Why Are Gamers Embracing Alternative Platforms for Playing?
Modern gaming is experiencing some significant changes. While console, PC, and mobile gaming remain very popular among players around the world, they are being joined by new crypto and blockchain games. These new platforms empower gamers by offering greater ownership as well as the opportunity to monetize their efforts, whether that’s through play-to-earn or play-to-own platforms.
Even iGaming is embracing the blockchain platform, with its transparency, anonymity, and high levels of privacy. Despite these platforms still being new to the gaming world, they are picking up steam.
Modern Alternatives to Traditional Gaming
Traditional gaming is generally viewed as being PC, console, and mobile gaming. Game makers and publishers create the games, retain ownership of all game assets, and effectively let players use those assets.
Players buy the game, pay a monthly subscription, or pay for additional in-game purchases, and they receive the rights to play the game, but never really own their accounts or in-game assets. Modern platforms, especially those using blockchain or cryptocurrency, offer different experiences to users.
Play to Win
Play-to-win games are most commonly seen in the iGaming sphere, such as those at online casinos. While many online casinos still operate using fiat currencies, some are developed using blockchain and accept cryptocurrency. Modern account holders can play casino on Telegram and other messaging platforms.
These options have proven popular because crypto and blockchain are considered highly secure. They provide anonymity and are even used by players in countries and areas where online gambling is prohibited. Telegram and messaging casinos are also convenient. Players can place bets and find out their results via the messaging app.
The Benefits of Telegram
Telegram is heavily entrenched in the cryptocurrency market. Coin holders use it to chat with one another about potential price movements and the state of the market. Developers connect on Telegram, too, and potential investors looking to sign up for alerts and prices will often find they are invited to join Telegram channels.
Discord, on the other hand, is commonly used by gamers. They use Discord chats rather than in-game chats. It is no coincidence that these two apps have also become popular outlets for modern gaming. Both enable users to place casino bets and sports bets, and both offer access to NFT gaming, although it is Telegram that, so far, has the most activity in this area.
App-Based Gaming
Using Telegram means gamers do not need powerful systems and expensive processors to play from home. The game is hosted on external servers and accessed via the Telegram app. And most NFT and cryptocurrency games on the site are undemanding titles anyway.
Because the app is a native chat app, it also means that communication and the transferring of data is naturally built into Telegram, which means it offers these features naturally. And, with so many crypto users already accessing and using Telegram, it makes sense they would play games on this platform, too.
Mobile Blockchain Gaming
Mobile gaming is more mature than NFT gaming, but it is another area that is enjoying popularity with the crypto crowd. Cell phones and other mobile devices are portable and convenient. NFT trading games are relatively low graphics and don’t require the use of controllers or keypads.
They are quick and convenient, which makes them great games to play while on the bus or train during the daily commute. And, thanks to blockchain and crypto gaming models, they also enable players to earn money from their efforts.
Modern Gaming Models
With traditional games, the game maker retains ownership of all in-game assets. This includes player accounts, as well as characters, skins, and items. If the player closes their account, items are lost forever, and while there are some active marketplaces for certain in-game items, these are rare.
In some cases, game manufacturers will actively prevent players from trading items outside the game. Because of their decentralized nature, blockchain games are different. The following are some of the most common blockchain gaming models.
Play to Earn
Play to earn (P2E) games use in-game currency. The games use cryptocurrency and, as players level up, beat bosses, or reach certain milestones, they receive this in-game currency as a reward.
Typically, the rewards are relatively low, but over time, they can add up, and if the cryptocurrency used experiences a significant price boost, players can see their crypto holdings increase significantly.
The cryptocurrency itself can be used to buy additional items or pay for extra in-game services, but it can also be traded on the open market. Players can sell their currency on crypto exchanges, or buy more crypto from these same services, and then use their holdings inside the game. This is an increasingly popular form of cryptocurrency game, but it will often be combined with play-to-own features.
Tap to Earn
Tap to earn is essentially the same as play to earn, except that these games operate on mobile platforms so users tap the screen to play the game. The titles tend to be a little more basic than their PC counterparts, but they are extremely mobile, and the in-game currency is cryptocurrency, which means that players can enjoy the same benefits as they would on PC or other devices.
Play to Own
Play to own (P2O) is another popular form of cryptocurrency game. However, it uses NFTs, either instead of or as well as cryptocurrency coins. Player accounts can be minted as NFTs and so too can in-game items that can be earned, bought, or won via gameplay.
These tokens hold real-world value, can usually be traded from within the game, and can be traded on NFT open marketplaces like OpenSea. These games are referred to as play-to-own because the player is rewarded with tokens, rather than currency, but they offer many of the same benefits as P2E games.
NFT Trading Card Games
Another way NFTs are used in crypto gaming is as trading cards. Trading card games were popularized by titles like Pokemon and Magic: The Gathering, and they are enjoying a resurgence at the moment thanks to new titles like Disney: Lorcana.
Players build decks using the cards they buy or trade, and these decks can be used to battle or play against other players.
