Crypto research firm Delphi Digital has outlined possible ways in which players might embrace non-fungible tokens (NFTs) as part of their gaming experience, such as using the technology for other aspects that don’t affect the core experience.
Delphi Digital published a lengthy report on Wednesday exploring how NFTs can be incorporated into games without compromising the core gaming experience or the "true competitive gameplay" that players value.
The report argues that if the monetization and NFT elements were properly integrated, players might not be so resolute against the idea:
"Money will always be the dominant motivator if left unchecked. So the first thing we need to do is separate the market game from the core game loop itself."
One way to achieve this, according to Delphi Digital, is to use NFTs for optional experiences such as game tickets and new character skins while providing the core free-to-play experience for all , cash games and contest prizes.
This, the company explained, will allow those who play for profit to succeed, while those for enjoyment can play without being forced to buy NFTs and without having to compete with top players in the gaming market. consumer competition.
"No one is going to be tricked into playing someone else's game," the report states.
The report also states that "the more people care about games," the more likely they are to spend money in games, meaning the core game experience needs to be meaningful enough for undecided players to even consider buying in-game NFTs.
"Theoretically, the more people care about the game, the more they invest directly in the metagame. By maximizing meaning generation and competition in the core game, we are able to maximize revenue through peripheral monetization."
player's dislike
The report addressed the traditional gaming community's distaste for crypto gaming, noting that "many of the criticisms that have surfaced are justified."
In particular, Delphi Digital highlighted that much of the hostility toward cryptocurrencies seems to come from the negative impact monetization has on traditional games, such as developers intentionally limiting features, forcing users to pay more to get the full experience:
"Parts of the traditional gaming industry have leaned toward aggressive monetization practices, which sometimes hurt the player experience."
“Thus, when players see that they need to buy NFTs to play early crypto games, or large publishers announce plans to enter the space, they see it as another attempt to make money and avoid it,” the report added.
Delphi stresses that this is "not to say that all forms of monetization are bad," but that monetization, whether cryptocurrency or not, needs to be done in a way that doesn't negatively impact the game.
Commenting on the current state of crypto gaming, the report also noted that, so far, the industry has seen the monetary component of games tend to become the “dominant motivator” for users. Therefore, Delphi believes that when whales are able to dominate most games for speculative purposes, the quality of the game suffers:
"The gameplay of these early games was affected by two aspects: 1) the main motivation of most players was the expectation of financial rewards, rather than playing the game; 2) the core competitive line was restricted by krypton gold (pay-to-win) mechanism because whales can spend money to get ahead.”