What is Blockchain Gaming? Crypto Play 2 Earn Explained

Neferu of Gods Unchained
Updated:
05 Aug 2023

What is Blockchain Gaming? Crypto Play 2 Earn Explained

Step into what I find to be a fascinating world of blockchain gaming, where innovation meets ownership and digital adventures hold real-world significance. Blockchain gaming combines cutting-edge technology with the passion for gaming, giving players the power to truly own their in-game assets. No longer pixels on a screen, these assets are securely stored on an immutable and transparent ledger. From Play-to-Earn ecosystems and the assurance of secure and unalterable records to some awesome connections between physical and digital realms, blockchain gaming offers unprecedented immersion and engagement. Join the journey into the future of gaming, where your actions matter, your experiences are unique, and the boundaries between virtual and physical worlds are tested.

 

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What is Blockchain Gaming?

What is Blockchain Gaming? More importantly, why should you care? I’ll help you answer that very question. A blockchain game is just a game. That being said, it uses blockchain technology (permanent, public record) to track which wallets own what assets and store your encrypted private key and other data like skins, achievements, etc.

Digital Ownership in Blockchain Games

Digital Ownership in Blockchain Games is probably the most unique feature a digital asset possesses. For example, let's imagine that you want to play a new game that you saw online and notice a lot of talk about Web 3, NFTs, P2E, and Blockchain. Most Play 2 Earn/Blockchain games these days are either free to play with the option of purchasing assets for extra benefits and such or they are “pay-gated” by being required to be a token holder. This means you own an asset from that particular series or collection and it is commemorated with the mint number, the total quantity available, and all of its immutable stats.

Building Trust Through Transparency

Building Trust Through Transparency is also kind of a baseline for the Web 3 space and its community members. We like our anonymity and liberty. One of the great things about the blockchain is that every single thing is public; you just have to know what you are looking for. This public ledger is exactly what gives users the ability to verify that whatever project they are looking into or made curious about is a legitimate one.

More Secure and Unalterable Records

More Secure and Unalterable Records was a huge one for me when it came to deciding whether I was willing to take the risk on blockchain gaming and NFTs. I wanted to be sure that no one could update my NFT from an office somewhere (if it wasn’t meant to do that of course) or just alter the record of ownership so that I never owned it to begin with. With blockchain, while it isn’t bug-free, the recording of data is permanent, and transferring assets requires no fees as long as it's over local networking. 

Truly Unique Gaming Experiences

Truly Unique Gaming Experiences await you on the blockchain and in Web 3.0. The future looks bright and it's beginning now. I’d like to point to a title I’ve been playing for almost 2 years now. Upland is a virtual property trading game. It looks like gamified Google Maps, but it actually got an excellent economic structure that has taken a lot of adjusting and tweaking to get it where it's at now that experience has gone from minting green squares on a map and now I have multiple residential properties, just finished building my first factory so I can be a car manufacturing facility which took well over 200 days to complete construction.

Goal-based Earnings Based on You

Goal-based earnings are based on you and the things you want to pursue. Whether that means in the game or converting value from the game into the real world via blockchain + Crypto-Currency + Crypto-Currency Exchanges. Combining your earnings potential with secondary markets and similar products as well as airdrops, token holder perks, staking opportunities, etc. 

The Refreshingly Common-Sense Structure and Operation of Virtual Economies

The Refreshingly Common-Sense Structure and Operation of Virtual Economies, as well as the regulations and laws that assume responsibility over these independent digital economies, are decided upon by anyone willing to participate in governance. This is the act of holding tokens (usually a liberal amount) and casting votes and making proposals for new policies, operations, and updates. As opposed to a few global financial institutions determining rates for the masses and us just being at the mercy of the decisions of a few people in an extremely private government entity. 

Direct Impact On Your Games

Directly Impacting your Games becomes more apparent when you start to get into the communities of these projects. Oftentimes this is where there can be multiple chances to ask questions, interact with, and maybe even bounce some ideas off of the developers. It becomes very close-knit in quite a few of these seemingly small or fleeting communities. 

Connections Between Physical and Digital Worlds

Connections Between the Physical and Digital Worlds are a very real thing already! Several things come to mind on this one. Fitness trackers are probably the biggest ones at first, as these can act almost as a portal or viewport into this virtual world where we may have a virtual pet or a digital garden to water. Recently, I was airdropped (*randomly gifted for holding specific things or combinations of things) a really nice NFT of a car, I was able to redeem that token and, as a surprise, I was delivered a package containing a limited edition James Bond Aston Martin Lego set, a thank you card, some merch stickers, and a very nice vinyl “sticky” print of that exact NFT! While this is gimmicky, somewhat, I was that much more excited for the game and other members of the community to start posting about what they received in the coming weeks. Very different and personal gaming experience.

Outlook for the Future of Gaming

Outlooks on the Future of Gaming, from my perspective, are definitely positive in all regards. Not just blockchain or P2E, but for all of gaming in the coming years. While there are volatility issues here and there in the crypto markets, I can’t say any different for traditional financial institutions, especially as of late. Overall I think the gaming market, in general, is going through a period of consolidation, but it’s at OUR (the gamers’) behest, not some rich tech executive who doesn’t game, could care less, and just wants to focus on the bottom line. The masses have spoken and we want more transparency and at least a little incentive to throw money around and maybe a kickback here and there or a “bone thrown” our way every once in a while for basically shilling your products around for developers via cheap(or free) marketing labor.

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Gamer Since:
1996
Favorite Genre:
RPG
Currently Playing:
Death Stranding
Top 3 Favorite Games:
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty