Invented by Praveen Jayachandran, International Business Machines Corp
The Market For Blockchain Gaming
Blockchain gaming is becoming a hot topic among game developers and players alike due to its potential benefits that can help players generate real-world value.
Blockchain games offer players the unique benefit of being able to monetize their in-game currency through trading, something which cannot be done with traditional games which usually restrict this activity. This freedom gives players an edge that traditional ones do not grant them.
Gaming on the blockchain
Blockchain games offer a distinct gaming experience. They follow the same principles as traditional titles, but with several key differences such as using a decentralized platform and accepting cryptocurrency instead of fiat money for purchases.
One of the greatest advantages of blockchain technology in a game is that it can reduce transaction times and costs, as well as help prevent fraudulence.
Another advantage of gaming on the blockchain is that it enables players to engage with one another in an open and equitable manner. This was not possible with traditional gaming due to its highly centralized nature.
In today’s digital gaming landscape, players have full control of their accounts and assets that can be utilized to monetize their games. This could be a game-changer for many.
Crypto gaming is expected to experience significant growth as more players join blockchain games. However, there could be some issues that arise along the way.
Before anything else, it’s essential to recognize that these games are still in their early stages. There have been no major successes yet and many people remain skeptical of them.
Second, blockchain games can be challenging to play due to their requirement that players create an account and purchase cryptocurrency – something which may be costly and time consuming if you’re new to the game.
Third, the value of NFTs (in-game currencies) fluctuates depending on the cryptocurrency market. If not handled carefully, players could end up losing money.
Finally, some of these games offer special events and tournaments to players. Participating in these activities can grant players with tokens and other rewards.
These games offer gamers a way to make extra cash, build an NFT collection and explore virtual worlds. Furthermore, they provide them with the chance to showcase their artistic talents in an entirely new light.
Blockchain games do offer some benefits, but they also have some drawbacks. These include scalability issues which may affect the overall performance of these titles.
Game mechanics
Blockchain games allow players to earn in-game assets that they can trade for cryptocurrencies or real money. These assets rely on blockchain technology and cannot be taken away or erased by the game developer; these non-fungible tokens (NFTs) form an important part of gaming’s future.
The Blockchain gaming market is predicted to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 65% from 2023-2028, driven by growing interest in blockchain technology and its capacity for preventing fraud and cheating. Furthermore, the industry’s capacity for rapid expansion will further fuel demand in this space.
Blockchain is a decentralized network of data blocks linked together using cryptography to store information with high security. It enables instant transactions and eliminates intermediaries, providing players and developers with a more efficient and secure experience.
Blockchain games offer many potential benefits, yet still face several challenges such as scalability, speed and cost. To address these issues head-on, full-stack solution providers with expertise across multiple languages, platforms and ecosystems are necessary for the advancement of these blockchain-enabled games.
As a result, Toshimon and ChainSafe collaborated to develop an innovative design for blockchain games that addresses these issues. This design, known as state channels, allows players to write to off-chain transactional channels instead of continuously writing onto the blockchain. Furthermore, these free channels have instant finality.
This design empowers players to write to their own state and alter it if desired. This is an essential step, as it makes the game more resilient to blockchain network speed issues. Furthermore, it permits implementing complex game rules through small state-mutating functions.
Another critical consideration is a player’s personal wallet. Players currently must create private keys for each game they play, and these keys cannot be recovered once lost – leaving many reluctant to participate in blockchain games due to the time-consuming and costly restoration process.
To address these problems, Toshimon joined forces with ChainSafe – a blockchain infrastructure provider with extensive experience and global reach. This collaboration has expedited their research and development in creating blockchain-enabled games.
Game design
The market for Blockchain gaming has been driven by several factors. One major driver is the exodus of traditional games companies from this space, which has resulted in an influx of funding for new Blockchain gaming ventures.
