IntoTheVerse — How can we use what we have learned from traditional gaming to enhance Web3 games?

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IntoTheVerse Journal

8 min readFeb 20, 2023

Welcome to another IntoTheVerse Journal!

A metaverse that is focused on creating utility, and impact and provides players with total control.
“Video games foster the mindset that helps creativity to grow.” (Nolan Bushnell)

Photograph by Onur Binay at Unsplash

When people discuss Web3 Games, they usually link it exclusively with Blockchain, NFTs, and Cryptocurrency, but with an insurgence of new innovative Gaming Studios emerging in the Web3 space, they are casting outdated notions aside and diversifying gaming.

So as one of those Web3 Gaming Studios, all of us at IntoTheVerse wanted to investigate how we can use what we have learned from traditional gaming to enhance Web3 games.

What is traditional gaming?

Traditional gaming usually refers to video games that are played on designated gaming platforms, such as personal computers, mobile phones, or consoles, and are usually purchased in hard copy or downloadable formats.

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What is Web3 gaming? ⛓️🎮

Web3 games are decentralized, meaning that the game data is stored on the blockchain and cannot be altered or deleted by a central authority. Web3 games tend to use non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to represent game assets, such as characters, weapons, or in-game items.

IntoTheVerse Web3 Game

Web3 gaming has the capacity to allow for new types of game mechanics and monetization models, such as play-to-earn and decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), which are not possible in traditional gaming. Web3 gaming still, however, has a significantly smaller user base, less revenue, and may require more technical knowledge to participate in games.

Traditional gaming statistics have illustrated that video games are expected to reach a revenue of US$365.60bn in 2023. A report by TheGamer also indicated that an average video game player will spend approximately $58,000 on gaming, over their entire lifespan. The video game market is worth an estimated $197.11 billion and there are currently 3.09 billion active video gamers worldwide, which demonstrates the draw that traditional games still have within the market.

Revenue Growth Statistics for Traditional Games

So what can we learn from traditional gaming to enhance Web3 games?

Traditional gaming has a long history of iterating on user experience, game development, security, and monetization. Web3 games can use these tried and tested iterations to become more accessible to a wider audience and to make the leap to become more mainstream.

User Experience

User experience is imperative to the longevity and success of a game because it impacts how a player interacts with and enjoys navigating the gaming world. Positive user experiences increase player engagement, and retention, and can spread vital word-of-mouth marketing, while a negative user experience can make players switch off, and harm the game’s reputation.

So how do traditional games create a positive user experience?

1. By creating engaging storylines

A well-crafted story can immerse a player in a whole new world. It can evoke emotions such as excitement, sadness, fear, and more, and help players form an emotional connection with the characters and events in the game.

Player engagement soars when users have a strong sense of purpose and direction, so being captivated by a strong storyline can keep players focused and encourage them to replay the game multiple times, either to explore different outcomes or to see the story from a different perspective. This increases the overall value of the game and makes it more appealing to players.

2. By implementing smooth game mechanics.

Traditional gaming has acquired a wealth of proven interfaces and game mechanics that enrich player engagement, which would enhance user experience in Web3 games.

Building mechanics that reduce loading screen time or pauses between interplay and creating intuitive and responsive basic controls, that allow players to switch easily between weapons, fighting, climbing, and interacting with their environment all improve the enjoyment of the characters and world.

This contributes to the long-term success of the game, as players become invested in the gameplay and are more likely to recommend it to others and build a dedicated community. Reward and progression systems can also create more satisfying gameplay and help drive the economy of the game for further long-lasting success.

3. By ensuring there are multiplayer capabilities

Multiplayer capabilities are crucial to the success of Web3 games because they add depth and complexity to the gaming experience and help drive player engagement and retention.

Traditional gaming has shown that multiplayer games where players compete or work together, add an additional layer of thrill-seeking and excitement to a game and massively increase game engagement, leading to a more loyal and dedicated fanbase.

