What Players should expect in the era of metaverse gaming

Gaming is universal, and gameplay has no age restrictions. For several years, the gaming industry has consistently served players with high-octane gameplay. These games create immersions that can be likened to what the metaverse offers. Today, the gaming industry is commonly referred to as the closest we have come to knowing what the metaverse experience will look like.

Since the metaverse is a part of the rapidly evolving era of web3, it is important that we understand how gaming will take shape in the metaverse and how the tenets of web3 will shape the realities of players around the world. In this article, I discuss some of the ways that metaverse gaming will be different from web2 gaming and how this will impact the realities of players.

Asset Ownership and the Decentralised Economy

This is perhaps a concept that is no longer new. The success of blockchain games such as Axie infinity and splinterland has already ushered in a new era of gameplay. The introduction of blockchain technology to gaming in the metaverse has transformed the gaming landscape by introducing the "play-to-earn" economy.

Play-to-earn allows players to become owners—a concept that is not possible in web2. With play-to-earn, players can claim ownership of digital assets, play games with these assets, or sell assets on dedicated NFT marketplaces. Essentially, gaming is shifting from a centralised system into a fully decentralised gaming ecosystem.

It goes a little further. Digital assets, or NFTs, will no longer be restricted to one single gaming ecosystem. Blockchain technology will serve as the bedrock for an immutable, decentralised storage network, that will create an easy cross-chain asset transfer system for digital assets. Essentially, players will be able to move assets across compatible gaming ecosystems.

Emergence of the decentralised creator economy

Gameplayers will not be mere owners of digital assets in the metaverse. They will also be the creators. However, there are two sides to this. First, players will double as creators of digital assets such as skins and tools. This could be done through the combination of existing NFT resources to forge new ones. It could also be done through custom-tool features that some gameplay will readily permit. The earliest version of this possibility was the recent introduction of custom NFTs to GTA 5 servers (this has since been revoked by Rock Star Games).

Another way that the metaverse will aid asset decentralisation for gamers is through immersive collaborations. In the spirit of the community, it is possible that game developers will start to work with notable gamers (especially popular streamers on Twitch, among others) to launch NFT collections that can be introduced into gaming ecosystems.

It is also possible that developers will directly seek collaboration from their communities. Thus, players will make contributions and collectively shape the direction of gameplay.

Immersive Gameplay

We have already seen a glimpse of how immersion will be when the metaverse is fully developed. Web2 games on mobile, consoles, and desktops have improved over the years to the point that players are almost transmitted into gameplay.

In the metaverse, this immersion will go a step further. Players will have a truly immersive experience that makes them a part of the gaming ecosystem. Essentially, the metaverse will serve as the virtual pot where the physical and virtual worlds collide. Human elements such as feelings will be transmitted into gameplay through technologies like virtual reality headsets and augmented reality.

At the moment, VR technologies are considered expensive for the average gamer. This is expected to change over time as new iterations are built by technology companies. Two of the foremost VR headsets at the moment are Meta’s Meta Quest Pro, and Sony’s PlayStation VR.

To an Immersive Future

Gaming has the potential to lead the commercial adoption of the metaverse. It is not about whether it will happen. It is about when this immersive world will become a reality. Eventually, when it does, the global gaming landscape will be transformed, and the era of a fully decentralised and immersive metaverse experience will be upon us all.

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