The cards themselves can sell for a lot of money if they are especially rare. Some cards sell for tens of thousands of dollars, with the Pikachu Illustrator valued at more than $50,000. There are only four of these rare cards in existence. The Alpha Black Lotus from Magic: The Gathering goes for more than $25,000 and, despite being banned from competitive play, it is widely considered the most alluring card in the game.
NFT trading card games haven’t yet reached these same heights, in terms of the number of cards that sell for big money, but there have been some huge one-off sales. The Cryptokitties Founder Cat #18 sold for more than 250 Ether, equivalent to $164,000 at the time of the sale. It is easy to see the appeal for some players, as they hope to get hold of one of these ultra-rare, ultra-expensive cards.
P2P
Player-to-player (P2P) games are certainly nothing new, and any game that pits real players against other real players can be considered a form of these games. Even going back to the early days of home computer games, the likes of Pong could be considered a precursor to the modern P2P title.
In crypto P2P games, players pit NFTs or cryptocurrency against one another, giving them the potential to walk away with sizeable jackpots. And the size and frequency of those prizes are only determined by the number of players the game attracts.
Benefits of Modern Gaming Models
Blockchain gaming is still in its infancy. It has not yet been taken on or offered by mainstream gaming companies, but it is likely to make this step as more and more players turn to these unique platforms. These gaming models, and modern gaming platforms, offer certain benefits to players and game makers.
Player Ownership
Blockchain’s functionality comes from the fact that it is decentralized. No central group or body is controlling it. For cryptocurrency, this means there is no bank to control the money or payments. For crypto gaming, it isn’t the gaming company that owns accounts, in-game assets, or even in-game currency. The players themselves retain everything, and this means they can be traded, bought, and sold even outside the game. Blockchain and cryptocurrency are also considered very secure, which means players face less risk of having their accounts hacked or in-game items or currency stolen.
Player Control
With no centralized body in charge of assets, it is the players that control aspects of the game. This can be further amplified by using tokens as a means of voting or governance. Players with more tokens have a greater say over the future of the game. This works naturally, to some extent, as in-game assets and in-game currency are governed by supply and demand.
If more items become available, they naturally lose value, and they will become less appealing. Crypto tokens are used in this way outside the actual games, too, with some eSports teams giving fan token holders the right to vote on things like banner design and which uniform players should wear.
Provably Fair Gaming
Blockchain records are immutable and permanent. They cannot be altered or even deleted once they are on the blockchain. For casinos, and other gaming platforms, this means that players can view records, and those records don’t just account for the transfer of value from one player to another. They include information like wins, losses, performances, and results.
Interoperability
NFTs do not have to be tied to individual platforms. They can potentially be transferred from one game to another, and the same is true of cryptocurrency. Players can use the money they earn in one game to give them a leg up in other games. Or they can take their player avatar or even in-game items to other games.
This will require game makers to work together, and this is seemingly more likely in the blockchain gaming industry than within the mainstream gaming industry. At least for now.
Earn from Gaming
Some players invest hundreds if not thousands of hours into the games they play, so why shouldn’t they be rewarded for their efforts? With traditional gaming, this means streaming or becoming a successful competitive gamer. With blockchain gaming, it is possible to monetize gaming time through the earning of cryptocurrency or NFTs with some NFTs fetching as much as the rarest trading cards.
Pay to Win
Of course, this works the other way, too. Players can buy cryptocurrency or NFTs using real money. While some players dislike the idea of pay-to-win games, others love the concept and it can help level the playing field. If a new player joins a game several years after it has launched, it can be very difficult to compete. But, by buying items, or potentially even buying the account of a retired player, it is possible to start on an even keel with other players.
Conclusion
The gaming industry is constantly evolving. It isn’t that long ago that we were amazed by the introduction of online gaming and then mobile gaming. Today, blockchain gaming is the new kid on the block, and it is being aided by the introduction of Telegram and Discord games, as well as greater knowledge of blockchain and cryptocurrency. With blockchain gaming, players retain assets themselves and they have greater governance over the games.
While options remain fairly limited in some cases, this isn’t true with iGaming: online casinos have embraced cryptocurrency and casino and betting bots are becoming commonplace on apps like Telegram and Discord.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Do You Need to Play Blockchain Games?
Blockchain games typically require players to have some of a specific cryptocurrency. Common cryptos used are Bitcoin, Ether, and Solana, but this differs from one game to the next.
The player also needs a crypto wallet that is compatible with that crypto or that can be used to store the NFTs that are used as part of the game. Beyond that, Telegram games need Telegram installed on a compatible device, or the user needs a PC or other device that can play the game. No additional equipment is required.
Do You Have to Pay to Play Telegram Games?
There are lots of free Telegram games available, but play-to-earn, play-to-own, and tap-to-earn games usually require that the player spend some money to buy in-game currency or to purchase crypto they can use to buy their starting NFTs.
Are NFT Games Legal?
Generally, NFTs are not specifically regulated in any markets, which means NFT games are legal to play. However, players should always check their local laws and regulations to ensure they won’t fall foul of local regulations.