The world of crypto games has been grabbing headlines lately, but there’s a dark side to this burgeoning industry that’s not getting enough attention. While crypto games are targeting the small group of crypto speculators to launch their games, they’re almost entirely ignoring the needs of gamers. This approach is leading to some serious problems, including:
- Barriers to entry that are getting so high that they’re shutting out new users.
- Selling power through NFTs, which means the earliest adopters or those with the deepest pockets win.
- A ponzinomic design that requires a constant stream of new customers to sustain the ecosystem.
- Platforms that prescribe rewards and pay them directly to consumers, rather than creating an emergent peer-to-peer play-to-earn economy.
- Poor quality gameplay defined by the limitations of blockchain technology.
The perfect example of these problems can be seen in the recent collapse of popular crypto game Axie Infinity. The game attracted early adopters (speculators) who got in at a fair price and experienced more than fair play to earn rewards. This in turn attracted later adopters who bought in at a higher price. However, as the price climbed, the barrier to entry got higher, the payout ratio got worse, and the supply of new users began to dry up, leading to the eventual collapse of the game.
In comparison, traditional metaverses and MMOs prevent users from trading in-game value and place a hyper reliance on the game provider, which creates a totalitarian relationship between the player and the game provider. This dictatorial mindset often leads to game providers ignoring the feedback of their customers.
While the hype surrounding crypto games continues to grow, it’s important to keep an eye on the problems they’re facing and make sure they’re not sacrificing the needs of gamers for the sake of speculation. This is where Starvara comes in, where we have put the gamers first.
