What is an NFT?

I feel like we should start slow. NFTs or “Non-Fungible Tokens” are a unique, verifiable certificate given to digital assets so you can prove ownership of said digital asset. Millions of dollars of NFT sales have happened in recent months and now game developers are looking to incorporate them into their platforms but is this a good thing? How are gamers like you and I able to make money from this? 

Well, let’s find out.

New Tech

Times are tough in the art world. Fakes are everywhere and experts are often needed to dispel forgeries. It’s no wonder that the occasional fake will still sell at Sotheby’s for millions. With Blockchain technology though, this is a thing of the past.

Today, digital assets can be verified as being legitimate as well as attributing them to the correct and legal owner. While it can be downloaded, copied, and shared by almost anyone with an internet connection there’s only one buyer who can prove that they are the rightful owner. Essentially, it’s a letter of authenticity that this piece of art belongs to you.

This is important because it gives what you hold an actual value. If people are replicating it, putting it on shirts, clips, music videos, etc. you suddenly have an original valuable asset that can be bought and sold.

How Gamers & Devs Make Money With NFTs

Usually to play a game you’ve got to go down the traditional route of buying it first. With NFT-based games however they’re usually free to download, but you’ve got to buy NFTs to join the action. These can be in the form of armor, heroes, creatures, or weapons.

The standard grinding usually follows but instead of just gaining XP and achievements you will also gain some cryptocurrency, the type will depend on what the game developer chooses to use. You can then use that currency to buy more in-game gear or even turn them into real money and withdraw it as cash.

Most of the games have a sort of marketplace too, where you can buy and sell your NFTs to other gamers, ending the need for grinding, though some could argue it’s another method of “pay to win” – with devs usually taking a cut of each purchase.

When the game becomes more popular, the marketplace grows and with it so does the potential for making money. Gamers can choose to grind their way up the ladder and convert their earnings straight to cash, while others might play the market with supply and demand and make their profit that way. Others might just play the game because they simply enjoy it and the ecosystem it provides.

These NFT games benefit everyone, the developers take cuts for their hard work, gamers make money for their time and effort, and whales can get their fun gaming the market.

Potential Pitfalls

As with all methods of making money, especially with cryptocurrencies – there is a risk.

The cryptos that developers use for their games are notoriously volatile, as most cryptos are. Everyone knows about the rise of Bitcoin, Doge, and others in recent years, but not all cryptos go up, most go down.

You’ll want to have caution when partaking in these NFT games. Some players mitigate risk by withdrawing any earned currency to real cash as soon as possible, rather than leaving it as crypto and vulnerable to wild market fluctuations.

You also want to be sure that the developers are trustworthy, the last thing you want is the developer to suddenly close and you’re left holding a bag of NFTs with no means to sell them.

When Gaming Becomes Work

There’s also the professional angle, if you’re gaming as your sole way of income, then are you still gaming or are you now working? 

Be under no illusion, NFT games are populated by players who 99% of the time are making money from it. These increased stakes come with much more pressure and responsibility, it could be an investment, it could be your rent for the month.

In any case, for those who are exceedingly talented at them, or have a passion for it, then NFT games could be for you. There’s a huge market out there for gamers and devs to seize with both hands. 

Are you going to get involved with NFT games? If so, what’s your favorite? If not, why not?

We want to know!

A lot of game developers these days offer different payment options to their consumers, one of the most common and often controversial is the fabled pre-order. Some benefits and disadvantages come with this option but if you’re really excited for a game’s release, should you go ahead and pre-order it? Let’s break down the arguments for ‘yes’ and ‘no’.

The Pros

No Queuing Outside The Store

Platforms like the Playstation, Xbox, and even most Steam games often allow you to pre-download your games when you pre-order them. This means you avoid release day queues and if you have a slow internet connection, even if it’s a large download, you can do it days in advance. Therefore, you can jump straight into the action and play immediately as soon as it hits midnight on release day, giving you an edge over your opponents.

Discounts

Sometimes when a pre-order becomes available, developers will try to entice you by offering a discounted price. If the game in question is one that you’ve had your eye on for a while and you feel confident that you will be buying the game anyway, then this is a great opportunity to snag your game at a reduced price. 

You could of course wait for the game’s price to drop naturally but this means waiting for a sale or some months after release. Why bother to wait when you can get it early AND get it cheaper than regular retail price?!

Pre-order Bonuses

Now these are what usually can sway a player. Whether it’s exclusive weapons, cosmetics, or even a giant IRL figurine on offer, collectors and fans alike will flock to these as they’re something tangible, somewhat rare, and will set them apart from the regular consumers.

You can get things that you can put on your shelf or just show off an exclusive cosmetic to your mates in-game, that you know they’ll never be able to get. This is something consumers will get excited about.

The Cons

Bugs, bugs, and more bugs

In efforts to compete in an increasingly competitive market, games are releasing early, with more and more unresolved issues, in order to meet deadlines and not have to announce any delays. This means that the consumer gets an unfinished product, sometimes with a plethora of bugs, that often times can be left unfixed for many months. 

