The power of play: Web2 games need web3 stickiness | Opinion

As an analyst with a background in traditional gaming and a growing interest in web3, I believe that the future of gaming lies in this new paradigm. The shift towards blockchain gaming is not just about technological innovation but also about how players engage and monetize their time and efforts within games.


As a crypto investor with an interest in the gaming industry, I’ve noticed that traditional gaming is facing some challenges. Revenues from mobile games have started to decline, while user acquisition costs continue to rise. To reignite growth and foster community engagement, game developers are exploring web3 technologies as potential solutions. By integrating true digital ownership through blockchain, offering token incentives, and implementing play-to-earn models, these developers aim to create more engaging experiences for players and potentially generate new revenue streams.

The sticky nature of modern gaming is revolutionizing player interaction and audience attraction for games. This transformation leads to users becoming invested parties, significantly altering the dynamics between players and developers. This fusion of captivating gameplay experiences, financial incentives, and data-driven technologies represents a groundbreaking transition in the gaming industry.

When it comes to web3, the experience extends from the initial onboarding process to maintaining engagement and offering personalization. In simpler terms, web3 is revolutionizing the concept of playing games. Let’s delve into how blockchain gaming is fostering a new generation of dedicated gamers and the far-reaching consequences this has for the industry as a whole.

Engagement is the lifeblood of the ecosystem

As a seasoned analyst, I can’t help but observe the growing interest of conventional gaming companies towards web3 with a hint of envy. Why, you ask? Well, we possess something they covet deeply: an engaged user base with substantial spending power, unwavering loyalty to projects, and proficiency in navigating intricate game environments. Furthermore, blockchain gaming offers superior conversion capabilities that allow us to seamlessly guide users through immersive, in-game experiences using incentives and token rewards as effective motivators.

Check out Telegram for an illuminating demonstration. The sensation of Hamster Kombat, with over 150 million users engaging in tasks and amassing in-game currency, is making waves within the chat app. This game represents a more accessible facet of web3 technology, yet its allure is evident: players are incentivized just to play. Additionally, the in-game currency can be converted into real-world money once the coin becomes exchange-listed. For instance, a comparable “clicker” game named Notcoin achieved this six months post-launch, allowing some players to pocket several hundred dollars from their dedication.

In contrast to traditional games relying on loot boxes and battle passes, blockchain gaming offers unique incentives based on ownership and real user earnings. Legacy studios find it challenging to keep up with experiences where players’ time investment translates into valuable assets they can keep (rather than corporations). This “play-to-earn” model encourages long-term engagement and continuous monetization that major publishers aim for.

Community, identity, and the platform as part of play

The intense involvement in Hamster Kombat leads me to my next topic: the factor of community stickiness. This platform is inherently social, as evident in the abundance of memes and user-generated content. Furthermore, by promoting interaction and asset collection, players can measure their progress against others, cultivating a stronger feeling of teamwork rather than isolation.

Hamster Kombat serves as an illuminating example of community-building fundamentals in web3. However, leading platforms such as Immutable and Avalanche raise the bar significantly higher. By facilitating effortless asset transfers between games and rewarding user loyalty with airdrops, these integrated ecosystems cultivate incredibly tight-knit communities. CARV’s Infinite Play is another noteworthy instance of this advanced strategy. This functionality empowers players to wager their in-game assets for enhanced returns and expanded voting privileges. Furthermore, by staking and actively participating, users can share in a unique reward pool that grows with their amassed experience points. The goal here is to stimulate participation and foster a sense of ownership towards the platform itself.

As a crypto investor, I’m excited about the innovative ways web3 technologies handle identity in the metaverse. For instance, NFT standards like ERC-721 or 1154 link multiple gamertags to one profile, creating a comprehensive “identity of identities.” This allows players to tell their unique stories as they traverse different virtual worlds. Furthermore, the decentralized data protocol ensures that users have complete ownership and encryption of their information on the blockchain. The seamless integration and cohesion of these features are unprecedented in traditional gaming landscapes, paving the way for a more immersive and personalized experience.

New levels of personalization

As a web3 game analyst, I’d like to highlight an essential benefit that sets this platform apart from conventional games. In addition to nurturing robust communities and enduring identities, web3 enables learning and evolution tailored to each individual user. This means that the platform can adapt and grow with us, enhancing our gaming experience and keeping it fresh and engaging over time.

As a crypto investor and web3 games enthusiast, I believe that integrating player data on-chain from the get-go is a game-changer for this emerging industry. By doing so, web3 games can tap into vast datasets, which in turn can be used to develop hyper-personalized AI companions. These intelligent helpers could take on various roles such as guides, mentors, or even rivals, making the gaming experience more engaging and tailored to each player. The result? A more immersive and adaptable gaming universe that keeps players coming back for more.

As a crypto investor, I yearn for an AI companion that truly understands my investing style and tailors its suggestions accordingly. It would analyze my past transactions and identify trends, enabling it to propose investments that align with my preferences. Furthermore, this AI could adapt and evolve based on our ongoing interactions, developing its own distinct personality. Such a customized experience is scarcely found in the web2 realm where user data remains fragmented across various games and platforms.

As a crypto investor, I believe in the significance of protocols that seamlessly connect all aspects of gaming – from creating unique gamer identities to managing asset data, and even implementing tokenized incentives. These protocols serve as essential foundations, weaving together a consistent data infrastructure and economic framework. In doing so, they unlock web3’s promising interoperability and enable the creation of evolving virtual worlds that adapt and respond to their engaged inhabitants.

In the world of web3, there is a self-reinforcing cycle: the more data enriched and the better AI performs, the greater the user incentives become. Users then engage more deeply with the ecosystem, investing time and information. In turn, this engagement generates even more value, which is returned to users through customized experiences and progression that resonates throughout the ecosystem.

Instead of relying on predetermined behaviors to create repetitive loops in web2 games, web3 versions can accurately trace the distinct experiences of each user, including the time spent, accumulated assets, and reputations developed. This degree of customization is proving to be a formidable tool for retaining users in web3 gaming.

A perpetual play revolution

In the realm of web3, the allure is clear for gamers and gaming enthusiasts. In blockchain-based games, players experience true ownership and risk, participating in player-controlled markets. Game developers, on the other hand, unlock fresh revenue channels. Through the use of real assets, token rewards, and unified data ecosystems, players transform into active investors rather than repetitive consumers.

As a researcher exploring the potential of web3 in gaming, I propose incorporating features that grant access to player data and activating AI assistants that evolve with each gamer’s progress. This approach creates an engaging experience. Web3, endowed with the “power of play” and real-world rewards, is poised to revolutionize gameplay by captivating audiences in unprecedented ways.

Prepare for the unavoidable merging of classic gaming with the continuous evolution of web3’s revolutionary playstyle. This transformation is in its early stages—those who adapt to the data-driven future will reap the benefits.

The power of play: Web2 games need web3 stickiness | Opinion

Paul Delio

Paul Delio serves as the chief business development officer at CARV, a revolutionary platform bridging web2 and web3 gaming experiences. At CARV, he oversees the integration of new game projects onto the platform while nurturing existing partnerships with games, ecosystems, and other web3 initiatives. Prior to joining CARV, Paul held significant positions at Real Madrid and Pocketful of Quarters.

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2024-07-07 22:32