Implementing the Knowledge
The previous blog entries we have published delved into the considerable hurdles encountered during the initial phase of on-chain gaming. Our aim was to identify the core areas requiring enhancements for genuine progress within on-chain gaming, aiming to shed the negative connotations established during the 2021 on-chain gaming craze.
We strongly advise reviewing our prior articles to grasp the vital insights necessary for comprehending the distinctions between the initial phase of on-chain gaming and the groundbreaking solutions we're about to explore in the upcoming sections. Below, you'll find a compilation of recommended readings for your convenience.
#1 The First Wave of On-Chain Gaming - Recap
#2 Lessons from The First Wave of On-Chain Gaming
#3 Revival of On-Chain Gaming - Part 1
Laying the Foundations
After facing numerous endeavors to create enduring games using blockchain technology, the approach to on-chain gaming has become rather cautious, especially among traditional gaming circles and its followers who began to associate on-chain gaming with the volatile and risky nature of cryptocurrency markets. Learning from past setbacks stands as the most beneficial path to surmount challenges and showcase the authentic essence of advanced on-chain gaming in practice.
TL;DR
- Monetization - Players
- Monetization - Developers
- Tooling & SDK
- Fairness and Security
Monetization - Players
Monetization is often a tricky subject, with associations to Pay-to-Win or Play-to-Earn mechanisms. However, a shift in the paradigm can alter the dynamics, harking back to the old days of gaming where the money invested correlated with the skillset and game mastery developed over time. This principle was evident in Arcade machines, which rewarded fair competition and players striving to master their skills. What if we introduce a slight shift, where the money put into playing doesn’t stay in the Arcade machine but goes to the winner?
At the core of Paid Competitive Gaming is the concept of putting resources at stake to enter a match, with these stakes forming the prize pool shared among the players in that particular match.
In a Duel, the prize pool often consists of resources from two players, but the system's flexibility allows for various configurations, such as matches between two pairs of players or non-standard setups like 3vs2 or 1vs4. This adaptability adds changes to the shared prize pool fees, covered by more than one person. Developers can easily configure these setups, offering players the competition they truly desire.
For instance, imagine a scenario where one player is significantly more skilled than the rest but wishes to compete while being outnumbered 4-to-1 to test their skills. Here, the prize pool would be shared among 5 players but only two teams, each putting the same amount of resources at stake. The single player covers the initial stake alone, while the team of four splits the entry fee among themselves. After the game concludes, the reward settlement epoch takes place, with the single player winning the entire stake, and the team of four dividing the winning prize among them.
Configurable Duels are just one facet of what Elympics offers. Another form of competition comes through Leaderboards, highly customizable in terms of final settlement based on pre-configured intervals. Developers have the flexibility to configure Leaderboards to settle at specific intervals, like every 24 hours, every three days, or any other time period set by the developer. The introduction of global or regional leaderboards is fundamental to competitive games, allowing players to track their results in real-time and compare their achievements with others, further fueling the competitive spirit.
Monetization - Developers
How can developers monetize their creations without resorting to ads when directing prize pool rewards to players? Elympics introduces a fundamental principle, allocating a small percentage of each prize pool directly to the developer’s wallet. This creates a monetization loop intricately tied to the game's quality.
These monetization mechanisms align with the concept of developing games that captivate players with engaging gameplay and retain them through incentives, moving away from extractive methods prevalent during the First Wave of on-chain gaming. The long-term growth strategy for on-chain games marks a departure from capital-attracting mechanisms, benefiting not only players seeking competitive experiences but also developers, who are now encouraged to create titles featuring highly competitive environments. The focus is on crafting games where players willingly invest time and engage in meaningful competition, fostering an in-game economy that rewards quality-focused developers.
Tooling & SDK
The realization of the concepts discussed today would be either impossible or severely constrained without the accessibility of comprehensive tooling and SDKs, available to anyone passionate about bringing their competitive game dreams to the market. Equipping craftsmen with high-quality tools is the most crucial support one can offer.
Creating an environment where developers, individual creators, and small gaming studios can design, create, and publish games is of paramount importance, especially for an industry looking to reinvigorate on-chain gaming after its abrupt decline. This initiative enables developers to actualize games they've long envisioned but were impeded by a lack of tools or experience at critical stages of game development.
In response to this challenge, Elympics has crafted an extensive suite of tools and infrastructure, including serverless gameplay hosting through Elympics Cloud, an assortment of ready-to-use SDKs and libraries, the Server Authority approach, and more. Elympics Cloud, for instance, assists developers with limited server maintenance knowledge or those solely focused on creating a competitive gaming environment. Furthermore, for creators unfamiliar with writing smart contracts or utilizing blockchain technology, Elympics provides ready-to-implement libraries and SDKs, streamlining the game development process for greater ease and agility.
Fairness & Security
The perfect way to wrap up this deep dive is to stress a key element crucial for any competitive game to truly shine and retain players over the long term – fairness and security.
In any competitive arena, the top priority is ensuring fair outcomes and implementing effective anti-cheating measures, principles deeply entrenched in both traditional and digital forms of competitive sports. This is the magic ingredient that transforms the gaming experience, fostering meaningful and intense competition, free from worries about financial losses, scams, or falling prey to cheaters.
Elympics' solutions are geared towards infusing esports-level security into on-chain gaming by harnessing a robust blockchain tech stack, establishing a high-caliber security infrastructure. A standout feature is the integration of In-Game Oracles, which rigorously authenticate all player inputs in real-time, ensuring the integrity of inputs against manipulation by bots or any malicious cheating attempts, a common concern in recent games from prominent brands. Essentially, the In-Game Oracle system acts as an impartial referee, ensuring the fairness of real-time gameplay.
Should players perceive the final outcome as unjust due to malicious actions, swift resolution is facilitated through the publicly accessible Proof of Game stored on-chain. This not only empowers players to validate the end result but also scrutinize all inputs submitted during the match. Additionally, the concept of Proof of Game unfolds various possibilities, including the Verifiable Replays system, empowering players to bolster confidence in the match's fairness or craft gameplay highlights for sharing on their social media platforms.
Final Words
To sum up, it’s vital to emphasize that true blockchain games are separate from the world or cryptocurrency and as such should not be closely associated. The on-chain gaming envisioned by Elympics, using the framework of Paid Competitive Gaming, shares its technological foundation with the crypto sphere but stands apart from the crypto-centric economies prevalent during the First Wave of on-chain gaming.
Exploring this spectrum of blockchain integration opens up a diverse range of technical possibilities, paving the way for a myriad of games to emerge in the coming months and years. The revolution of blockchain gaming is already underway.