The problem with this is that modern platforms give devs the ability to roll out patches on the regular and with the very hardcore fan bases that will stick by them, there’s little incentive to release a fully finished but delayed product.

If you can wait a few weeks to see how the reviews are, then do so, that way you aren’t ruining your experience by rushing into an unfinished game.

Falling For The Hype

This is one of the most common issues people have with pre-ordering games. Each year consumers fall for it all the same. Before a game’s release, the only footage you will have seen of it is either developer-generated cut scenes, run on max graphics with the most powerful equipment (RIP Console users), or “gameplay” trailers with very little actual gameplay shown.

This leads many gamers to be disappointed when the game finally releases and the product you receive just doesn’t match up to what you were promised. Some things are cut, areas are removed, and the game just doesn’t look or play the same. 

A good way to avoid this is by looking into the developer and seeing if they have a history of “downgrading” their games from their trailers, if they do, then be sure to steer clear or wait for reviews to come in.

Things On Their End Are Just Too Busy

We’ve all experienced it, it’s launch day and you’ve started up your game, you’re are ready to dive straight in, only to find the servers are down. This can happen when the day one player base exceeds what the developers had expected and there just aren’t enough resources to cope.

You might have a terrible ping, awful lag, or just not be able to find any matches at all. Of course, these problems are usually resolved within the first few days or weeks but for those who have pre-ordered for the benefit of jumping straight in? It’s a hard pill to swallow.

In conclusion, we’ve laid out the facts but it’s entirely up to you whether you pre-order or not. For you, it might be a one-issue purchase such as being a collector and wanting that specific model or figurine, for others, there may be no information or benefit that will make them pre-order anything. Just make sure you consider everything before you click ‘purchase’.

It’s all on you now, do you pre-order or not? Let us know!

We’re all familiar with money in video games. The concept goes as far back as breaking golden (?) bricks to attain those gold coins before sliding down a green pipe, all while avoiding those Koopa Troopas and Goombas. Since then, it’s gone from that blue little hedgehog chasing rings to farming gold in MMOs and now spending your real, hard-earned cash on cosmetics and pay-to-win games.

Now, crypto has made its way into gaming. Steam began accepting crypto payments in 2016, in the form of Bitcoin but unfortunately this was stopped the next year due to the fact Bitcoin is well, Bitcoin and the price was far too volatile for them to encourage it.

Twitch was the next big name in the space to make a move towards crypto. In 2018 they began to allow streamers to accept tips in various coins like Bitcoin and Ethereum. By 2019, some streamers had tens of thousands of dollars worth of those coins – which would be worth a fortune today – though for a short period Twitch caved in the same way Steam did, stopping crypto donations for a while, before finally coming back around to allowing them again.

With such big players giving crypto a shot, albeit a short-lived one for one of them, perhaps there’s a serious case for integrating more and more crypto and blockchain aspects into video games overall.

Microtransactions

The year is 2021, you’ve spent 25% of your wage packet on packs trying to get that newly released player to make your team the very best it can be, microtransactions are in full swing.

Some developers have made microtransactions part of their “culture” while others try to steer clear of them completely. In any case, microtransactions have become part of the gaming ecosystem and are here to stay.

When certain free-to-play games came onto our screens, microtransactions became the only way for them to make money and now, everyone can think of a battle royale game that sells upgrades, cosmetics, and other expansions that require real money. If you’re a consumer buying in-game currency through traditional methods like credit cards and gift cards then you’re halfway to integrating crypto into the process.

There are different benefits to using crypto, one is if you’re particularly privacy-conscious, not having to link a credit card to your account can give you peace of mind. Another is that you can get better deals if you play the market right.

Blockchain & Video games?

The easiest and likely most common way to integrate crypto into gaming is with microtransactions. Not only is it a benefit to the crypto’s themselves, with an increase in volume, but games can take a % of the transaction while still offering convenience and discounts to gamers.

What developers can also do is create their own cryptos, eliminating the need for third-party transaction fees and become wholly independent, retaining a larger portion of the pie. Indie developers, as an example, could utilize this option to improve their bottom lines.

It also means that developers needn’t worry about locale-specific pricing. With currencies these days being unpredictable and large economic decisions causing fluctuations in the FOREX markets, developers can lose out on revenue with set prices in dollars, pounds, euros, etc.

Crypto rids developers of this problem. Having payments in one universal currency, no matter the location, means that everything is far more streamlined, not only benefiting the developer but the consumer too.

What’s more, using blockchain technology gives game developers a fully secure ledger that is open to the public for added transparency. This stops any accidental erasure, bad servers, or other tech problems. Blockchain and crypto is a woefully under-appreciated tool that could, and should, transform the gaming world.

On the right track

Progress is being made slowly, but there’s still a lot of bumps in the road that need to be flattened out. 

An example of something that gamers might not appreciate is the fact that crypto transactions aren’t exactly the swiftest of things. Now, this is by design, crypto transactions are logged and actioned but it means that it’s also probably not going to change in the foreseeable future. 

