There is a lot of hostility from gamers toward NFTs and blockchain games. Simply revealing that a game studio is experimenting with NFTs can result in a barrage of 140-character reactions on social media.

Gamers are known for their zeal and sometimes emotional reactions to change, but the root of this discontent deserves further investigation.

The background

Electronic Arts (EA) was voted the world’s most disliked company in 2012. They have consistently won the accolade throughout the last ten years, just lately losing to firms like Comcast and The Trump Organization. Loot boxes were the fundamental reason for EA’s poor public perception and the key to EA CEO Andrew Wilson’s spectacular climb. Loot boxes are virtual slot machines that deliver gaming bonuses and virtual things at random. A player must redeem in-game tokens in order to obtain in-game benefits. (In Japan, these are known as Gacha mechanics.)

Players begin with comps and a plethora of prize boxes. However, as players grow more immersed in the game, rewards become increasingly difficult to obtain without a significant investment. That is unless a player purchases credit with actual money to speed up the process (and, with them, a digitally-induced dopamine hit). Similar businesses like King and Zynga built their whole product lines around the Skinner Box.

The general view is that gaming used to be a system in which a gamer purchased the complete experience of a game. Thanks to downloadable content, loot boxes, and microtransactions, the gaming landscape has irreversibly changed. Although a game may be given away for free, the vast majority of its content will be locked behind paywalls.

Also, read – How Does NFT Technology Relate to Digital Art?

There are a few unspoken gaming community rules

• The majority of the experience should be contained in the content offered with the initial purchase.
• Microtransactions should not be used to restrict access to essential things.
• In order to avoid microtransactions, a superhuman grind or any other monotonous and repetitive game mechanic should not be required.
• Making it all about the cash

Gamers usually flex their wallets in virtual worlds as a kind of status and identity, even before the gaming sector started constructing virtual slot machines. The purchase of gold from third-party dealers was so common in World of Warcraft that Blizzard created the WoW Token, which allowed users to convert real money into in-game cash. Plex has been an in-game currency in Eve Online since 2008. Plex can be exchanged for game subscriptions. This has resulted in Eve Online not only hiring a full-time economist for its virtual world but also making headlines like the $150K in-game heist.

Businesses have always attempted to inject real money into massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs). Money was included in the models of games like Entropia Universe and Habbo Hotel, and they became famous for devolving into scam hellscapes. Roblox, the most successful inspiration for today’s NFT gaming landscape, has been embroiled in a number of scandals involving the platform’s third-party game creation.

Gamers who hate NFTs pic.twitter.com/UZXzM5wD5J

— Nizzy🍌 (@NizzyNFT) May 18, 2022

Hope isn’t a viable option.

But what does all this have to do with NFTs? NFTs in gaming is unavoidable, according to the message. NFTs are the pinnacle of the gamification of commerce and digital commodities, which have been built on a decade-long economic foundation.

What Could NFTs Mean For Gaming

The fundamental question isn’t why NFTs exist in games; it’s how can NFTs offer value to gaming (rather than just another cash grab)? Most NFT gaming firms lack true game mechanics and instead cater to speculators who profit on the platforms’ crypto price and tokenized market cap waves. The most important guideline for adding value to gaming with NFTs is that the basic game should be engaging and a collaborative experience. People may freely participate, be challenged, and form communities.

Here is why a lot of gamers hate NFT games https://t.co/mJrtdAy636 via @YouTube

— Crypto Seagal (@SeagalCrypto) May 11, 2022

Gaming was never a “pure” experience free of economics, with the exception of early independent open-source games. When the product of a gamer’s effort can be linked to real money, it enhances rather than detracts from the gaming experience. World of Warcraft, for example, employed a variety of psychological techniques to lure users into becoming addicted to the game. Some attempted to sell their World of Warcraft accounts for real money when people ultimately gave up.

How could NFTs be utilized to improve gameplay — and gamer status?

NFTs are a tool for establishing verifiable ownership, frequently satisfying a primordial desire (and joy) for collecting and status, yet, like all tools, they can be misused. Games may now wear their NFT goods in the physical or digital environment thanks to emerging technologies like AR and VR. The market must produce games that provide players with authentic experiences while also providing compelling chances for gamers to earn NFTs that complement and enhance the gaming experience.

In gaming, the art of storytelling is evolving into a more interactive and all-encompassing experience.

The Sandbox, a metaverse platform, is currently developing an NFT ecosystem to make it easier for players to create games and immersive environments by converting game components (art, game mechanics, and animations) into NFTs. The blockchain-based Sandbox game delivers a decentralized gaming ecosystem through a tokenized economy that enriches extraordinary artists by producing assets and universes. (Non-NFT games like Hytale have a similar aim, but their creator marketplace isn’t monetized.)

It is entirely conceivable to bridge the gap between games and NFTs. I recall playing the first Battlenet version of DOTA, which has since grown into a multibillion-dollar enterprise. How long will the first AAA blockbuster NFT game take to be released? Will the company stay inside the environment that helps it flourish when such a title and community emerge, or will it venture out like Riot?

The next chapter of NFT-based gaming, like the entire NFT sector, is presently being written, with endless opportunities for creative disruption and responsible value generation.