Analysis on the development trend of Web 3.0 games
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The future of gaming will gradually shift to blockchain-based distributed ledgers as players begin to realize that they deserve to be rewarded for the time they spend on the platform. For now, developers are designing games with fair token rewards at their core. Only distributed ledger can provide these monetized rewards, and people can even earn full-time income from web 3 games. Esports has grown into a $1 billion industry, growing by as much as 50% by 2021, and will get even bigger as these games and their audiences turn to blockchain. With the possible integration of VR components in the next 10 years, the gaming experience will become more immersive.
The merging trend of game and blockchain
Compared with traditional games, the advantages of decentralized games are obvious. First, user information is secure and anonymous, and data is not tracked or sold by third parties. Second, blockchain eliminates the double-spending problem, which means it is less prone to fraudulent payments than traditional fiat payment credit and debit systems. Additionally, Google, Microsoft, Apple, Steam, and other large centralized companies typically charge up to 30% for the privilege of allowing developers to sell games through their platforms. Most developers think this percentage is very unreasonable.
Finally, getting to the heart of the matter. Often, Web 2.0 gaming profits are defined by the big players who dominate the market and earn high returns. Under this system, game developers are underpaid for their work, end users are charged extra, and no real rights are granted. Now, this is all changing as Web 3.0 games are cheap to develop and end users can earn tokens or NFTs to increase their holdings and make governance decisions about the future of the game.
Given this, it’s no surprise that developers are turning to Web 3.0 at scale, as it’s where gaming communities are built, not gaming monopolies, and collaboration is the hallmark of decentralized game development.
Obstacles to overcome
For all the benefits of Web 3.0 gaming, there are still many hurdles to overcome. For example, the token reward system must be reasonable enough to prevent a small number of users from becoming too powerful. It also has to strike a balance between developers, gamers, investors and suppliers. It is worth noting that these groups of investors or marketers are extremely influential and their active participation is necessary for the game to truly succeed.
Right now, it’s still difficult to strike a balance between rewards and a great gaming experience. A game like Axie Infinity is more of an investment than gameplay, which is certainly not the way the game developers want to go. Rewards should be a by-product of entertaining games, not the main reason for the game itself, and blockchain games should be about making money while playing, not just making money.
In addition, there are also some problems on the technical side. Games like Crypto Kitties, for example, are expensive for gas due to Ethereum congestion. Other blockchains like BSC, Solana, and Polygon may be faster, cheaper, and more scalable, but for the hype of scalability and efficiency, many blockchain games are still relatively slow due to the limitations of existing smart contracts . While the rewards in the future will be huge, web 3 games will require a lot of thought and years of works before mainstream adoption.
Integrated web 3 games
As social life becomes more online and online gaming will continue to be popular, it is only a matter of time before Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 solutions close the gap. The problem is primarily connecting a full-fledged game development environment with the blockchain via APIs. Some vendors are already experimenting with new solutions. For example, decentralized infrastructure provider ANKR is launching its own blockchain game, software development kit for Web 3.0 developers, businesses and stakeholders. The ANKR Blockchain SDK allows developers to build on Unity and Unreal Engine.
Handy for many enthusiastic developers because they can build games on familiar engines and easily make them Web 3.0 compatible. This has many benefits, including crypto wallets, NFTs, decentralized marketplaces, multi-chain interoperability, mobile optimization, and easy integration through monetized fundraising. ANKR is currently pushing the adoption of sub-chains even further, allowing developers to build their own games on their own sub-chains. As the web 3 gaming environment grows and evolves, this feature will likely become more prominent as it provides many conveniences including efficiency, scalability and customization.
The future of Web 3.0 gaming could be dedicated blockchains optimized for specific games, which can be called subnets or application-specific blockchains (asbs).
How to participate in WEB3 games
Developing on Web 3.0 may seem daunting, but it’s actually easier than developers think. Of course, patience and interest are essential elements. Developers, engineers, and game technologists can use BuildSpace to build NFT-based browser games, which will familiarize users with DAPPs and the wider NFT and cryptocurrency ecosystem.
Gamers can also collaborate with developers through regular communication channels, and game development is always done as part of a team, using traditional engines like Unreal or Unity, and connecting it to Web 3.0 using the SDKs available.
Another way is to start using developers’ own DApps on Ethereum via Web 3.0. This is done via Javascript. JS application that allows smart contract interaction via Javascript. Since Dapps run smart contracts, developers need to learn to code them (usually through Solidity) before they can start Web 3.0 development. All Dapps will have three core components: frontend, wallet and smart contract.
The future of decentralized gaming
While Ethereum still dominates the NFT and gaming markets, that could change in the future in gaming markets that require more scalability given Ethereum’s scalability and pricing inefficiencies. Competing public chains for Ethereum abound, such as Solana, an improved blockchain that is faster, more efficient, and more scalable, and Polygon has made multiple acquisitions and collaborations in the WEB3 gaming world.
In summary, the future of WEB3 games will involve interoperability between blockchains and sub-chains, allowing developers to develop specific and customized games for target audiences. Through distributed ledger, gamers and developers will be able to jointly witness fairer rewards and higher levels of gaming.