Coinspeaker
Professional Gamers Ready to Explore Blockchain-Based Games
Blockchain technology in gaming appears to be gaining traction among gamers who take part in gaming tournaments for a living. This comes despite resistance from some game developers. Gaimin Gladiators’ professional Dota 2 player Erik “Tofu” Engel expressed his thoughts on Web3 in gaming and how it can help gamers. The gamer, who has won over $400,000 in major tournaments in the Dota 2 competitive gaming scene, is happy to see game developers make “more out of games than just games.”
“The idea of blockchain gaming is still a new and expanding topic for most of us, and it’s something I want to explore more in the future. If it’ll improve gaming and make it even more rewarding, then that’s definitely something to look out for in times ahead,” he said.
Engel went on to express that Web3 has features that “feel beneficial to the player” and that he looks forward to seeing what gaming companies do next.
Another professional gamer, Max “Maxeew” Ng lauded the integration of the new technology into gaming, saying:
“The idea behind adding new technology and features is something that pretty much any game can benefit from, especially when it is something that can reward the users’ time and expenditure on the game itself.”
The gamer added that he has looked into blockchain games and will try them out after the current gaming season.
Gaimin Gladiators co-founder Joseph Turner also weighed in, noting that the emergence of blockchain-based games “spooked many major publishers”.
Game developers sought to distance themselves from the trend. For instance, in 2021, the developer of popular video games Dota 2 and Half-Life – Valve Corporation – removed blockchain-based games from its Steam gaming marketplace. The firm went on to revise its guidelines and ban games that issue cryptocurrencies or NFTs.
Turner believes that the “extremely traditional” gaming company’s stance on blockchain-based games was likely to change over time. He urged blockchain projects to go beyond blockchain integration into games and directly engage the competitive gaming industry.
Meanwhile, Walter Lee, BNB Chain’s growth partner and GameFi lead, believes that Web3 and blockchain technology have the potential to empower traditional gaming ecosystems. He cited use cases such as the tokenization of in-game assets and on-chain verifiable random number generation.
Lee pointed out that Web3 offers many opportunities for professional gamers such as the ability to develop their brand and generate income in decentralised finance.
“There is a surge of many interesting upcoming games from various new studios. Some of these titles may potentially gain massive popularity and generate new exciting esports leagues for the industry […] Players will be able to sustain and build in the industry with lesser reliance on an esports firm; this balances the demand between esports firms and players,” he said.
