There are many similarities between blockchain games and traditional games. On the other hand, there are points where this game genre, which recently entered our lives, differs from traditional games. At Mobidictum Business Network #3, Işık Işın from Azerion talked about the secrets of making a good play-to-earn game and compared it with traditional games.
The requirements to make a good game vary according to the type of game. When it comes to play-to-earn games, it is necessary to consider investors as well as players. The “investors” here are the players themselves, unlike the traditional models. For this reason, those who want to make a good game need to decide “for whom” they are making this game.
Traditional investors, we know from previous systems, evaluate the game’s monetization potential. This old rule still applies in play-to-earn games, and a few new items are added to the list. Considering that the players are also investors while making a blockchain game gives developers a significant advantage.
Who should you develop games for?
In some cases, we witness some games that are not relatively enjoyable to play and earn very high incomes. This is based on the fact that developers develop games according to the wishes of traditional investors. Knowing the values considered by investors, developers make games in a way they think can pass all performance tests. When the game really passes these tests, it can attract the attention of investors and receive investment.
Seeing games that have been developed and earned income in this way, other developers want to come up with games following a similar path. Işık Işın warns developers not to make such a mistake. The success of games that do not have good game mechanics, content that can keep the player in the game, and a strong player community according to the type of game is usually temporary. These types of games do not achieve success even if they have received investments, and they disappoint both players and investors.
Making Games for the “Player”
It is very difficult for the long-term success of games made just to impress investors. So what does “make a game for the player” mean, and how does it affect success?
Işık Işın says that one of the most critical elements that will bring success to a game is to develop the game in a way that really appeals to the player. Based on his career in the game industry and his experience in Azerion, he lists what it takes to make a good game and satisfy the players as follows:
- The game should have strong core mechanics.
- Game mechanics are divided into sub-genres within themselves, and core mechanics form the gameplay (gameplay). The most basic purpose of a game is to have fun gameplay. Otherwise, who would spend hours at the start of a game or consider spending money on the game? It is important to remember that entertainment varies from person to person here. While some players have fun in action games, others may prefer horror games.
- The game should have a core loop that can’t be boring.
- The number of core mechanics in games is generally low. When you look at most games, you will see that these basic mechanics are constantly repeated. This is called a core loop. If the player feels like they are doing the same thing repeatedly during this cycle, they will probably get bored. Developers need to enrich this cycle and keep the player away from feeling bored.
- The economy of the game should be balanced.
- Even single-player games have an in-game economy. When the economy is mentioned, you should not think of just money, gold, or diamonds. In its simplest form, you can think of the economy as resource/input expenditure/output. When you think like that, everything in the game affects the game’s balance. Your HP, energy, or some other similar game mechanic which you need to have in order to continue playing can also be counted toward the game’s economy. At the end of the day, they also function as some sort of currency. At the end of the day, they also function as some sort of game currency. The difference in play-to-earn games is that an outside source is included in this economy. Işık Işın deals with this issue in detail.
You can find out more about this subject in our event video below.
Integrating NFTs and Crypto Elements in Play-to-earn Games
We said that an external source is included in the play-to-earn games. What we will talk about here is not technological integration but how crypto elements should be embedded in the logic of a play-to-earn game.
NFTs are used for various purposes in blockchain games. NFTs, sometimes just “profile pictures,” are also used as in-game items in many games. The fact that the player who owns NFT benefits from this NFT becomes an important motivation to continue playing the game.
Işık Işın says that at that point, NFT and crypto elements should be well placed in the core loop of the game. NFTs, which do not have a counterpart for the game, are rarely sought after by the players. To give an example, the Axies in the famous play-to-earn game Axie Infinity directly affect how much income players will earn from the game, based on their rarity. This situation causes NFT Axies to be in great demand.
Time and Experience Balance in Games
Regardless of the genre, the golden rule of making a good game is to have a balance of time and experience. If the user does not get enough experience for the time spent on the game, he will not play the game. A game that was not played means a dead game.
It is very important to be able to balance time and experience in games. How this balance is achieved depends on the type of game. It is important that the games achieve what they promise. For example, if the player does not earn enough income for the time spent in a play-to-earn game, he will not play the game. On the other hand, it is not possible for all players to earn high incomes, and a balance must be struck here. This also applies to other types of games. In the horror game, the player cannot find the tension he expects, and if he does not feel excited enough in the action game, he will not want to waste his time.
We host many industry experts at Mobidictum events and let them share their experiences. You can find more details on how to make a good play-to-earn in the event video we prepared for you. It’s the same video above, but we’re just sharing it again, in case you missed it.
