Blockchain has Redefined the Gaming Industry
Blockchain’s influence on gaming is profound: it puts users at the center, giving them a way to directly extract value from the game (a value that the players themselves helped to create) and realize real-world rewards. The path that started with simple NFT trading will lead to a lasting change in the gaming landscape as developers embrace the new collaborative, decentralized model.
CryptoKitties was just the first sign of how blockchain capabilities could be turned into a new kind of digital investment, beyond cryptocurrency. Gamers embraced the idea of collecting and trading digital assets that combine fun design with unique and playable characteristics; it wasn’t a big reach from classic trading card games such as Pokémon, but it soon became apparent that the possibilities were far greater. The future of blockchain gaming will see NFTs leveraged as part of more complex games with far wider appeal.
However, the current state of blockchain gaming still leaves something to be desired in crucial areas such as user experience and developer support. That’s where Ajuna comes in. We are providing solutions to encourage the development of sophisticated, exciting games to rival AAA titles.
How NFTs create greater value for players and developers
In-game assets, collectibles, and purchasable items are not new to gaming. However, blockchain has released greater potential by demonstrating its value in the real world. Players can now extract the value of their in-game items by trading them for cryptocurrency or fiat. This creates a brand-new benefit for gamers, on top of the sheer fun of playing, and makes the value of rare or high-powered items more tangible. When discovering hidden items and completing tasks can result in real rewards, that provide extra incentive to keep players engaged (and thus increases revenues for the developers too).
Players who earn, create, or collect blockchain-verified assets can sell them at a profit, or exchange them for other items. It also unlocks further creativity and excitement in the form of customizable NFTs, with variable values based on their capabilities. Such assets have a double value — the unique, even unpredictable characteristics that can be leveraged in gameplay, as well as the market value of those NFTs.
By participating in games across different platforms, gamers can earn rewards in a range of native tokens as well as collect NFT assets, and build a diversified portfolio. Developers who offer such rewards can attract more players, appealing to digital investors as well as gamers, and deepening player commitment.
Industry challenges overcome
Blockchain has challenged the status quo in the gaming industry by addressing a range of previously unquestioned limitations.
- Ownership — previously, players would buy in-game items using fiat but would not own them. The purchase resembled a lease, as developers could revoke the assets as they please. Getting banned or locked out of a game could mean losing items like skins and characters that players worked to obtain, or items could even be deleted through a simple game update if the studio chose.
- Value — The value of modern games is built on player commitment. Studios benefit from the network effect of enthusiastic game communities, and from their creativity in generating fan art as well as in-game experiences. But until now, none of that work was compensated.
- Security — Conventional in-game purchases form a weak point for both game studios (which can be cheated of revenue by fraudulent purchases) and users (whose financial details can be exposed through the payment channel).
- Centralization — All these existing ownership, value, and security issues emanate from centralization. Concentrating decision-making or other processes on a few entities creates fault points. Web3’s decentralized model offers better protection as well as more equitable distribution of value.
Ajuna is breaking down all barriers
While holding out hope of exciting new ways to overcome these challenges, blockchain’s entrance into the industry has introduced new challenges to developers. Those coming from a traditional gaming background face the challenge of learning new languages to create blockchain-compatible games, while blockchain developers need to gain skills in game design and creation. We faced these difficulties ourselves while pursuing our vision of an enthralling decentralized game. However, blockchain’s advantages outweighed the temporary setback and led us to take on the challenge of creating a developer-friendly platform.
We removed barriers to blockchain game development by connecting to the well-known Unity and Unreal engines, giving developers access to their familiar features, and slashing the development time.
Building an interoperable and flexible protocol was a priority; with a developing industry, we require a network that can handle multiple transaction requests to and from other blockchains. We envision game asset trading beyond our blockchain, especially with our roots in Polkadot.
Ease of development was another motivator. Creators require a welcoming and supportive environment to thrive. We must provide an enabling atmosphere for AAA game development if blockchain gaming is to take the next step. Currently, most games focus on the NFT reward aspect of blockchain games, neglecting the player experience. Our model makes for easier blockchain game creation, allowing developers time to envision and actualize AAA-like games within the blockchain ecosystem.
Can’t fail, won’t fail
Blockchain’s influence on the gaming industry cannot be ignored. Though progress appears slow, it is already clear that the future of gaming rests on decentralization. By prioritizing players, blockchain shares gaming revenue with those that generate irreplaceable value. Our contribution is to provide the tools to build this new paradigm faster and stronger. With better, more exciting games, created on a secure, efficient, decentralized platform, everybody wins.
About Ajuna
Ajuna Network is a Swiss-based decentralized gaming platform bringing blockchain gaming into the mainstream by integrating GameFi functionality with the world’s leading development engines, Unreal and Unity. Built on Substrate, Ajuna leverages the full potential of the Polkadot ecosystem to provide developers with a modular toolbox to add fully-featured GameFi functionalities to their games easily. Ajuna’s ultimate goal is to create real value for both gamers and developers by providing a fully interoperable decentralized ecosystem for games and virtual goods.
