Play-to-Earn Crypto Gaming: Beginner’s Guide

What Is Play-to-earn Gaming?

For those unaware, play-to-earn (P2E) gaming is a new trend in the game industry. Players can farm or collect in-game assets and trade or sell those at their leisure. That concept is made possible through blockchain technology and non-fungible tokens, allowing user-to-user interactions and true ownership of in-game items. In addition, any item can be sold for cryptocurrency, which you can convert to real money. 

It may be possible to make an income from these blockchain games in some countries. More specifically, there have been P2E players who made more from a video game than they would by working all month. Of course, that concept will not translate well to every part of the world, but there are money-making opportunities out there for most people. Players will often need to acquire one NFT to play the game and make enough money to recuperate that investment. Not all games make that possible unless one dedicates hours upon hours a day to play. 

Various types of games have embraced the play-to-earn model. One can play MMORPGs, shooters, action games, fighting games, racing games, and much more. A new form of the gaming industry is taking shape, and even mainstream publishers show an interest in non-fungible tokens for their games. There is merit to this concept, as it empowers players while playing the game, either to collect everything they can find or to try and make money. 

Ultimately, these play-to-earn games will help blur the line between the real world and the virtual world. Many games want to establish a presence in the Metaverse and on the Web3. Giving people worldwide an opportunity to accrue NFTs and earn an income is an appealing idea. Moreover, NFTs gain more use cases in the crypto industry, including staking options – for more rewards – and using them as collateral for lending or borrowing. 

Advantages Of P2E Games

Developers exploring play-to-earn gaming can benefit from this concept as it serves as a tremendous incentive for players to check out the game. The promise of earning rewards and converting them into real-world money is appealing. Although not everyone will get rich from playing these games, they can still provide a fun experience with monetary incentives.

Additionally, these games created opportunities for targeted advertisements. It remains essential to make money with a game as a developer, and the use of blockchain introduces options for sponsored tournaments, rather than traditional advertisements, for example. Additionally, suppose the game supports NFT-based land spots. In that case, those can be sold to players and the developer can still earn a commission from resales or any financial activity taking place on those plots. 

For players, the P2E model creates an exciting market. While most are drawn to the idea of earning rewards, it also creates a much broader and more diverse gaming ecosystem. Some P2E games will be accessible through the browser or on mobile devices, whereas others may require a PC or console. However, they will provide some way to collect NFTs that can be converted to real money.

One aspect to consider is how P2E games are not necessarily free-to-play. The vast majority of games require players to own an NFT before exploring these new opportunities. Buying that NFT can be either cheap or expensive, thus careful research is needed to determine if the game has long-term viability. 

Will Play-To-Earn Gaming Become The Future?

It is hard to determine how successful P2E gaming will be in the long run. The current iteration of the concept attracts attention because it is new, and many people have made good money from these opportunities. Moreover, over 1,300 play-to-earn games are on various blockchains, with dozens of new games launching every month. Retaining users over time will be a critical challenge, as players can jump to new games in the blink of an eye. 

To counter that aspect, developers need to have a solid long-term vision for their game. More importantly, they have to find a balance between monetary opportunities and having fun while gaming. The first generation of P2E games prioritized earning over having fun, which leads to strong short-term momentum but a struggle to retain players months down the line. New games will need to cater to both short-term and long-term players while still providing money-making solutions.

Thankfully, developers are thinking along these same lines. Battle Drones, an upcoming game on the Solana blockchain, will embrace a short- and long-term strategy. Its initial game, dubbed Battle Drones: Red Rock Resistance, is a PC-based 3D isometric shooter. Players earn in-game achievements and rewards in the round-based PvE mode “Onslaught”, awarding drone parts and tokens. Community leaderboards will ensure top players receive additional rewards. The developers will add more game modes – including Co-op and multiplayer PvP – over time to enhance the experience.

The team also has the ambition to create a third-person PvP battle royale shooter for PC and console. The intention is to let players control a drone along all three axes, introducing a new take on the shooter genre. Another game mode being investigated has a drone racing mechanism to cater to those who aren’t into FPS games. In the all game modes, players will be able to customize their 3D Battle Drone NFT and unlock additional customizations, which can be used or sold in the Drone Bones Store. Another thing in the plans is a tower defence game mode where players defend in-game structures against hordes of enemies.

NFT Utility And Simple Economies Are Key

Traditionally, an in-game NFT can either be used for one’s character or sold on the marketplace. To create a sustainable ecosystem, NFTs need more usability and utility. Battle Drones NFTs span various features, including in-game avatars, in-game perks, play-to-earn features, staking, lending, and much more. The game will introduce multiple long-term monetization options while still providing multiple gaming experiences for players to enjoy.

Gameplay-wise, the first generation of P2E games provides an initially fun approach that grows stale over time. There is little or no interaction with others, and the PvE experience tends to remain unchanged after a while. Battle Drones uses a real-time multiplayer environment to create unique gameplay scenarios. More importantly, it supports multiple play styles and new ways for gamers to outskill their opponents. Furthermore, it removes any pay-to-win concerns players may have.

Another benefit of the new generation of games is how they focus on one in-game currency, or two at most. Previous games have had up to half a dozen different currencies, which confuse players and create unnecessary barriers to entry. Always research blockchain games and see how many currencies they have. If it is more than two, it may be too complex of a system to be worthwhile. The dual-currency approach – like Battle Drones – often works best and creates more sustainable value for the token