The next big thing in NFTs?

Many have theorized that the convergence of NFTs and gaming would lead to an unparalleled robust sector of blockchain interoperability. Yet, while a wide range of Web3 gaming efforts exist and have achieved varying degrees of success, none so far seem to have risen high enough to achieve the ultimate goal of NFT managers: mainstream adoption.

But is mainstream adoption really what the blockchain gaming sector should be aiming for? Sure, taking NFTs from niche to mainstream is an admirable goal that, more often than not, seems to be universally accepted through Web3. But who are the true beneficiaries of this achievement? Aren’t games designed to provide entertainment and fun to their consumers?

Some seem to think so, as has become evident with a recent boost in NFT minigames. A far less complex sibling to traditional gaming ventures, minigames are designed for brevity and serve to dispense joy through simplicity. And while Yuga Labs’ hugely popular Dookey Dash may be the frontrunner in this burgeoning sector, it’s far from the only player aiming to make minigames stick.

What is a minigame?

Whether you’re a gaming hobbyist or a bona fide RPG enthusiast, you’ve probably come across a few minigames throughout your gaming adventures. Characterized by their short runtimes and simple mechanics, minigames are often contained within another video game or offered as a stand-alone game, similar to old game cabinets you might encounter in an arcade.

It is important to note that NFT minigames (or arcade games as they are also often called) do not always adhere to strict parameters. While minigames have anecdotally existed as a subsection of a larger game (which in-game puzzle users must complete in Final Fantasy), NFT minigames are presented as one-off games, either hosted on the blockchain or powered through NFTs.

Who makes NFT minigames?

Aside from Dookey Dash – an endless runner that, after launching in mid-January, garnered significant market share as the new hot-button item from Bored Ape Yacht Club – there are a few other notable NFT minigame efforts that have risen to prominence. One such project is Levels.art.

Levels.art

Another attempt from Jordan Lyall’s Web3 innovation studio Venture Punk and Animeta’s founder cyberh49, Levels.art is an on-chain interactive art platform where top artists release exclusive collections of playable NFTs. For the platform’s first release on February 16th, Levels partnered with prominent Web3 creators Bryan Brinkman on Cloud Poppers, a mini-game made in his colorful, sky-themed style.

Cloud Poppers features 100 editions of an art-focused, uniquely crafted pixel-art game released via Dutch auction. While the Brinkman minigame collection is a feat of innovation on the chain, it’s far more in line with the aforementioned ethos of providing entertainment as a premium tool rather than turning NFT tourists into purists. As Lyall says, Levels is essentially about fun.

“I always just try to have fun with what I do. Like, if it’s not fun, why even do it?” Lyall said in an interview with nft now. An experienced builder in the DeFi space, Lyall changed direction when NFTs started to appear, finding that memes and creativity were a perfect way to create innovation and fun.

With Venture Punk, he says he aims to take chances with his projects, with Levels being one of the first to come out of the studio. “The vision is a decentralized arcade. I hesitate to use this example because I don’t want to sound competitive, but [Levels] is meant to be like Art Blocks and Chuck E. Cheese had a baby, he said.

While Levels is undoubtedly top of mind for fans of fine artists like Brinkman and those watching the slow rise of minigames in the NFT space, it is growing in a niche sector that has been carved out in recent years by similar endeavors. Because before Levels existed, ArcadeNFT and Pl4y.art were two of the sole owners of simplified NFT gaming experiences.

ArcadeNFT

ArcadeNFT, released on August 13, 2021, combines the allure of retro arcade games with NFT trading. A collection of interactive NFTs, ArcadeNFT centers around new token mechanics and user experience. Each of the project’s playable arcade games have the look and feel of retro gaming cabinets while existing as code on the Ethereum blockchain. In the beginning, the project started with the single release of a single playable pinball NFT, but it has since grown to a larger selection of over 12,000 NFTs and contains seven unique games.

Pl4y.art

Pl4y.art was launched on April 17, 2021 via the now defunct NFT marketplace Hic et Nunc. Created by an enigmatic artist and developer who goes by the name playseries consists of dozens of NFTs that straddle the line between interactive art and mini-game experience.

While lek themselves may lean towards identifying their releases as interactive NFTs (perhaps similar to other compilations such as TheDudes), it makes sense to label many of their Pl4y attempts as true minigames, as their full-fledged NFT games are unknown .exe goes a step beyond ArcadeNFT and levels. Pl4y, which exists on the Tezos blockchain along a series of influential generative pieces created by the anonymous creator, is apparently the most unique and robust player in the still growing NFT mini-game sector.

What’s next for NFT minigames?

Of course, other NFT minigame projects populate the blockchain in addition to those listed here. More mini-gaming attempts will inevitably emerge as the NFT space continues to mature, each bringing a little more profit to the slow-growing market sector and gaining an increasing degree of exposure via the game maps of prominent NFT marketplaces such as OpenSea. But to reiterate, while AAA NFT games may still take the cake in Web3 gaming, hoping to cross the blockchain/mainstream barrier, projects in the minigame and arcade spheres seem to have set different priorities.

As noted by Lyall, while the holy grail of NFT gaming is often communicated as interoperability – ie being able to buy assets in one game and still use them in a variety of other games – this reality is a long way off. fruiting. “There’s a lot we have to do beforehand, and maybe even things that would be more convincing than [AAA interoperability]”, Lyall said. “Imagine if you could own a level of your favorite game, or if you could own a screen.”

For Lyall and Levels, this theoretical and detail-oriented iteration, which some might consider a lower level of development for a AAA game, deserves more attention and is what minigames thrive on. “With constant experimentation and evolution, I think we’re going to create some things that are only possible with blockchain technology and nothing any of us could have dreamed of,” he said. “At the end of the day, we just want to have fun and show what’s possible with this technology.”