It’s time we dive into Web3 games and answer your key questions: What is blockchain gaming, and how does the genre differ from traditional video games?
This article will also discuss the advantages that blockchain gaming holds over conventional gaming experiences, and it will reveal our hand-picked top 5 blockchain games available for instant download and play.
Read on for our comprehensive beginner’s guide.
What Are Blockchain Games?
Blockchain gaming refers to the integration of blockchain technology into video game design, offering players new opportunities for ownership, trade, and earning potential within the gaming ecosystem. One differentiating aspect of blockchain gaming is the tokenization of in-game items as non-fungible tokens (NFTs), allowing for unique and verifiable ownership of digital assets. This means that players can buy, sell, and trade their in-game items as NFTs, as well as potentially earn cryptocurrency through gameplay.
Blockchain games utilises blockchain tech in order to create a decentralised and transparent gaming ecosystem. These games use cryptocurrencies and NFTs to enable players to own and trade in-game assets, such as characters, items, and skins, outside of the game environment.
The decentralised nature of blockchain games means that game assets and transactions are recorded on a distributed ledger, making it more secure and resistant to fraud or hacking. Such dynamic also allows for true ownership of in-game assets, as players have full control over when they wish to transfer or sell their assets – and without the need for intermediaries.
Cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin (BTC) or Ethereum (ETH), are used as the primary form of payment and reward within blockchain games, providing a seamless and borderless payment system for players.
NFTs, on the other hand, are unique digital assets that represent ownership of a specific item or character within the game. These NFTs are stored on the blockchain and cannot be replicated, making them scarce and valuable.
In contrast to traditional centralised games, blockchain games offer players more autonomy and sovereignty over their in-game assets, as well as the potential for economic incentives through cryptocurrency rewards and the trade of NFTs.
What are the Benefits of Blockchain Gaming?
Blockchain gaming offers numerous benefits to the gaming industry, for both players and developers alike.
Blockchain Gaming Benefits for Players
- Ownership and Control
Players can own and trade their in-game assets, such as items, characters, or currencies, without intermediaries or restrictions. They can also use their assets across different games or platforms, creating a more connected and diverse gaming ecosystem.
- Security and Transparency
They can verify the authenticity and scarcity of their assets, as well as the fairness and integrity of the game rules and outcomes, using the blockchain. They can also protect their assets from hacking, fraud, or loss, as they are stored in their own wallets or smart contracts.
- Rewards and Incentives
Players can earn real value from their gaming activities – such as playing, creating, or sharing content – simply by receiving tokens or cryptocurrencies and exchanging them for fiat money or other assets. By holding native tokens, players can also participate in the governance and development of the games, influencing their direction and future.
Blockchain Gaming Benefits for Developers
- Innovation and Creativity
With blockchain, developers can create new and unique gaming genres, mechanics, or features, such as NFTs, play-to-earn (P2E) models, or decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs). They can also experiment with different blockchain protocols, platforms, or tools, in order to find the best fit for their vision and goals.
- Engagement and Retention
Blockchain gaming developers can attract and retain more players by offering more value, freedom, and fun from their gaming experiences. They can also foster a more loyal and active community, as players have a real stake and voice in the games they’re involved in.
- Monetization and Sustainability
Developers can generate more revenue and reduce costs thanks to the general premise of blockchain technology. They can create new streams of income, such as selling or renting their assets, taking a cut from transactions, or launching new tokens/cryptocurrencies. By using blockchain or peer-to-peer (P2P) networks, they can also save on the expense of running centralised servers, databases, or marketplaces.
Blockchain Gaming: Key Concepts and Tools
A good way to understand how blockchain games or gaming differs from traditional video gaming is by looking at the unique concepts and tools it uses.
Crypto Wallets as Universal Player Identities
In traditional video gaming, users are accustomed to navigating through various closed ecosystems, each requiring a distinct login. Whether it’s a Steam, Epic, or Riot Games account, players maintain separate identities for each platform. However, blockchain gaming disrupts this norm by introducing crypto wallets as a universal entry pass.