Gamers aren’t the most patient bunch and waiting for ten, twenty, or even 60 minutes to get the goods they just purchased isn’t going to please any of them but it might be something they can live with in the short-term.

The progress and potential remains exciting though, it’s almost entirely untapped and once it starts to gain traction it’s hard to see it ever stopping.

Exciting times ahead!

Gaming these days is like being a kid in a candy store. There are thousands of games to choose from, on tons of different platforms, with brand new titles and long-term franchises alike. 

So how do you choose what to play next? The blockbuster AAA titles will always dominate the space, especially with the budgets and built-in fan bases that prop them up, but why should you consider trying an indie game instead of those tried and tested games we’ve come to know and love. 

Well, let’s look into it.

The Benefits of a Smaller Studio

Independent studios have a certain charm about them. They often have talent in abundance and much more opportunity for that talent to push boundaries, grow, and flourish compared to a larger studio. When you combine the fact that smaller studios can take more risks and stray further from the “norm”, with the exciting talent that they have, you get a perfect recipe for something special to be produced.

With these smaller studios, you can also get some truly amazing and unique designs. Indie studio fans will understand that there’s nothing quite like the stories you will encounter, or the innovative game mechanics, or even the very meaningful journeys your character will go on.

Small studios are packed with passion too. You aren’t going to encounter unfinished games fraught with bugs with an indie game, and if there are any minor bugs then the devs communicate far more frequently, with more transparency than you will ever get with a AAA studio.

There’s another unappreciated benefit of indie games, that there’s always something for everyone. Unlike the major studios, which very rarely deviate from the typical games they produce year after year, indie studios are a growing, global phenomenon that have such variety there will always be a game available that’s exactly what you’re looking for.

Are you into fishing? Truck driving? Growing a garden? Maybe even being a top surgeon? With indie games, you’ll find it.

Producing some of the most complex systems out there and providing gamers with incredible experiences from limited resources, indie studios are something that people have come to adore and, in many cases, even prefer over their bigger competitors.

If you’re looking for original music scores that connect you with the surroundings and instantly transport you to a new world, stunning artwork that becomes iconic and ingrained in your head, and a one of a kind story. Make sure to include indie games from independent studios in your search for your next gaming experience. They are a great choice for new gamers and with 2021 lacking some of the heavy hitters in the industry, they’re something that every gamer should consider in this year and the years to come.

It’s something we’ve all thought about. Are the free-to-play Massively Multiplayer Online games (MMOs) worth sinking hundreds of hours into? Are they worth a monthly subscription? Are they a viable alternative to the seasonal games that release a new version each year? Well, let’s take a look.

It’s certainly true that, unlike other genres, the MMO sector isn’t over-saturated at all – there are less than 10 long-standing, mainstream games. While this is by design for the individual releases – instead of publishing a brand new game each year developers just update the current release adding more content, fixing bugs, and improving the overall experience – it does beg the question, why has no one else has been able to break into the sector? Are MMOs that difficult to develop? Or are MMOs just not that popular anymore?

No competition

MMOs currently only really come from two countries: China or South Korea. The game developers from the West haven’t produced a viable alternative to the big names in years. 

Most competitors are “indie” devs who spend the majority of their time crowdfunding but rarely ever make it to full production. Meaning the only games that consumers have are those from the East that are free-to-play, but too often pay-to-win.

This immediately eliminates a huge chunk of potential players who don’t enjoy that style of gameplay. The player base shrinks, the developers make less money, and the MMO genre suffers because of it.

If you’re new to the MMO world, you might want to consider an already established game to quench your thirst first.

Established games

As mentioned earlier, most new MMOs will fold under the pressure of an ever-shrinking player base, this means players will flock elsewhere.

There aren’t many games that have withstood the test of time but those that have are the age-old classics we know and love today. They offer a fulfilling experience, while rewarding players for their dedication and loyalty.

MMOs with several expansions, and devs that push content out regularly, have dedicated and loyal communities that are welcoming to both new players and veterans. Often new players say that they struggle to get into a new game because they’re unfamiliar with the mechanics, and existing players aren’t all that helpful – with established MMOs this isn’t as big of an issue.

If you’re wanting to get into MMOs, the best place to start is with the classics. The fans are a great indicator of the experience you’ll get and you won’t be throwing your money away at a game from a developer you don’t know.

But are they worth it?

The real question after all of this, is are they worth sinking your teeth into? 

We’ve established that the best option out there is the old favorites and we know that they have a good support base for new and old players alike. Whether they’re worth it though is up to you. The MMO sector isn’t really shrinking, it’s just not growing either. We are patiently waiting for the next break-out title, while still pouring hours into games that have been around for years, even decades.

If you’re looking for a definitive answer then my opinion is yes, MMOs are worth it, if you find one that rewards you for your time, and gives you a sense of belonging in a community that accepts you, then spending hours every week grinding is worth it. Hell, even a small subscription fee is worth it too if you’re playing every day.

The sector isn’t dead, nor is it dying, but will you be around for the next big thing? Let us know whether you play MMOs and whether you think they’re worth it too.