What should the best blockchain game be like? It should have the style of Web2 and not be aware that it is playing a blockchain game.

The rise of Web3 games: playing and earning becomes a new trend

With the rise of the Web3 concept, the blockchain gaming sector, which focuses on 'play-to-earn', gained attention in 2021. GameFi integrates emerging financial technologies such as Non-fungible Tokens (NFTs) and DeFi into games, allowing players to have ownership of in-game assets and earn profits through gameplay.

However, despite the past popularity of blockchain games, most current blockchain games are stuck in a vicious cycle of opening, mining, selling, economic model collapse, and token depreciation, and there are few blockchain games that can maintain their peak for a long time.

This also leads to the fact that Web3 games still belong to a niche market, unable to attract mainstream gamers. Developers have also begun to realize that simply relying on Blockchain technology cannot retain players, and they must prioritize the 'playability' and 'fun' of the game in order for players to truly enjoy the game itself.

The voice of traditional players: gameplay is the king

Experts point out that the reason why GameFi is difficult to popularize is because it overlooks the needs of mainstream players in the game - the joy and excitement of the game process. Most players are willing to spend money on games because they are "fun" rather than "profitable".

When playing games such as Grand Theft Auto and Fortress Heroes, players do not care whether they can earn money.

While Web3 developers are eager to push blockchain games to the market, they have overlooked the entertainment value of the games, resulting in many people only entering blockchain games for the sake of 'making money'.

This 'making money is greater than the game' model naturally makes it difficult for blockchain games to attract real players. When active players are driven by speculative purposes, it is easy to lose a large number of users and end hastily after a price collapse.

The risk of overreliance on Web3 elements

Probably the best examples are the classic pet battle blockchain game - 'Axie Infinity', and the self-proclaimed first AAA blockchain game - 'Star Atlas'.

The former Axie Infinity, during its heyday, allowed players to earn hundreds of dollars per week, but this also led to problems with the economic model: in order to survive, it had to rely on the influx of new players to support the profits of old players. Similar to the structure of direct sales, it ultimately failed and forced the developers to redesign the reward mechanism.

The latter, 'Star Atlas', is another issue: excessive use of DeFi mechanisms. Players not only need to play the game well, but also must master complex operations such as asset lending and Yield Farming. The high threshold financial game mode turns the game into a 'blockchain trading practice'. For players who just want to have fun, such settings are not very attractive.

Successful Model of Web3 Games: The Rise of "Invisible" Chain Games

Interestingly, after experiencing ups and downs in the blockchain gaming industry, many traditional game companies not only did not underestimate it, but chose to enter the track when blockchain gaming was at its lowest point.

Meanwhile, both traditional game companies and the new generation of blockchain game developers are exploring different trends in blockchain game design - 'invisible blockchain games', which means that most players are not even aware that they are engaging with cryptocurrency while playing blockchain games.

Experts pointed out that facing traditional players and casual gamers, developers of Web3 games must recognize that the Web3 elements of chain games should be an addition to enhance the gaming experience rather than the core, and they need to design simpler and easier-to-understand profit methods, so that players can easily participate even if they do not understand Cryptocurrency.

At the same time, priority is given to creating an interesting and immersive gaming experience. When the essence of the game is no longer about profit, but about allowing players to unknowingly gain the additional value brought by blockchain technology while enjoying the thrill of adventure, strategy, and competition, can we truly capture the mainstream players.

Perhaps, when the main reason for everyone playing blockchain games begins to shift towards 'gameplay', the true value of blockchain games will gradually be recognized by the market and slowly gain players' recognition.