Another trend we are witnessing is the growth in crypto-native teams dedicated to building blockchain games. These groups often use metrics such as on-chain transactions and token price swings as indicators for measuring project success.
Though metrics have their place, they should not be the only focus for your game. You should also take into account who your target audience is and how best to reach them.
To reach a wide audience, it’s essential that the onboarding process for players is straightforward. This can be accomplished through various methods such as creating an easy-to-use wallet where players can store their cryptocurrency assets without needing to learn complex interfaces or protocols.
Additionally, it is imperative for users to have the option to transfer their tokens into their own wallets. Not only will this give them access to their digital assets, but it also gives players a sense of ownership and assurance that they are using their tokens wisely.
It is essential to provide players with a straightforward path to earn tokens and become an active contributor in the game economy. This can be accomplished through various means, such as token sales or in-game events.
You have two options for wallet management: use your own or connect with existing services that enable players to link their game assets with real-world currency. Many of these services even provide custodial solutions so your tokens remain safe from theft.
When using your own wallets, it is essential to keep them secure and up-to-date. Furthermore, make sure your team understands the basics of security, encryption, and privacy.
Finally, ensure your team has the skillset needed to design, construct and sustain a blockchain game. This can be accomplished through in-house training, attending workshops and networking events, as well as taking courses in specialist areas of game design.
Monetization
Blockchain gaming is still relatively young, but it’s growing quickly. This is largely due to the fact that it offers players an alternative to traditional gaming models which often involve costly in-app purchases and aggressive monetization techniques.
The primary distinction between traditional games and cryptocurrency-based ones is that players gain direct ownership of the digital assets they acquire in game. This gives them the power to resell or trade these assets, thus realizing more value for their money than with traditional games alone.
Furthermore, the decentralized nature of these games enables them to achieve high user retention and engagement rates. As a result, developers can charge higher prices while still making a reasonable return on their investments.
However, blockchain gaming still faces its share of challenges. One major concern is preserving the integrity of blockchain transactions; thus, developers must ensure that smart contracts automate all necessary tasks and eliminate the need for players to manually sign transactions.
Another challenge lies in enabling interoperability among different blockchain games. This is essential, as it would enable players to exchange assets from one game to another without needing third-party wallets. Doing so allows them to continue playing their favorite titles without creating multiple accounts for different titles.
Additionally, this eliminates the issue of buyer’s remorse which often arises in traditional games when players make a purchase and discover that the game requires more money than expected. This can cause players to lose faith in the game and ultimately lead them to feel cheated.
To avoid this issue, developers must ensure their crypto-based games provide players with an effortless experience that eliminates any limitations to gameplay immersion. This is achieved mainly through smart contract automation.
The International Business Machines Corp invention works as follows
Using blockchain in a gaming environment includes one or more of: receiving one or multiple contracts related to the game stored in blockchain, initiating game session of the game using the one or two contracts, and receiving information about a player in the blockchain based upon the initiated game session.
Background for Blockchain gaming
In a Blockchain configuration, information is usually related to financial transactions. The popularity of blockchain configurations is increasing, so there’s a growing desire to add functions to the blockchain. Gaming is one area that can provide additional functions.
One example embodiment could include one or more of: retrieving a game stored on a blockchain, receiving one, or more contracts to start a game session of that game, initiating the session and logging player information and player actions in the blockchain.
Another example embodiment could include one or several of the following: receiving one or multiple contracts related to a video game stored on a blockchain, initiating game session of that game using the one or two contracts and receiving information about a player in the blockchain based upon the initiated game session.
Another example embodiment could include instructions in a non-transitory computer-readable medium that allow a processor to perform one or two of the following: receiving one or multiple contracts related to the game stored in a Blockchain, initiating a session of the game, and receiving information about a player in the Blockchain based upon the initiated game session.
Another example embodiment could include a system comprising one or several of a processor or memory communicably coupled with the processor. The processor is configured to perform one of the following steps: receive one or multiple contracts related to a gaming session stored in a Blockchain, initiate the game session and receive information and actions regarding a player in the blockchain based upon the initiated game session.
