How to get players to accept the integration of NFTs
Crypto research firm Delphi Digital has outlined possible ways players could accept non-fungible tokens (NFTs) as part of the gaming experience, such as using the technology for additional aspects that don’t affect the core experience.
The lengthy report was published by Delphi Digital on Wednesday and explores how NFTs can be incorporated into games without affecting the core gaming experience or “real competitive play” that players tend to value.
The report argues that if monetization and NFT elements can be properly incorporated, players may not be so opposed to the idea:
“If untamed, money will always trend towards the dominant motivator. As such, the first port of call is to separate the market games from the core game loop itself.”
Delphi Digital outlined that one way to do this could be for a game to provide a free core experience that anyone can enjoy while spending NFTs for optional experiences such as tickets to tournaments, new character skins, side games and competition rewards.
The firm explained that this would allow those who use the game for revenue purposes to prosper, while those who are there for pleasure can play without being forced to buy NFTs, or struggle to compete with the top spenders in the gaming marketplaces.
“No one is being tricked into playing the other’s game,” the report noted.
The report also went on to argue that the more people care about the game, the more likely they are to spend money on it, suggesting that the core game experience must be meaningful enough to make hesitant players consider purchasing an in- play NFT:
“In theory, the more people care about the game, the more is spent directly on the metagame. By maximizing opinion generation and competition in the core game, we are able to maximize revenue through peripheral monetization around it.”
Game hater
The report addresses the dislike of crypto games from the traditional gaming community by noting that there is “validity to many of the criticisms” that have surfaced.
In particular, Delphi Digital highlighted that much of the hostility towards crypto seems to stem from the negative implications that monetization has had on traditional gaming, such as developers intentionally limiting functionality to push users to spend more money to get the full the experience:
“Parts of the traditional gaming industry have moved toward aggressive monetization practices that are sometimes detrimental to the player experience.”
“As such, when players see the need to buy NFTs to play with early crypto games, or major publishers announce plans to build in this sector, they assume it’s another attempt to cash in and shy away from it, ” the report added.
Related: Mojang Studios bans Minecraft NFT integrations
Delphi emphasized that this is “not to say that all forms of monetization are bad”, but crypto or not, it needs to be done in ways that don’t negatively impact the game.
Commenting on the current state of crypto gaming, the report also notes that the sector has so far seen the monetary components of gaming trend towards the “dominant motivator” for users. As a result, it argues that actual game quality has suffered while whales have been able to dominate most games for speculative purposes:
“The gameplay of these early titles has suffered on two fronts: 1) the primary incentive of the bulk of the player base is the expectation of financial reward rather than gameplay, and 2) the core of the competitive circuit has been subject to pay to win mechanics that whales can use the road to success.”
