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For an industry hungry for end users, few apples seem juicier in the blockchain world of games. The global gaming market is expected to generate over $ 159 billion in revenue in 2020, and at a recent two-day digital conference the Blockchain Gaming Alliance made it clear that its members aim to take a bite.
There are approximately 2.7 billion players worldwide, which is about one third of the world’s population. In terms of traditional adoption, this puts the game on a similar level to breathing oxygen and drinking water.
If only a fraction of those gamers were to welcome blockchain technology into their lives … well, let’s just say the cryptocurrency industry has long craved such levels of penetration among the general population.
Fortunately, blockchain offers a number of compelling use cases to lure players into its fold, and the technology offers a whole new range of possibilities to the medium.
The Blockchain Game Alliance was formed to be the mermaid song that would promote the benefits of blockchain technology for the gaming industry at large. The BGA encourages the adoption of decentralized games, non-fungible tokens, and even elements of decentralized finance by highlighting new ways to create, publish, play and build strong communities around games.
BGA members represent all aspects of the gaming and blockchain industry, and the organization regularly holds presentations and workshops. She is also dedicated to promoting diversity and encouraging more women to join the blockchain gaming industry.
The most recent event, split into two parts between November 4th and 11th, was the BGA Game Demo Day, which offered members the opportunity to showcase their latest developments and upcoming offers.
And that’s how I’ve spent the last two dark, rainy autumn Wednesday evenings glued to my screen, scribbling notes and finding myself impressed with the future for blockchain games.
But first, a disclaimer. Since so many games were shown in the two parts of the event, I tried to focus on games that had not previously been featured here on Cointelegraph.
That said, this article will analyze an incredibly diverse range of blockchain-enabled games, including cutting-edge virtual and augmented reality experiences, open-world RPG titles, classic tabletop trading card battles, and even a multi-user dungeon based. over text, or MUD, which is a nearly forgotten game format that has been around since the 1990s.
Reality bites …
Does the slow and insignificant plodding of daily existence get you down? Well, why not swap it for Somnium Space’s brilliant new virtual reality?
Perhaps the most visually impressive demo of the event, Somnium Space is an open and persistent 3D universe, allowing users to create and interact with almost anything they want.
Accessible using a VR headset or standard web browser, the demo featured an NFT art gallery where users purchase art directly from the game universe.
Or maybe you prefer your augmented reality? If so, maybe Reality Clash is more your thing?
Available now on iOS and the Google Play Store, this AR shooter places your avatar on an online battlefield called “The Sim”, where your real-world movements translate into in-game action.
Reality Clash is all about weapons, which are NFTs that can be built, upgraded, and sold to other players. However, I doubt that even a pistol sporting a blockchain-verifiable high kill rate and headshot report can’t turn my clumsy fingers into those of a master marksman.
Penny arcade
There were several casual and arcade games demonstrated over the two evenings (or mornings depending on where you were).
Town Star by Gala Games is a farm simulator playable on mobile or via browser. It features weekly competitions with cash prizes for players who can best grow and sell a certain type of crop. It also features cryptographic inventory items that can be collected and integrated into bots to automate certain tasks.
Mib Trek, meanwhile, takes you on a treasure hunt through various marble-based universes in search of “genesis” marbles. These are hidden in several Ethereum (ETH) wallets, which you can unlock after solving the clues found in the game.
The gameplay of Mib Trek is of the “match three” type, but various missions reward different types of marbles. These must be collected and fused into types of compounds to create the crystals that will lead you to the marbles of genesis.
Another mining-inspired game, Mines of Dalarnia, showed off a number of new user-requested features, including more complex tokenomics. This Dig Dug-like mining game requires players to explore the mines in search of minerals with which to upgrade their equipment, giving them access to additional mines.
All elements of the game are represented by crypto tokens, and the mining theme seemed particularly suitable for a blockchain game.
Places of exchange
Fans of collectible card battles were not disappointed, as there were two on display during the event.
Dark Country mixed thematic elements of the American Wild West and dark occult rituals to create a unique, gothic atmosphere. The skill must be used to build an impressive deck of cards to battle with, and the gameplay will be familiar to anyone who has played competitive board card games.
The Dark Country battle structure sees distinct stages of the battle as more powerful cards can only be played in the later stages meaning long-term strategy is the key to success.
Another trading card game I saw that I am sure will delight many was Doctor Who: Worlds Apart. This fully licensed game features a cast of characters from the entire 57-year history of the Doctor Who saga.
Each character’s artwork was hand drawn and later approved by the BBC in an effort to turn the cards into real collectibles. Unfortunately, players will have to wait a year before they can play, although a presale of the cards is scheduled for December.
MMOs that cure autumn pangs
Massively multiplayer RPGs, or MMORPGs, were well represented at the event.
Ember Sword is an isometric world where resource gathering, crafting, trading, and buffing skills lead to advanced monster cutting.
Unlike many blockchain games, Ember Sword is defiantly not pay-to-play and as such, mission items are not kept in a chain. However, you can collect and trade collectible cosmetic NFTs and even purchase a plot of land to build and earn on.
The Enjin platform briefly showed another isometric RPG called Lost Relics, although this was mainly to demonstrate the ability to use certain NFTs in multiple games across the Enjin multiverse.
Wavelings is a third person MMORPG set in a dystopian sci-fi universe. However, the demo shown was still in its early stages, with unplanned open tests until the fourth quarter of 2021.
The Six Dragons is an open world fantasy RPG fully supported by blockchain technology. It has innovative touches like allowing the holder of a rare item recipe to provide crafting services for other players – for a fee of course.
It will soon arrive on the Playstation platform, making it the first blockchain game to be launched on a main console.
Highlights and quirks
Despite the diversity of this audience, there were some games that really stood out.
Soccer Manager Elite, in case you haven’t already guessed, is a decentralized football management simulation.
Managers can choose the tactics and formations of the team and players can also buy shares in the various clubs and players. This gives them the right to vote on decisions such as who to hire as managers and have clubs essentially act as miniature decentralized autonomous organizations.
Second Legion presented what it described as “Rare Tables”. These are digital artwork with standalone playable games superimposed on the artwork. The first game is a darts simulator layered on an NFT with artwork by the famous crypto-artist Alotta Money.
And finally … Waterdeep is a text-based online adventure game, which has been running since 1997. It recently integrated an ERC-20 governance token called Duma, which allows users to vote on the new suggested rules for the game.
It also has built-in bots that can read and interact with smart contracts on the blockchain directly from within the game itself. It is truly amazing to see what many would consider a relic, at least in terms of gaming, interacting with blockchain technology to implement new features.
Looking at the future
And that was all a spectator could understand! Thankfully, anyone wishing to watch BGA’s Game Demo Day on their own can still do so, as streams for both part one and part two are available on YouTube.
With so many interesting, challenging, and unique games both available now and on the horizon, blockchain gaming is really starting to find its feet.
We will be taking a closer look at some of these games and others in the blockchain space in the near future!
