The world of gaming is always changing, bringing new technologies that transform the way we play. From multiplayer games online to virtual reality, every innovation has changed the way we play. Now, one of the largest revolutions is happening with blockchain technology.
Blockchain, long most famously aligned with cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, is now having its moment within the video game sector. Blockchain makes it so that players do actually own in-game assets, can win actual money playing the games, and have more safe and secure game experiences. No longer do the games reside directly in developers' control, because blockchain empowers the gamers.
This article discusses how blockchain is revolutionizing the gaming sector and what the future of the gaming sector looks like.
Players Can Actually Own Their In-Game Assets
In regular video games, players purchase or obtain in-game assets such as skins, weapons, or characters. However, they are still owned by the game developers. When the game closes down or a player is banned from the account, it's all gone.
Blockchain alters this by allowing one to own in-game assets in the real-world using NFTs (non-fungible tokens). NFTs are tokens owned by the player and not the gaming firm. The player can exchange, sell, or even utilize them in another game.
For instance, such games as Axie Infinity, Decentraland, and The Sandbox allow the buying and selling of virtual assets, characters, or collectibles. Since these are blockchain-based, they can never be withdrawn, even when the company producing the game is closed down.
Play-to-Earn: Gaming as a Source of Income
Gaming in the past has been an activity people participate in for fun, and they pay for it. Blockchain, however, has introduced a new paradigm called play-to-earn (P2E) whereby gamers earn money while gaming.
In play-to-earn games such as Axie Infinity, the players get digital tokens which they can trade for real cash. This is a huge chance, particularly in nations where individuals desire other methods of earning money. Play-to-earn is turning gaming into a means of living.
Improved Security and Transparency
Cheating, copying objects, and hacking have never been managed easily in online games. Blockchain provides the answer to all these by providing a secure and open method for performing game transactions.
As all transactions are committed irrevocably on the blockchain, the gameplay will definitely be fair. Smart contracts, or enforcement-contracting for that matter, ensure the trade and purchases to occur rightfully without being able to forge anything.
Second, blockchain games also don't depend on a weak central server that can be hacked into. They depend on decentralized networks, and thus they are much more difficult to cheat.
Cross-Game Item Usage
Usually, in-game items are locked in a single game. If a player obtains a special sword in a game, they cannot use it in another. But with blockchain, assets can be moved between different games that have the same blockchain network.
For instance, a player can apply a digital skin from a game to a different blockchain in another game without limitations. This is referred to as interoperability, and it is unifying the world of gaming like never before.
Community-Controlled Gaming
All the old games are managed by the developers and large gaming corporations. They control everything—game updates, pricing, and even shutting down the games. But blockchain brings in decentralized gaming where the players can become part of the decision-making process.
Via Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs), players vote on game policy, updates, and rules. This provides more power in the hands of the gaming community, resulting in a player-dominated experience. Such games as Illuvium and Star Atlas are already using DAOs in an effort to enable players to influence their future.
Challenges and the Future of Blockchain Gaming
Although blockchain gaming is so promising, it is still beset with challenges. Some of the games utilize high transaction fees, which will be expensive to play. Others are slow because some of the blockchain networks take time.
The developers, however, are seeking an escape in the form of better blockchain networks and cheaper methods of transactions. Now that major game firms are exploring blockchain, it would be expected that the obstacles would be surmounted, thereby making blockchain gaming mainstream.
Conclusion
Blockchain is transforming gaming by providing gamers with actual ownership of their assets, new sources of income, and a secure gaming environment. It eliminates the risk of losing game assets, brings play-to-earn possibilities, and provides games with transparency and fairness.
Though some issues remain, blockchain gaming is developing extremely quickly and can be the norm of the industry within a short period. With an increasing number of games using blockchain, the gaming future will become more player-oriented, rewarding, and decentralized. Whether you're a serious gamer or simply one, blockchain is creating new horizons that will revolutionize gaming.
