Sakaba game report:Play to Mint Part-3
After the Play to Earn bubble, a new concept was raised-3-
After the Play to Earn bubble, a new concept emerges. In this second part, we’ll continue with the examples of Play to Mint. We’ve selected game projects that resonate with the Play to Mint ideology.
Later, we’ll address the concerns and considerations surrounding Play to Mint. While it’s a fascinating concept, shouting “Play to Mint” won’t automatically solve all the challenges in Web3 gaming.
Many of the concerns aren’t easily addressed, but it’s crucial to lay them out for future reference.
We’ll proceed as follows:
1. Examples of Play to Mint
2. Concerns and considerations about Play to Mint
3.conclusion
Stay with us till the end!
From now on, Play to Mint will be referred to as “P2M” in some parts.
1. Examples of Play to Mint
Let’s dive into the games and their approach to P2M.
🎮 Night Crows
Game Overview
A new MMORPG by South Korea’s major game company, WeMade. It’s free to play and compatible with both PC and mobile. It boasts realistic graphics and action, courtesy of Unreal Engine 5. Choose from four classes and two jobs, experience the glider system, and large-scale PvP battles. Its world combines fantasy with medieval European history. It’s already released in Korea, topping the charts on the App Store and Google Play. A global version with Web3 features is set to launch this year.
P2M Perspective
The game’s economy is built around the idea of generating blockchain assets as a result of user contributions. While details on the NFTs are sparse, the ecosystem is described as “Play and Own NFT.” Players will be able to mint in-game characters.
Regarding tokens, the ecosystem reflects the P2M philosophy. Seven tokens are planned, primarily minted based on in-game performance. $Crow serves as the foundational token, mintable using the in-game Diamond currency. It can also be burnt in exchange for Diamonds. The other six tokens are minted from in-game resources. For instance, $Feather from Celestial Piece and $Papyrus from Papyrus. These can be burnt to retrieve the original materials.
A specific amount of $Crow will be supplied initially for in-game transactions.
🎮 The Machines Arena
Game Overview
A fast-paced top-down hero shooter, resembling a bird’s-eye view of Overwatch. It’s free to play and currently in closed beta.
The game modes are PvP and PvE. PvP is a 4v4 team battle with three modes: PUSHBACK, DETONATION, and SKIRMISH. PvE features a Death Run mode, a single-player test of skill against waves of enemies, climaxing with a boss battle.
P2M Perspective
The team’s goal in using the blockchain is to “allow players to control the rewards and achievements they earn, as well as sell and store their digital collections.” The team states that This digital collection is NFT and appears to include character skins and other items. There are currently no plans to use FTs.
Digital collections can be earned through gameplay. There are opportunities to earn them through daily play, participation in tournaments and events, and season rewards.
In addition to free basic play, players can also play without touching Web3 at all. Based on the status of the Closed Beta Season 1, we expect that it will be in the form of an option to use a wallet or implement Mint when you want to store your earned digital collections on the chain or trade them P2P.
2. Examination of Concerns and Considerations for Play to Mint
In this section, we will sequentially organize several concerns and the matters that I believe should be considered in relation to them.
Q. Doubts about True Ownership by Users through NFTs
Concerns:
Even before the trend of Play to Earn, there have been many attempts to own game items through NFTs, and the questions posed in that context still persist. For instance, the aspect of a game through which users become emotionally attached to items or characters — basically, the part they want to feel they own — often relies on MetaData referencing a centralized server. This might include design image files.
Therefore, changes by the operators are easily possible, and there’s also a possibility that they could disappear if the operators cease their activities. Furthermore, if a game ends its service, regardless of whether an asset is held as an NFT, there is an equal chance that the digital asset will become unusable in the game.
Under these circumstances, can it be said that the user truly possesses the asset? Do users truly feel a deep sense of ownership? These are the questions that are often raised.
Considerations:
The following points should be taken into account:
Other potentials of NFTs beyond ownership, like interoperability, open and transparent P2P transactions, etc.
Expectations for the use of decentralized storage and full-on-chain NFTs and related technological developments.
Logical or sensory understanding by users about owning parts that don’t reference external sources, like a Unique Token Contract Address, and the potential it offers.
Q. Game Environment Adjustments and the Value of NFTs
Concerns:
Adjusting the game environment is fundamentally unavoidable for the long-term continuity of the game. With the utilization of NFTs, users might assert ownership rights over items, and as these items get priced, adjustments (especially nerfs) could become sensitive issues.
Considerations:
To make the game perpetual, better communication between operators and users concerning environmental adjustments is needed.
Make items less influenced by adjustments or value for NFTing, like purely aesthetic skins.
While even a skin might be affected emotionally or in value if the character or weapon it’s applied to gets nerfed, it’s tricky.
The value of NFTs, which have been cultivated by users, can go up and down due to easy developer management, and the situation where users play games while feeling that possibility somewhere in their hearts is not good for the economy that P2M is aiming for.
Q. Inflation Measures for NFTs
Concerns:
Even if NFTs are only acquired through play and even if fungible tokens (FTs) aren’t used, if the NFT ecosystem isn’t well-thought-out, the economy can collapse.
Considerations:
Limit supply, set a predetermined cap, or change the items dropped per season.
Introduce burn elements, where items vanish upon in-game death, mission failures, or they wear out and eventually break.
Q. The Need for Games to be Intriguing Enough to Make Players Want to Own
Concerns:
This might seem obvious, but it’s still worth mentioning that for P2M to work effectively, the game has to be fun or interesting enough for players to want to own something from it.
Considerations:
Keep exploring and developing.
Focus on and support those who are taking on new challenges.
3.Conclusion
I’ve examined the game project from the perspective of Play to Mint over three parts. How was it? The power balance and the leading role of digital asset sales, distribution, and ownership are shifting from the operator’s side to the user’s side. The author believes that there’s more to the new entertainment and economic possibilities of Web3 games than just Play to Earn.
Thank you very much for sticking with us until the end!
Reference URLs
📝Night Crow
Night Crows: Completing the Blockchain Economy / WEMIX
https://www.wemix.com/communication/79cb0a39-4400-4a9f-a16c-0df6dc792b57
1Q FY2023 Earnings Release / WEMADE
📝The Machines Arena
The Machines Arena Website / The Machines Arena
https://www.themachinesarena.com/
The Machines Arena’ Adds In-Game Rewards That Can Be Minted as NFTs (Eventually) / Decrypt
https://decrypt.co/148008/machines-arena-adds-in-game-rewards-minted-nfts-eventually
