaming industry. But despite my lack of knowledge and experience, I understood the fundamental concepts quite rapidly, and here's why; it was interesting to me.
How It All Began...
A couple of days ago, I covered an article on SteemMonsters. To make things clearer, I'm a professional news article writer for one growing startup media company. For the sake of anonymity, I shall not name it (maybe in some later posts I will).
As a writer, I write news articles on a daily basis. This allowed me to quickly familiarize myself with many DApps, platforms, exchanges. I'm also a gamer, having been playing video games for over 20 years, which means that I can present the game and its elements with joy and ease. And as a gamer, I don't want to just write about games; I want to play them!
When I joined the DApp world, I was immediately attracted to the ideas this industry advocates; decentralization, anonymity, true asset ownership, free trade, gaming multiverses, and so forth. I wanted to try out many of the game titles I've covered, including Axie Infinity, Etheremon, Blockchain Cuties (just to name a few). And yet I didn't chose to play any of these titles and have instead opted to try SteemMonsters. Why?
From Casual To Blockchain
For starters, transitioning from traditional games to blockchain games is a bumpy road. The way most traditional games work is this:
- Register as a member (if needed)
- Buy the game
- Download the game
- Install the game
- Click play
Clean, straightforward, smooth... Now in the blockchain gaming industry, there are a lot of in-between steps. I'll probably write an in-depth article on this topic specifically, but basically, the process of buying, installing and playing any blockchain game tends to be a lot more complicated. More often than not, users need to open multiple accounts on multiple sites, such as for exchange platforms, wallets, trading platforms, game platforms, and so forth.
It should be taken into account that almost all of these accounts feature public and private keys, master keys, passwords, memos, phrases, all created or generated for the purposes of account protection and safety. Now I've covered a lot of games, and I believe that of all the games I covered, SteemMonsters is the only game that allows new users to join the game with PayPal transactions. Truthfully, this was one of the biggest reasons why I've decided to try it out.
Losing My Blockchain Virginity
Of course, I didn't join SteemMonsters just because I could purchase a Starter Pack with PayPal. While I was writing an article for this game I found myself drawn to it. SteemMonsters appeared intriguing, for it involved strategy, action, RPG elements, and a bit of luck.
In SteemMonsters, you have your summoners and their respective monsters, with each summoner utilizing the power of one element, such as Fire or Air. This makes each summer unique and powerful in their own way, which is important for the game's versatility. I also liked the fact that there are not only different elements, but also different classes, tiers, power levels, and rarity statuses.
This opens up a lot of space for both long-term as well as long term strategy. For instance, if you have 3 cards of the same race, class, and rarity level (i.e., if you have duplicate cards), you can either combine your them or sell the extras on the market. You may also gift cards to your friends, or simply keep them in your inventory and hoard like a maniac (more on this in some future posts).
Playing The Game
Upon purchasing the starter pack, I also bought additional 5 booster packs, and today, extra 5 booster packs, which brings me to a $30 investment. Bear in mind that there was no strategy involved in this process, meaning that I didn't do any research on SteemMonsters, market value, Steem prices. Truthfully, I bought the cards and the starter pack without even understanding what Steem, SBD or Resource Credits are. What can I say, I'm a passion-driven and impulsive individual!
Was that a smart idea? Probably not! From an investors point of view, it was probably a mistake, and I could have invested that money into something else, right? Alternatively, I could have invested that money into individual cards, level up my existing ones and quickly return my investment.
So why did I make such a rash decision? It was because I liked the game and thought it was very cool. Moreover, "Fortune favors the brave!" I played the game, liked its content, seen that the game has a huge potential, and decided to invest. In fact, I purchased booster packs without even knowing that a certain % of the payment goes back to your as Steem Power, which is pretty cool.
And as soon as I opened my packs, I joined my 1st battle, which I naturally lost because I didn't understand the game mechanics or read the "How to Play" guide. I read the guide later, and actually learned a lot from it. But I also learned through trial & error: which cards to buy, which cards to play, which cards to sell, etc. I love to learn these things in my own way, though the process I advocate isn't the most recommended one.
However, the things you learn my way really stick to you. It's not the fastest or the most cost-effective way, but it's fun, unpredictable and immersive. In fact, in just 1 day, I climbed through the ranks and am currently battling for my spot in the Silver League. Oh btw, I'll write about the League concept too and why I think it's very cool. Now that I think of it, I'll probably write about this game a lot!
What SteemMonsters Did Right?
The biggest thing for me is the fact that you can pay for cards with PayPal. Furthermore, the SteemMonsters site is well made, both functionally and design-wise. The FAQ tab on the SteemMonsters website is very informative, and the How To Play guide offers valuable information about the gameplay. There are things that could be improved in terms of attracting casual players, such as creating Step-By-Step guides for all future users (and I mean STEP by STEP with directions, pictures, signs, videos).
Heck, you could probably make money by making "Hot to play blockchain games" guide just for kicks! Why? Because mainstream is merciless when it comes to user experience. Diehard fans of gaming and technology can do this on their own accord. For us, using Google and looking for solutions instead of asking some1 for help is a norm, right? Do first, then ask questions.
But most casual gamers and users won't do that even if they could. And it's not that there's something inherently wrong with their line of reasoning, it's just a fact. They don't wanna save dozens of keys, passwords and secret phrases, and they don't want to open 5 accounts on 5 different sites just so they could play the game. SteemMonsters showed us that you can play the game with virtually a single purchase, which will without a doubt play a contributing factor in pushing this game to mass-adoption. In the meantime, I'll keep playing the game, hoard cards and slap my opponents with wicked tactics.
Btw, I loved the Kenn Bosak's video on SteemMonsters. It was very informative, simple and easy to understand, which is crucial for mass adoption. Anyone new to this game should watch it to better understand the game's concepts, goals, and features.