Photograph by Onur Binay at Unsplash

Security

Security has always been a critical component in traditional gaming and will also be of paramount importance in Web3 games. Preventing fraud and unauthorized access to player accounts, creating positive online interactions, and cultivating fair gameplay are all imperative to retaining players and creating a safe and trustworthy gaming environment.

So how do traditional games ensure greater security?

1. Anti-cheat systems

Game fairness is a crucial aspect of any game and traditional gaming has become adept at implementing measures, such as fair play policies, anti-cheat software, frequent game updates, and community reporting, to ensure that players have an equal chance of winning. Web3 games will also need to ensure the outcome of any game is not fixed or manipulated by any involved parties.

Protecting players from hacking and cheating has largely been eliminated in traditional gaming through the use of aimbots and wallhacks. Creating secure anti-cheat systems that can detect and prevent these anti-social behaviors will help many Web3 games gain the credibility and transparency Web3 is renowned for.

2. Secure communication and interaction within the gaming community

Traditional gaming has taken strident measures, such as community reporting, chat filters, player and in-game reporting tools, and moderation teams, to monitor their game environment, especially with online play, to detect and prevent malicious activity, harassment, bullying, and hate speech. The same principles need to be transferred to Web3 games, so that game integrity and trust can be maintained.

Photograph by Louie Castro Garcia at Unsplash

Monetization

Traditional gaming studios have a long-standing history of including monetization in games. They have developed quantifiable data to understand players’ behavior, with key differences emerging between players who are willing to spend money on in-game items or upgrades that enhance their experience and others who prefer to earn rewards through gameplay. Web3 games need first and foremost to understand their player base and what to offer them.

So how do traditional games monetize successfully?

1. Value for money

Traditional games have optimized the monetary value in games by offering value in exchange for money, through faster level-ups or progression in the game, or rare in-game items that enhance their enjoyment of the game. Web3 has the capacity to take this even further, by not only offering unique and valuable virtual items but by offering extraordinary virtual experiences or by buying virtual assets they can also help make a difference in real-world initiatives.

2. Fairness in monetization through microtransactions

Traditional gaming allows players to buy small in-game items, such as a weapon or an item of clothes, without distracting from the overall gameplay or giving players who purchase in-game an unfair advantage. Microtransactions can help drive a game’s revenue and the use of cryptocurrency in Web3, can add an additional layer of enjoyment, and reveal more innovative ways to engage with the game, whilst maintaining fair gameplay, for all Web3 game players.

IntoTheVerse Metaverse

Game Development

Traditional gaming has amalgamated a treasure trove of resources, tools, and data game developers can utilize, such as game engines, programming languages, and asset libraries and frameworks, which will contribute to the longevity and success of Web3 games, because it will speed up the development process and reduce the cost of creating Web3 games.

So how do traditional games push boundaries with game development?

1. Game Engines

Popular game engines such as Unity, Unreal Engine, and CryEngine are redefining Web3 games, and enabling innovators to push the boundaries in game development by using an array of graphics, physics simulation, and animation tools.

2. Game Design and Development Libraries and Tools

Tools such as Photoshop, Blender, Maya, Visual Studio, and Xcode can also be used for Web3 game programming and development.

3. Game Analytics tools and Monetization Platforms

Tools, such as Google Analytics, Mixpanel, and Flurry can be used to track player behavior and metrics in web3 games, and Google AdSense, Unity Ads, and AdMob can be used to monetize web3 games and generate revenue.

Photograph by Kelly Sikkema at Unsplash

Traditional gaming has been around for decades and its evolution has created a gaming market inundated, with rich, immersive gameplay, incredibly diverse storylines, and beautiful bespoke art. In Web3, early games have been heavily criticized for clunky mechanics, little or no story development, and focusing solely on P2P or P2E strategies.

By taking inspiration and incorporating elements from traditional gaming, Web3 games can provide players with a more familiar and accessible gaming experience while still taking advantage of the unique features of the web3 ecosystem.

IntoTheVerse is an NFT-Utility & Impact driven Game-fi Metaverse.
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