Meet BlockGames’ CTO, Mazvydas Skuodas

Career building blocks

My background is in coding, plus building and managing sophisticated software products, and spans numerous sectors including 15 years in eCommerce, some time in the travel industry, a brief stint in the gambling economy, and also in cyber security. I wasn’t aware of it at the time, but these diverse experiences are all coming in useful now and I’m able to leverage each of them within my role as BlockGames’ CTO.

For instance, even though the travel industry may not directly relate to blockchain or gaming, it has equipped me with the ability to handle high user traffic and optimize search functionality. For me, the intersection of technology and economics felt like a natural evolution of my growing skillset. The concept of tokenomics wasn’t new to me, and it’s vital to the proper functioning of any Web3 ecosystem.

Why decentralization matters in games

At the heart of our efforts lies the commitment to delivering an ecosystem that strikes the balance between user engagement, rewarding experiences, and financial equilibrium.

From a technical standpoint, blockchain offers real solutions to problems we didn’t realize existed. Especially in terms of transparency, security, and trust within decentralized ecosystems. In the context of gaming and Web3, blockchain has the capacity to revolutionize the way players engage with games, ensuring fairness, true ownership of in-game assets, and enhanced experiences through tokenized economies.

Trust free transactions

As we look to the future, the integration of Web3 and blockchain in gaming yields the potential to reshape the gaming landscape in exciting ways and deliver new gaming experiences and opportunities to players.

As a public and decentralized framework that resists unilateral control, requiring a consensus for any significant changes, blockchain technology is the embodiment of democracy. Transactions can take place algorithmically and without human intervention and therefore don’t require human trust.

The common aim in Web3 communities is, through smart contracts, to create a perfect transactional system, without intermediaries, that accommodates high transaction volumes — ideal for the future of games!

But the challenges are…?

I think there are two major legacy challenges that we need to meet head-on from a product point of view. The first relates to how to make play and earn (PoE) work. Previous models have proved themselves to be initially profitable for some players, and for those behind the gaming projects, but unsustainable in the long term. So what we’re doing is creating a split between sharing the income from what you gain through activities, while engaged in a game or games, or by purchasing items within games.

Energizing engagement for mobile games

Our main focus is to achieve high engagement. Engagement drives player growth, rewards, and revenues, and allows us to create more meaningful challenges or quests that provide more thrilling payoffs for players; reaching level 10, or opening some kind of mystery box, or reaching certain milestones in a particular game are just a few examples. And while players are going around reaching these goals, they’re also accumulating a second form of currency in the system, which for now we’ll call tickets, which can be converted into bigger rewards.

So, you’re playing and having fun, and there’s the chance to win bigger and bigger prizes through the gameplay. One of the hidden goals for us that will impact the user experience is getting the balance of all of these different mechanisms right. To achieve this, we need different economies and different methods of exchange.

Accounting for perfection

With the BlockGames Player Network, our emphasis is on maintaining a healthy cash flow and carefully managing, through automated processes, inflows and outflows ensuring the financial sustainability of the system. This isn’t merely a theoretical endeavor, either — it’s a practice I’ve successfully implemented in other companies that will undoubtedly work in the BlockGames economy.

We are currently in the process of creating an accounting system that addresses challenges related to managing funds within the system. This involves meticulous tracking of financial transactions and balances, and ensuring transparency and accuracy in every financial move. These include user earnings, in-game purchases, and engagement rewards. This level of detail is key and provides a comprehensive overview of how user interactions contribute to the system’s financial dynamics.

Algorithmic ticket distribution

In addition, we’re focused on refining the ticketing system that forms a crucial part of our engagement strategy. Our objective is to provide users with the opportunity to earn rewards based on their engagement levels, providing a layer of value for their participation that will motivate them to persist with their gameplay or explore new games in the expanding Player Network.

To ensure fairness and transparency, we employ probabilistic algorithms that determine ticket distribution and, ultimately, decide who are the winners. This algorithmic approach guarantees that winners are determined in a random but fair way, preventing manipulation or undue bias.

In addition, our development efforts extend to enhancing the interaction between games and our platform within the mobile environment. This involves crafting a communication bridge that enables seamless integration of BlockGames’ Player Network with various games.

A new UA and revenue-sharing paradigm

In the context of user acquisition, a significant paradigm shift is occurring. Unlike traditional models where user acquisition costs are absorbed by game companies and advertising networks, we are redirecting revenues back to the users themselves. This revenue-sharing mechanism allows users to benefit financially from their engagement and referrals. Essentially, it transforms players from being mere consumers into active participants who contribute to the growth of the Player Network.

These transformative concepts are manifested in the visual aspects of our product, which reflect the underlying technological innovations. As a core product developer, there’s nothing more gratifying than seeing the ideas you have developed with your team transformed into an immersive and engaging experience that users love.

The best blockchain for the job?

For gaming, we need chains that can handle microtransactions and reward in-game achievements with the critical elements — scale, speed, and security. When we connected with chain developers we found that different chains excelled in different ways. For this reason, we decided to take a multi-chain approach. BlockGames is, therefore, chain agnostic.

I like to use the bank account analogy — customers can have multiple accounts that are built on different systems, but transferring funds and assets between those accounts is seamless and intuitive; they never need to think about what’s going on under the hood.

Simplified UX for exponential growth

Similarly, for BlockGames, we’ve arrived at a multi-chain solution that allows users to access rewards held on multiple chains via a single designated wallet. This simplifies onboarding for newcomers and eliminates the need to understand the tech. This means players can focus on reaping benefits and rewards and engaging with their communities through games and the network without any complications.

This multi-chain framework will play a pivotal role in what we’re doing. It reflects the essence of decentralization by accommodating multiple decentralized networks that can harmoniously coexist. Our goal is to insulate average users from the complexities associated with blockchains so they can focus on having fun.

Digital downtime

I’ve recently discovered a profound interest in heritage and history. Although history didn’t captivate me during my school years, I’ve come to appreciate its significance beyond mere facts. Understanding cultures, past societies, and the progression of events offers a new lens on the world’s intricacies. In addition, I love manual craftsmanship, things like working with glass, wood, and other physical materials. This provides a refreshing break from technology and gives me a tangible creative outlet that uses different parts of the mind.

In relation to this, I’m restoring and renovating my aged building, where I live, in small steps. This and gardening bring me an alternative sense of fulfillment and balance away from the digital realm.

Time to game

While I lack the time to fully immerse myself in games, I do dabble in a few titles including our own game, Shatterpoint, Clash Royale, League of Kingdoms, and EVE. But I can’t ever stop thinking about the engineering and mechanics behind games, a bit like a musician who hears not just the music but the production that underpins the sound quality.

BlockGames is the world’s first cross-chain, cross-game Player Network, accelerating user acquisition for games through instant referral and engagement rewards mechanisms for players.