It will be clear that the components of the present invention, as shown in the figures, can be placed in many different ways. The following description of the various embodiments of at most one method, apparatus, or system as illustrated in the attached figures is not intended as limiting the scope of the claimed application. It is only representative of some embodiments.
The instant features and structures or characteristics described in this specification can be combined in any way that suits the purposes of one or more embodiments. The usage of phrases like “example embodiments”, “some embodiments”, or similar language throughout this specification indicates that an embodiment could include a specific feature, structure, or characteristic related to the embodiment. The phrases “example embodiments”, “in some embodiments?”, “in other embodiments?”, or any other similar language throughout this specification don’t necessarily refer to the same group. Furthermore, the features, structures, and characteristics described in this specification may be combined in any way that suits the needs of one or more embodiments.
In addition, the term’message’ may be used in the description of embodiments. While the term?message? may have been used to describe embodiments, the application can be applied to any type of network data such as packet, frame, or datagram. The term “message” can also be used. The term “message” can also refer to packet, frame, or datagram. While certain types of signals and messages may be shown in certain embodiments, they are not limited by a particular type of message and the application does not limit itself to that type of signaling.
Example embodiments include an application or software procedure that provides games to users and third-party interested in such games. The blockchain stores games, which allows for the verification and access to the game information. This makes it possible to provide the games’ information to users without the need for additional resources or remote access.
FIG. 1. illustrates a network diagram for a blockchain network diagram that allows gaming accessibility and development on the blockchain, according to some examples. Referring to FIG. Referring to FIG. 1, the games use a client/server model 100. They access the blockchain data, such smart contracts 131, to access and use a game stored on the blockchain network 130. Games that are peer-to?peer (P2P), will fully support each user’s game sessions in this configuration. The game session can be hosted by any user, except the super-user. Each user can access the game session independently, even if they have their own game profile. All entries, including updates, user moves, profiles, may be saved to the blockchain. All game data is recorded and stored on the blockchain. Game-related data may be stored on the user device or console device. The blockchain stores all information necessary to play and retrieve a particular game, as well as gamer profiles and other information. The blockchain stores the game’s core logic code, which allows for fair gameplay. It also acts as a central server that provides game support to multiple users. While some game code, such as graphics renderings, can be stored outside of the blockchain, it is not necessary. Every input, save operation and change made by a player in a game is a transaction. This code invokes the blockchain to alter state and store it.
The parties to the blockchain game could include analytics services 122, a gaming console 124 and a gaming company 266, an in-game advertisement service 128, designers 128 and developers 134. A gamer/developer 136 is possible, as well as a gamer 138, and a franchise 142. All of these parties could be interested in accessing games, saving game data and updating them, loading games, advertising with them, or accessing their stored game data. Developers can add features to the game quickly without any downtime, such as new levels, challenges, bonuses, and bonus options for player characters. Gaming companies also offer extensive support and documentation to developers for mods. This will allow gamers to explore other options. Developers have the ability to post ideas, get feedback, support, develop, and release updates to their games. A fork is available to game players. If it becomes popular, the fork could be its own game or the features of the fork can become part of the main game section stored on the blockchain.
Game designers have the ability to offer game enhancements that can be bought, including special effects, artifacts and clothing. Advertisers have the option to place their products in the virtual universe in the same way as in-film advertising, or web-based advertising using inserted media clips and ads. The ledger also logs every player’s move so that users can see the moves, actions, and other data of those who have won or played the game. Analytics can be used to monitor and assess players in games such as basketball or football. It is possible to assess individual players and analyze their skills in order to create statistics. Different uses can be determined by shadowing an expert player, and then referencing each player’s move to learn new techniques.
Gaming companies can create the creative core of the game and then implement it on the blockchain. Gaming consoles can support multiple games as well as a platform for trading virtual assets. The game’s logic operates as a contract. To form teams against one another, players can sign up for contracts. Franchises may sign up players to form teams for tournaments.