Unlike the fragmented traditional approach to logins, gamers only need to create one wallet to access all blockchain games (built on the same blockchain network in question). Despite the current limitations arising from connectivity issues between different blockchain ecosystems, this shift towards a universal login system marks a significant departure from the conventional gaming landscape.
Smart Contracts as Core Code
The backbone of blockchain apps, smart contracts, play a pivotal role in ensuring the trust-minimised execution of game logic.
While the ultimate goal is to have all game functions run through smart contracts, the current reality involves a hybrid architecture. This combination utilises both on-chain (smart contracts) and off-chain code to address speed and scalability limitations.
In today’s blockchain games, smart contracts primarily facilitate the creation and movement of in-game items and currencies. They also contribute to securing critical in-game functions, such as determining the outcome of specific rounds or matches.
NFTs
NFTs are changing the concept of digital ownership within games. Unlike traditional setups where in-game currencies and items are controlled by a centralised server, blockchain games empower players with sovereign ownership over their digital assets.
Whether fungible or non-fungible, tokens serve the same purpose as in-game currencies and items, but with a fundamental difference. When an in-game item is represented as an NFT, the player truly owns it. This ownership cannot be arbitrarily taken away or erased by game developers, therefore introducing a new and revolutionary standard for digital asset ownership.
Play-to-Earn (P2E) Rewards
P2E revolves around earning native crypto tokens or NFTs by playing blockchain games. Here, players can accumulate real money and valuable in-game assets, whether it be receiving NFTs or native tokens for achieving milestones or completing specific actions.
Further, crypto-based games offer native crypto tokens for activities like battling, trading, or quest completion. This P2E concept attracts players to the ecosystem, providing a unique blend of gaming enjoyment and income potential. As blockchain technology advances, play-to-earn games continue to gain popularity, offering gamers a lucrative option to monetize their gaming experiences.
NFTs for Governance
Tokens extend beyond serving as in-game currencies and assets, NFTs become a powerful tool for coordinating decentralised autonomous organisations (DAOs) and bestowing governance rights upon players. Here, the concept of DAO tokens involves their distribution based on arbitrary criteria, assigning a vote weight to each token, and utilising these tokens to vote on proposals.
This framework empowers players to have a say in the game’s direction, fostering player evangelism and enabling them to influence game design decisions. While the potential of game governance through tokens remains largely unexplored, it offers an exciting opportunity for innovation in shaping the outcomes of games and how it evolves in the future.
Blockchain-Based Games: Our Top 5 Picks
If you’re just starting out in the world of blockchain games, consider exploring the following titles to ease into the experience.
1. Pikamoon
Pikamoon is an epic 3D P2E Web3 game where you train and battle with cute – albeit also ferocious – Pokemon-inspired creatures called Pikamoons. Do to so, you collect each Pikamoon character in the form as NFTs, which you can then show-off to other players.
Pikamoon is built on the Ethereum blockchain, and uses its native PIKA ($PIKA) token to govern every transaction in the game (which mainly come through Pikamoon NFT upgrades). It also goes without saying that PIKA is the driving force behind the game’s array of P2E mechanics.
When it comes to its creators, Pikamoon is developed by Kevuru Games, the same awesome people who helped build Fortnite, Star Wars, and other epic games.
ERC-20 token PIKA is currently in its third and final presale stage, whilst the Pikamoon Beta is also up and running on Apple and Android (with P2E rewards already on offer). With this in mind, aping-in on PIKA whilst prices are still at a discounted rate is a proficient directional path – be it for your crypto bags, or for the sake of a successful entrance into the Pikaverse once the full game is rolled out.
2. Upland
Upland is a virtual property trading game that allows players to buy, own, build, trade, and collect NFTs based on real-world addresses across major cities – such as San Francisco and New York City.
Upland players can purchase virtual properties that mirror real-life addresses and earn passive income in the form of $UPX coins. These coins can be exchanged for U.S. dollars via the Tilia Pay platform, providing players with a real monetary value for their virtual investments.
