Game Development | How P2E is Redefining the Rules of Play
Decentralized finance (DeFi) is a significant niche in the cryptocurrency market. One of the areas of DeFi that brings additional value to the industry is blockchain gaming, which works on the principle of Play-to-Earn, which has radically changed the entire gaming and crypto ecosystem.
P2E allows people to earn real money by playing games and providing other services in a gaming environment using cryptocurrency, which was a surprise to many and a new level of digitalization.
Understanding NFTs in Games
In P2E games, users farm and increase the value of in-game assets (pets, items, etc.) expressed in cryptocurrencies or NFT tokens.
An NFT token is a unique digital certificate stored on the blockchain. In crypto games, NFTs can be goods, equipment, characters, and so on; in other words, anything related to in-game purchases or currency. You need a system and its appearance to create this token since no one will buy just an inscription. As a result, users can sell, purchase or exchange NFT tokens with each other to earn tokens on a Play-to-Earn model.
Things got a lot more interesting when projects with a cross-game feature appeared. One of the most successful announcements was the announcement by the Game Space team that GameFi gamers can now share their NFT gaming assets across multiple games. After that, many companies began to discuss opportunities for the consolidation and video games development of the crypto ecosystem, including NFT gaming.
As a result of growing blockchain technology, these are not just cryptocurrencies but entire gaming worlds where hundreds of thousands of gamers play and conduct financial transactions.
Play to Earn (P2E) Mechanics
In video games, the relationship between the gamer and the developer has always been one-sided, where only the developers or the company owners receive financial benefits, and the players just have to have fun. Over the past decade, many revolutionary business models have emerged due to the expansion of Internet access. One such model is the Play-to-Earn concept, which has changed the gaming paradigm and becomes even more powerful thanks to the blockchain, NFT and gaming companies investments.
But like any game, NFT projects must have their gameplay, most important visual features, and characteristics. Companies often use NFT art creation services, especially now, as the market is filled with various content and games with unique art designs, styles, or in-game art. This is one of the few aspects this game model has adopted from classic game development.
Earning in play to earn has become a growing trend. Crypto games have gained wide popularity in developing countries, where the funds users earn while playing exceed their average monthly salary in a full-time job.
NFT Game Development Process
The NFT video game industry is almost no different from game development without blockchain/crypto elements and features. But still, it has several main differences inherent only in games of this type.
Ideation and Conceptualization
First, developers create a game that people will want to play and spend time in. Each project starts with an idea and a discussion of general conceptual aspects such as game genre, setting, story, graphic and sound design, etc. Of course, anyone can create a game without a plot and gameplay mechanics, but with NFT, it will be a P2E project, and there will be zero success and profit from this.
Game Design and Mechanics
After the general principles are approved, the team proceeds to game design and gameplay. Depending on the genre of the game, the overall picture and mechanics will differ. The genres of NFT games also do not differ from the standard ones and can be: action, arcade, adventure, RPG, fighting games, casino, collective/trading card games, etc.
NFT Creation and Integration
To understand the next step, it is best to understand what does NFT means https://retrostylegames.com/blog/what-does-nft-artist-mean/ and how it works. Read the material above again because NFT development will be impossible without this. To integrate a token inside the game, you need to create it. You can do it yourself or with the help of services; it doesn't matter. The main thing is that the tokens should be visually similar to the game's concept, then there should be no problems with integration or adaptation.
Blockchain Technology Integration and Development
NFT technology is closely related to blockchain games. Many game assets are presented in this format, and there is usually a marketplace for their purchase/sale. NFTs can be used as proof of ownership of a particular digital asset, so in addition to being developed, it needs to be properly integrated into the blockchain not to harm the whole gaming business conception.
Front End and Back End Development
This process of NFT game development is final and must always be active, especially in the first hours/days of the launch of the NFT game. As with any game, there will be bugs that need to be fixed, updated, or maintained at various levels of development. Without this, NFT games will not last long and will be another non-profit project.
How NFT Games Impact on the Gaming Industry
Numerous crypto games appear daily in the blockchain metaverse, and NFT sales revenues are skyrocketing. More players are immersed in P2E games, and daily users from regions with poorly developed economies are growing. In general, such games have opened up opportunities for normal domestic and foreign trade among gamers, giving new opportunities for getting real money.
In other areas, the NFT has also brought a lot of benefits. In addition to the usual services for games, various outsourcing studios and artists create game NFT for P2E platforms, create concept art, 2D/3D models, etc.
Conclusion
The Play-to-Earn model is a new stage in the development of the blockchain-based gaming industry. Industry using NFT and blockchain technology is in a form that can go down or skyrocket. P2E games keep popping up and will be popular for a long time. This niche is still young, so it might be good to keep an eye on these projects as they might be useful in the long run.