FIG. “FIG. Referring to FIG. FIG. 2 shows the system configuration 200. It includes a player 210, a developer 230, and a blockchain server 220 that stores the games. The game developer 230 can load game 212 onto the blockchain. Block 214 can store the game. An individual can then request access to the game 216. A contract can also be provided to the blockchain 222 regarding the game session. The blockchain server will then be able to offer a game session 220 to the participant. All game-related actions are recorded 226. Another example is that the game developer 230 might create game updates 228 or update the game 232. You can update the blockchain data to reflect game updates 234.
FIG. 3A shows a flow diagram of a method of operation that is similar to the example embodiments. Referring to FIG. FIG. 3A shows an example of a method 300. It involves one or more of the following: receiving one or multiple contracts related to a gaming session stored in a Blockchain 310; initiating the game session based upon the one or two contracts 312, and receiving information or actions related to a player in the blockchain based the initiated game session 314.
The method could also include receiving content about the game, creating modified games based on that content, and storing them in the blockchain. It may also allow the modified version of the game to be played apart from the original game or with the original game. This could also include determining if the modified video game has reached a certain popularity level. If so, the method will merge the modified and original game to create an updated version. The updated game will be stored in the blockchain contract.
The method may also include receiving game content and creating a modified version of the same game. The sequence is presented to the player in the game session without interruption.
FIG. 3B is a flow diagram showing an example operation according to some embodiments. Referring to FIG. FIG. 3B shows an example of a method 320. It involves one or more of the following: retrieving a game stored on a blockchain 322, receiving one, or more contracts to start a game session of that game 324; initiating the session 326; and logging player information and player actions in the blockchain 328. Another example is to receive the game player’s actions and create game player analytics using the actions of the game players. Then, store the game player analytics in blockchain. Game player analytics can include any one or several of the following: actions submitted during the game session; skill level of one or two game players; preferences of one or both of them. This method can also include receiving a game upgrade, performing the update in the Blockchain, and storing updated games in the Blockchain as a contract. The game update is processed and received without interfering with the game session. This method can also be used to store game items that can be purchased in the blockchain. The game items are then retrieved and displayed on the game player devices during the game session. The method can also include receiving new game content, creating a modified version of the game using the content and game. This separate blockchain section stores the modified games and allows them to be played independently of the original game.
The blockchain could be used to access a MOD?fork. Developers of games may share their code and provide APIs that allow other developers to modify it in different ways and create?MODs. or?MODs? Developers can create a fork on the blockchain to support smart contracts that capture MOD games. Smart contracts will record the MODS/differences from the original game. Participants can choose to play either the MOD or original game, and give feedback to the developers. This allows gamers to reuse their?status? You can also use your MOD status in the main and MOD games.
A contract may be created by a game developer to capture the logic and state that will be used for the game. The blockchain network can be maintained by gamers and no central server or host is required. A gamer can also manage their blockchain node through a cloud provider. Each action that a gamer can perform in the game could be made as a smartcontract function. A smart contract function is invoked when a participant in a game performs a specific game action. The game’s state changes are recorded on the blockchain as a transaction. You can also record the actions of other participants/game players, such as when they play in multi-player games or turn-based games. The game’s actions are recorded on the blockchain by all players, keeping an immutable record. Contracts can be continuous and non-terminating. A core logic of the game, which is constantly received and updated by all players, means that the game’s state can also be continuously updated. One or more contracts can be considered a game. Additional capabilities such as advertising or analytics can also be created by contracts that run on blockchain.
The contract may also contain access control rules for the game. Game play may expose the part of a player’s state that allows others to access. Shadowing is one example. An expert player might include all game moves made by an ‘expert? Each game move made by an expert player may be logged together with the scenario in the which it occurred. This example shows how an expert’s play can be made accessible to non-expert players.
