P2E games: work hard, play harder
Are you somebody who likes to have fun and make money at the same time? If your answer is “heck yeah”, like everyone else on the planet, we would like to introduce you to the emerging world of Play2Earn games.
Play2Earn games, also known as “GameFi” "blockchain games" or "crypto games," are a relatively newer form of online gaming that allows players to earn cryptocurrency or other digital assets like NFTs while they play. These games are gaining immense popularity among players and developers alike, resulting in a revolution that the big names in the gaming industry have started to take notice of.
Why are P2E games great?
While earning from games is very attractive to the players, it is also beneficial for the game development business in more than one way.
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High Revenues
Like most games, P2E game developers can also make use of advertising and in-app purchases to generate revenue. Along with that, they are also likely to offset their development costs faster as the P2E gaming community continues to expand rapidly.
Customer Loyalty
P2E games are gratifying in the sense that they provide the player with a reward for their time and energy. Players feel more attached and engaged to the games that help them receive benefits.
Player Retention
The math is quite simple. The more time players spend inside the game, the more rewards they receive. P2E games keep their users hooked for longer, directly increasing the retention of the player base.
Brand Awareness
A game that pays doesn't stay a secret for long, which is why it's a great idea to channel your marketing efforts into your game for higher levels of engagement and exposure to new audiences.
The celebrities are keeping up
The rise in popularity of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and various cryptocurrencies has had a huge impact on the development of the Play2Earn market. Platforms like OpenSea have helped make NFTs more mainstream, and as a result, Play2Earn games have become even more appealing to players.
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As P2E games begin to reach stardom, the bigger names in the industry have started to pay attention. Mark Pincus, the co-founder of Zynga (the company behind popular games like Farmville and Words with Friends), recently invested in the immensely popular Play2Earn game, Axie Infinity. Pincus believes that Play2Earn games have the potential to revolutionize the gaming industry and bring new players into the fold.
Another big name in the industry, Kim Kardashian, has also expressed interest in Play2Earn games. In a recent interview, Kardashian West said that she is "definitely interested in exploring the world of cryptocurrency and blockchain games." She believes that these games have the potential to "bridge the gap between the gaming world and the financial world."
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What’s the catch?
Getting rewarded in cryptocurrency or NFTs sounds like a great idea on paper, however, it's not an excuse for you to create a snooze-fest of a game. If you are offering the players a poorly designed game that doesn't pose a challenge for the players or is boring enough for them to put it down despite the promise of free money, that’s a problem. The most important aspect you need to factor in is how much fun the player has while playing your P2E game.
As a player, you should not expect to replace your full-time job with P2E earnings. Realistically, these bonuses do not come close to your other avenues of income right now and are best considered as side hustles.
Don’t fret too much though. According to Reddit’s founder, Alexis Ohanian, the shift of the gaming industry towards P2E games will be exponential in the next 5 years, possibly amounting to 90%, resulting in a lot more earning opportunities in exchange for your time.