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The ripples of change are beginning to spread in the $ 108.9 billion computer games industry, as blockchain technology looks set to change key aspects of the games enjoyed by 2.2 billion people worldwide.
Increased security and new opportunities and incentives for players are just some of the benefits that blockchain can bring to our virtual hobbies.
Developments are gaining momentum from both large technology companies and increased start-up funding. Mythical Games provides an excellent example of this. The startup is stealth output in November of this year, announcing a $ 16 million series A round of financing. The company plans to use venture capital to develop a line of games on EOSIO blockchain for PCs, mobile devices and consoles and create an open environment for developers to create games with "player-owned economies".
Far beyond the CryptoKitties
If it were a human game, the blockchain (roughly defined as a game built on a blockchain) would still have its milk teeth. The start date for blockchain games, sometimes called cryptographic games, is often set in 2013 with games like HunterCoin. Through the game and completing different tasks, players can earn cryptocurrency and spend it on various advances in the game. The first efforts were, most of the time, closely related to cryptocurrencies, with several initial games that allowed players to earn and / or spend Bitcoin.
While development continued, it was not until the end of 2017, with the emergence of CryptoKitties (developed by Axiom Zen) that the public began paying attention to blockchain games. The main purpose of CryptoKitties is to collect, breed and exchange virtual cats. Using blockchain means that the pedigree and property of each kitten are unacceptable. It quickly became very popular, with a virtual cat sold for the equivalent of $ 170,000 and the game that began to slow down the Ethereum blockchain network.
Other blockchain-based games are also growing in popularity, such as Spells of Genesis, Miner Simulator and Itadaki Dungeon, all available via the Google Play Store.
For the average computer player, many of the early blockchain games probably suffer from limited gameplay. However, games are changing and evolving. At the same time, great game developers are starting to explore the possibilities in blockchain games.
The best example is perhaps HashCraft, developed by Ubisoft. In HashCraft, the player is dropped on an island that you are free to explore at your leisure. Players can also create challenges that visitors to your island can compete and complete. Once you are happy with your creation, you can make your island publicly available and others can visit it. Every part of the island and the gaming experience is stored on the blockchain and is also decentralized, which means that even if a server goes down, the registration of your island does not disappear.
Players can also receive virtual currency to charge their island and possibly charging a visitor fee when they visit their islands and experience challenges. The virtual currency can then be spent in the game ecosystem or converted into real money.
The big change
While HashCraft is still very much a prototype, and it is certainly not a certainty that it will be released, it showcases some of the benefits that blockchain can bring to computer games in general, not just to blockchain-based games.
Player ownership of game resources is a central area. In traditional video games, game items and player characters are owned by game developers. They, and games, are often performed on servers. Storing objects and characters on the blockchain allows a decentralized and immutable property registry that can be separated from the gaming company and its servers.
This, in turn, can help make in-game virtual resources more valuable, liquid and worthy of being collected, as players actually have virtual objects. The exchange of in-game virtual activities on the blockchain via smart contracts allows peer-to-peer transactions accessible to anyone on the blockchain, eliminating the need for centralized control. At the same time, it removes some of the problems related to fraud.
The use of blockchain for your online digital identity and the protection of your access data for various games can increase security. Fraud and hacker accounts are a scourge of the industry. For example, a December 2015 report detailed how 77,000 Steam accounts were hacked. Every month. The fallout may include loss of sensitive personal data and possibly even monetary losses.
Demonstrating that the items you've created or earned through gameplay are unique and scarce is challenging in traditional gaming environments. Through blockchain, game developers would easily be able to create online directories where users could track the availability and scarcity of various game resources. This public register would also be able to track the ownership and sale of these items.
Blockchain and crypto-game also increase the chances for players to be rewarded for their playing time, as well as their craftsmanship and creativity in the game worlds. HashCraft is an excellent example, and it is not difficult to see a similar approach used to reward players for creating new levels of play or for achieving results in the game. In a sense, this helps blur the traditional boundaries between developers and players.
Large companies are involved
The big technology and gaming companies are increasingly involved in blockchain games and the integration of blockchain functionalities into the ecosystems of existing computer games. The Japanese Internet services company GMO recently announced that its "Bitcoin-based application for in-game rewards" would be released in August, with a game, Whimsical War, already lined up to use the app once launched .
It is said that Sony is moving towards the use of the blockchain for property records on PlayStation Network. Even a blockchain-based video game will be launched for the PlayStation 4 in 2019.
The creator of Fortnite Epic Games is exploring the blockchain and Microsoft is already implementing a blockchain product that can manage content rights and royalties for the Xbox. The gaming blockchain also had its inaugural summit this autumn.
The future is open
All the news above come from last year. It shows that blockchain uses in relation to computer games are growing rapidly and that companies are just starting to explore possibilities.
An area that has a lot of excited people is the ability to buy or earn items and use them in other games. For example, you could win / earn a virtual asset in a game like Super Smash Brothers and use it for your characters in other Nintendo games. The only process of confirming the blockchain would allow that kind of thing.
62% of respondents from a Worldwide Asset eXchange (WAX) study said that the ability to transfer virtual items between games "would increase spending on these items". There could also be new innovations to further incentate players to create content or direct and lead teams online.
In short, the sky (No Man & # 39; s) is the limit.
Credit image: sezer66 / Shutterstock.com
