IntoTheVerse — “Storytelling as a Catalyst: Leveraging Narratives to Drive Adoption in Web3 Games.”
Welcome to another IntoTheVerse Journal!
A metaverse that is focused on creating utility, impact and provides players with total control.
“Storytelling is the most powerful way to put ideas into the world today.” (Robert McAfee Brown)
The gaming industry is constantly evolving. Web3 is no exception, as it utilizes a player’s experience in video games to leverage decentralization through blockchain technology.
Early Web3 games focused primarily on tokenization, losing player engagement because developers failed to incorporate the trifecta of good game development; enthralling artwork, well-thought-out game mechanics, and a compelling storyline.
At IntoTheVerse, we are building our own rogue-style RPG game, and we wanted to study if the power of storytelling could act as a catalyst in Web3 gaming to drive mass player adoption.
What are Web3 games?
Web3 games refer to video games that are built on the principles of decentralization using blockchain technology. Web3 ushers in a new generation of gaming because it combines blockchain, cryptocurrencies, smart contracts, and decentralized platforms. By incorporating these technologies, blockchain can push the boundaries even further with gaming by giving players ownership of in-game assets, creating player-driven economies, and giving them a say in community governance.
What Web3 companies have been successful in integrating storytelling into their games?
Web3 is still evolving, but there have been a number of gaming studios that have successfully integrated storytelling into their game.
Axie Infinity
Axie Infinity created a rich lore and storyline that immersed players into the diverse world of Lunacia and created an emotional connection with the characters and quests.
Cryptokitties
Cryptokitties intertwined a simple narrative to align with their breeding and collecting game, creating a unique story for each cat character.
The Sandbox
The Sandbox is a user-generated content platform where players can create their own interactive storylines, quests, and gaming experiences.
There are many more Web3 companies that are striving to establish more detailed storytelling to attract larger audiences from Web2.
At IntoTheVerse, we are building Intrant Inferis, which is a rogue RPG game that aligns its detailed storyline with its incredible artwork and excellent game mechanics to bring an immersive Web2 experience to Web3.
Why is storytelling important in gaming?
Storytelling is important in video games because it enables us to connect on an emotional, intellectual, and cultural level. Storytelling has been a fundamental part of human culture since ancient times. Incorporating storytelling in games gives us the power to share knowledge, overcome boundaries, and foster greater acceptance and understanding between individuals around the world. Storytelling is important in the following ways:
It creates an emotional connection
A compelling storyline has the ability to evoke a multitude of emotions in a player that ranges from joy, excitement, and sadness to fear. Creating an emotional connection increases a player’s long-term engagement in a game and makes it much more memorable.
It motivates and gives players a sense of purpose
Captivating storytelling provides a player with a clear sense of direction and purpose and increases their motivation to complete the game.
World-building and a well-developed plot that offers rich lore, history, and context also add depth and authenticity for players, encouraging them to become more invested in the game. It also encourages them to develop a connection with the characters, by recognising their own traits in their complex character arcs and allows them to share in their struggles and triumphs.
As players journey through the world and achieve goals, they will also gain a sense of fulfillment as they overcome challenges and complete the storyline.
It creates meaningful choices
Player agency can give players the ability to make meaningful choices and decisions that will have an impact on the outcome of the game through branching storylines. This gives players a sense of ownership and encourages them to invest more time in the game and to return to replay it time and time again.
Social Experiences
Enthralling storylines can create a cult fan following and create a sense of community with players as they reminisce about their losses and achievements in the game. This can also encourage fan creations and fan art that enhance the game’s ecosystem.
In what ways can storytelling in video games drive mass adoption in Web3?
Storytelling has the potential to play a major role in driving mass adoption if Web3 gaming studios embrace its ability to transform a game. Here are some of the key ways storytelling can attract a larger audience and promote mass adoption:
Accessibility through storytelling
Storytelling can be utilized to create relatable narratives to attract the Web2 mass audience and to break down the complexity of accessing and using the decentralized nature of blockchain into easy-to-understand chunks.
Empowering players through storytelling
Storytelling has the capability to create connections and immerse players. By integrating Web3 elements into game narratives, such as decentralized economies, player ownership of in-game assets, or community-driven decision-making, players can directly experience the benefits and possibilities of Web3 technologies.
Storytelling can also highlight the advantage of owning in-game assets in Web3 and create an easy way to show a wider audience the value and transferability of digital assets and the transparency of decentralization.
Community-Driven Storytelling
Web3 is still evolving and still faces skepticism from Web2 audiences. Storytelling can be used to promote collaborative storytelling experiences, where the players as a collective get to influence parts of the game. By giving players the ability to make decisions, game studios can increase trust and faith in Web3. Game narratives that showcase key features of Web3 technology and teach users in a gamified format will encourage greater mass adoption.
In conclusion, by incorporating Web3 elements into compelling storytelling, such as player ownership, community-driven decision-making, and tokenized economies, gaming studios can use our human fascination with creative stories to educate and showcase the benefits of Web3. Through storytelling, we can inspire Web2 players to explore and participate in the Web3 ecosystem and fundamentally drive mass adoption through gamification.
Stay tuned for more tech articles from IntoTheVerse.
IntoTheVerse is building a mobile-first, composable, NFT-Utility & Impact driven gaming Metaverse.
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Aimee Gilmore is a Creative Writer at IntoTheVerse. Come say hi to her on Twitter or Discord.
