The Dual-Audience Dilemma: Appealing to Both Traditional and Crypto Gamers
We discuss the road to bringing blockchain gaming into the forefront of the video game industry
Blockchain gaming is on the rise, there’s no dispute, and this new technology has all the fixin’s to revolutionize our dear gaming industry.
Like so many ideas or innovations before it, such as the transition to online services and Free-to-Play models, blockchain and crypto are going to be making an impact on games as we know them today — and if BitGuild has anything to say on the matter, it’ll be a change for the better.
There’s an inherent challenge to face though, because currently, blockchain games aren’t really games as your typical player would define them. Early blockchain titles such as CryptoCountries and CryptoKitties are shining examples of new ideas springing forth from the trenches in order to make an early impact, but can fall short in the eyes of someone like a seasoned console gamer.
These types of games have garnered a fair amount of popularity in enthusiast communities. However, while these new blockchain titles are doing something that hasn’t really been done before, and are quite profitable while doing so, daily active users are at relatively low number when compared to traditional gaming spaces. That’s hardly going to make much of an impact on gaming as a whole.
This isn’t because the games are bad, per se. It’s an expectations issue resulting from the fact that traditional gaming audiences and crypto gaming audiences are currently two very different groups.
Today’s mainstream gamer knows what to expect from their chosen experiences — they want good stories, tight and gratifying gameplay, and charming graphics. They generally believe games should be free, or have a fixed cost, optionally supplemented with DLC or cosmetic microtransactions. The type of games they play have roots reaching as far back as the days of coin operated arcade machines, and represent a natural progression based on the same concepts that were seen back then. This type of gamer isn’t generally accustomed to an entire genre based around the idea of gamified transactions that have real world value — it’s just too different!
Cryptogamers on the other hand, are currently represented by an audience that primarily comes from cryptocurrency enthusiasts — people fascinated with a new technology that facilitates true item ownership in online games. They play these games for a chance to win cryptocurrency prize pools, the main goal being to get higher returns than what they spent on the game in the first place. Player counts are still low, yet average amount spent per user is relatively high when comparing with more traditional formats, such as PC, Console, and Mobile platforms.
At BitGuild we believe there is room for both types of players, and our ultimate goal is to slowly bring the two together as we release innovative and fresh experiences. We aim to provide playable blockchain titles in a wide variety of flavors — hopefully offering up something appetizing for gamers from all walks of life.
Though early titles to make their debut on BitGuild, such as Ether Online and Magic Academy, are strictly in the “crypto” genre, we have several other titles in the pipes for people who are more interested in more traditional gameplay experiences.
Games such as Mythereum, a trading card game, are going to be among the first blockchain games that truly appeal to current core gamers. It’s akin to something like Hearthstone — the most striking difference being how assets are handled. In most current major digital card games, you don’t truly own your cards, and trading is restricted — all in an effort to promote more sales instead of creating a compelling ecosystem that will in itself drive sales. In Mythereum, you truly own your cards, and are free to buy, sell, or trade them as you please.
We also have ETH.Town coming soon, and while this title veers more towards the crypto side of the gaming spectrum, it incorporates a number of unique and innovative features that are aimed at melding classic gameplay systems with elements of newer crypto and trading focused titles.
As we progress, we hope to gradually merge the two groups of gamers, creating an audience and ecosystem that will pave the way for future generations of blockchain games to thrive in.
We invite you all to start playing games on www.bitguild.com right now! You should also consider joining the community on our official Discord Server, where you’ll be able to keep up with all the latest news, interact with the team, offer feedback, participate in aidrops & giveaways, and more!
BitGuild’s mission is to revolutionize the global gaming industry by creating a platform for a brand new class of games that live on the blockchain. Blockchain games completely redefine the relationship between players and developers by facilitating full and true ownership of in-game assets, cheap & safe item trading, cross-game compatibility of items & currency, and more.
