What Is Web 3 Gaming? — Why Gamers Should Care

Web3 is relatively new, and Web3 is the future. As Web3 investments continue to grow, the quality and innovation of the applications will also continue to grow. One sector that has been highly affected is the gaming sector. When you think about Web3, you may think more of the cryptocurrency market, decentralized finance, and NFT’s. But what is Web3 gaming?

Web3 gaming is decentralized gaming. This may not seem like much, but many things are affected by this decentralization. Built by integrating blockchain technology into the gaming ecosystem, Web3 games enable their users to have REAL ownership over in-game assets. Real-world utility and value is something that traditional Web2 gaming lacks. It appears that Web3 gaming is ready to take over, but there are still some obstacles.

Web3 Gaming Concerns

Despite the many benefits that Web3 gaming carries, there is still a lot of skepticism. Web3 is built on blockchain, and blockchain is changing everything. Some people accept change, and others reject change. This is why many Web3 gaming concerns are the same points that lead others to support Web3 gaming. These concerns are real however, and the only way to solve these concerns is through increased Web3, organizational transparency, and time.

1. Crypto Adoption Within The Gaming Community — While Web3 gaming actually puts more power into the hands of the gamers, many gamers haven’t been sold on the idea. All gamers enjoy entertainment, but not all gamers like cryptocurrency. This, and the fact that traditional AAA Web2 video games have immense production budgets have caused slow adoption of Web3 video games. The gaming community that stays away from crypto has no real incentive to leave traditional gaming, yet. Crypto adoption is slowly increasing, and transparency has become a requirement rather than a bonus. With ever-increasing investment into Web3, gameplay and entertainment quality will increase as well. Like any other industry, a shift away from the norm takes time.
2. Partial Decentralization — One of the benefits of the blockchain is the ability for decentralization. As data is spread across multiple network nodes in different geographical locations, it is protected from attack. This results in transparency and immutability for all financial transactions. Unfortunately, this is what could be. Many blockchains today are still unable to provide this level of security, with some nodes still being hosted on a single server. While this is a limitation, it does not stop any of the other benefits from being taken advantage of. In the gaming industry, decentralization still enables players to earn and trade in-game assets while playing in a provably fair environment.
3. Blockchain Novelty & Project Speculation — Despite being in development for over 10 years, blockchain technology is still relatively new. The majority of people in the world still do not know what blockchain technology is or how it works. As it stands, there is a lot of room to grow and a lot of space for innovation. Due to these things, some people see blockchain technology as immature and therefore, something to be cautious of. This caution, in conjunction with early Web3 scams and rug pulls, makes some Web3 video games seem too good to be true. As time moves forward, however, there are more and more ways to check whether a Web3 project is real or fake.
4. These things are seen as negatives to some people, and positive to others. While many people think that it is too early to get into Web3, particularly Web3 gaming, others think that it is better to be early than late. Some people think the best time is right now. Everything is changing, and it is changing quickly. Sooner or later, we will see more adoption to Web3 as a whole. When this happens, Web3 gaming will be in a prime position to make huge steps.

Web3 Gaming — Built For The User

Due to Web3 technology, the traditional Web2 gaming models are being challenged. The fundamental features of Web3 gaming are designed for gamers.

Community & Engagement — One of the major differences between Web3 gaming and Web2 gaming is the community. Community within Web2 gaming is relatively limited, with its build and monetization beginning only at game launch. For Web3 game developments, however, the engagement frame is much larger. The community begins outside of the game itself, as NFTs, UGC, and governance tokens can be offered before game launch to drive interest and engagement. Once the game launches, immersion is increased as users can be engaged in the community even when they are not actively playing the game. For some games, that can be engagement in an outside marketplace. Other games let users contribute to their community through user-generated content and gameplay programming. Overall, Web3 games make the user experience better by increasing connection and interaction within the community.

Asset Ownership & User Revenue — The ability to fully own in-game assets and collectibles is a huge change from traditional games. If you spend money on the game, you actually own the assets you purchase. Not only that, but your in-game assets can actually increase in fiat value. In-game assets are not the only forms of user revenue, however. Some games enable users to program and monetize game skins and cosmetics. Some games even have the opportunity for users to create and monetize gameplay modifications. Of course, game cosmetic creation and modifications have been done in the past, but the breakthrough is ownership. Instead of being monetized by the game, users can now monetize the game.

Interoperability — Interoperability is essential to providing user mobility AND blockchain-level security. It brings different protocols and applications across different blockchain platforms together, creating a deeper connection between users. In the world of gaming, interoperability means that users can carry their in-game assets from one platform to another. Now, users do not have to lose their assets when they change platforms. Interoperability is becoming a standard in the world of Web3 gaming, rather than a benefit. The future will only see further connectivity.

It is evident that Web3 gaming is going to take over soon. And we should be thankful. We get to see the entertainment and enjoyment from the Web2 gaming era, but we will have more control and more benefits as the user. For example, WAGMI Games is taking the PvP Tower Defense gaming model and making it better for us, the gamers. The future is being made for the gamers, and it’s not a matter of if, but when mass adoption takes place.