Upland provides a unique gaming experience that combines elements of real estate investment and virtual-world interaction. If you love strategy, go for upland!
3. Gods Unchained
Gods Unchained is a unique decentralised competitive card game with strategic deck building. Using Ethereum for card ownership tracking, the game ensures players genuinely own their digital assets.
Beyond the engaging gameplay, Gods Unchained provides opportunities for play-to-earn, enabling players to earn rewards in the form of its in-game currencies $FLUX and $GOD. If you appreciate games like Hearthstone, MTG, and Faeria, you’ll find a special connection with this truly community-focused game.
4. MOBOX
MOBOX is a Binance Smart Chain-based gaming platform that merges play-to-earn mechanics with decentralised finance (DeFi).
In the ‘MOMOverse,’ players engage in various interconnected play-to-earn minigames, earning $MBOX tokens whilst doing so. The platform provides access to decentralised finance opportunities, allowing users to trade, stake, and utilise MBOX tokens within the MOBOX ecosystem.
Featuring minigames such as player battles, item collection, and resource farming, MOBOX creates an immersive and rewarding experience for blockchain gamers, wherein real-world rewards can be reaped.
5. Cryptopop
Cryptopop is an innovative puzzle-matching game that brings the worlds of cryptocurrencies and NFTs together. Within the game, players match cryptocurrency symbols to earn points and unlock valuable in-game rewards, including cryptocurrencies and NFTs.
In addition, players can trade assets with others through the in-game market, adding a strategic layer to the competition and allowing them to grow their virtual wealth.
Cryptopop, along with other games like Lightnite (which uses the Lightning Network), represents a new era of gaming with real-world financial implications, offering players unique opportunities to earn and interact with digital assets in immersive gameplay experiences.
What is Blockchain Gaming – Conclusion
The world of blockchain gaming is growing fast, meaning it’s an exciting time to be part of it. In fact, the industry is expected to reach $65 billion by 2027, with traditional gaming integrations expected in the coming years. Here, blockchain games such as Pikamoon are already addressing flaws in the current gaming ecosystem, further drawing in millions of new participants to the world of Web3 gaming.
As of 2024, the opportunity to join blockchain games during their nascent times presents itself – as showcased via the Pikamoon Presale. Here, being an early investor comes with an array of exclusive perks, as in addition to high profit margins potentially being in store, early participation can also play a role in shaping Pikamoon’s future. Additionally, today’s timing aligns with the industry’s upwards trajectory, making it a good moment to explore and enter this evolving space.
With this in mind, download the Pikamoon Beta on either Apple or Android to experience these blockchain gaming innovations firsthand. Additionally, the Presale for $PIKA tokens is also still live, presenting another opportunity to get involved.
What is Blockchain Gaming – FAQ
What is blockchain gaming?
Blockchain gaming is a type of video game concept that uses blockchain technology in order to offer more control, rewards, and opportunities to players. To do so, blockchain games are often decentralised, interoperable, and allow for in-game ownership and play-to-earn incentives through cryptocurrencies and NFTs.
How do blockchain games make money?
Blockchain games can make money by selling in-game assets, such as tokens or NFTs, to players or collectors. They can also charge fees for transactions, subscriptions, or access to premium features or content. Some blockchain games may also generate revenue from advertising or sponsorship deals.
Are blockchain games really profitable?
Blockchain games can be very profitable, depending on the popularity, quality, and innovation of the game. Some of the most successful blockchain games, such as Axie Infinity, CryptoKitties, Pikamoon, and Decentraland, have generated millions (or even billions) of dollars in revenue and market value.
Can you make money from blockchain games?
Yes, you can make money from blockchain games by playing, creating, or investing in them. Playing blockchain games can also earn you in-game assets that you can sell or trade for real money.
How is blockchain used in the gaming industry?
Blockchain technology is used in the gaming industry to enhance gaming experiences, create new business models, and empower gaming communities. The use of blockchain tech can enhance gaming experiences by enabling more secure, transparent, and fair transactions, as well as through giving players more ownership and control over their data and assets.
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