The Future of Blockchain Gaming: Gameplay or Gamification?

The Web3 gaming sector has been developing for many years, yet a truly blockbuster product has not emerged to date. Although some games have achieved brief success, they quickly fell into difficulties. Meanwhile, capital continues to flow in, nurturing a batch of AAA-level blockchain game projects. These games, while well-made and possessing a certain level of gameplay, have not performed satisfactorily in terms of token prices.

After深入研究链游赛道后, we can't help but ponder the following questions:

1. Does the current blockchain game track need "gameplay" or "gamification" more?

2. What is the difference between the two?

3. From the perspective of Web3 players, what do they need more?

In order to find the answers to these questions, we conducted an in-depth investigation, interviewing 62 players, and arrived at 7 conclusions about blockchain games. Before analyzing these research results, let us first explore the hottest topic in the blockchain gaming community right now - "gameplay" and the difference between it and "gamification."

Game Mechanics and Gamification: A Word Apart, A World of Difference

In November 2019, the concept of GameFi emerged, opening up a brand new track. Three years later, the global popularity of Axie and StepN introduced a new gameplay of X to Earn, sparking a funding frenzy in Web3 games. The total financing amount approached 10 billion USD, giving rise to the development of a number of AAA-level game projects. This track has evolved from the initial competition for financial attributes to the current pursuit of "gameplay."

So, what exactly does "gameplay" refer to? How is it different from "gamification"?

We can use a cake as a metaphor:

Game mechanics are like the main body of a cake, determining the cake's basic flavor and shape. It includes the core gameplay, rules, challenges, and interactions, as well as how players derive enjoyment from it.

Gamification is like the icing on the cake, making the cake look more appealing. It involves applying game design elements and mechanics to non-game contexts to enhance user engagement and motivation.

In short, "gamification" determines whether you want to eat this cake, while "gameplay" determines how good the cake tastes.

In Web3 blockchain games, gameplay serves as the foundation of the game, providing players a direct way to experience the game's content, story, and competition. Gamification, on the other hand, motivates players to engage in community building, market trading, and other Web3 activities through game mechanics.

Bigtime is a typical case of a Web3 game that emphasizes "gameplay". It features a rich variety of scene designs corresponding to different instances, which avoids player monotony. Randomly dropped rare equipment and NFTs enhance the excitement, while the skills accumulated by players through the game also become a form of "fixed asset", allowing players to feel real growth and progress.

Cards AHoy is another representative of Web3 games that emphasizes "gameplay." As a card game, it features simple yet creative mechanics, utilizing a wheel battle system. While the basic rules are easy to understand, the gameplay has been deeply expanded with daily stamina changes, new race genres, and a variety of skills.

In contrast, some projects choose to focus on "gamification", maximizing the incentive mechanisms of Web3. For example, Spacebar in the Blast ecosystem is designed to resemble space travel, but essentially gamifies the process for users to understand Web3 projects. It attracts users to participate daily through sign-in points, staking rewards, and enhances user stickiness through cooperation with the Blast ecosystem.

Similar "gamified" blockchain games include Xpet, Xmetacene, Notcoin, and Catizen, all of which have put considerable effort into incentive mechanisms, packaging the user participation in mining into a game format.

The Real Needs of Web3 Players

In order to understand the real needs of Web3 players, we conducted a small-scale survey and reached the following seven conclusions:

1. Most Web3 players engage with a limited number of blockchain games, usually no more than 5.

2. Twitter is the main channel for Web3 players to obtain information about blockchain games.

3. 90% of Web3 players spend no more than 2 hours a day playing blockchain games, with 57.5% of players spending less than 1 hour a day on blockchain games.

4. The popularity of the game is the main factor for players to decide whether to try a blockchain game.

5. 30.6% of players choose to play blockchain games because of "gamification" ( such as the money-making factor ), while 29% of players choose to play blockchain games due to "gameplay" ( such as rich gameplay ), with both proportions being comparable.

6. 38.7% of players gave up a blockchain game due to "gamification disappearing" (, such as losing the appeal of making money ), and likewise, 38.7% of players gave up a blockchain game due to "gameplay disappearing" (, such as it no longer being fun ).

7. The top 5 blockchain games that players are looking forward to the most are: Xterio ecosystem games, MATR1X, Space Nation, Pixels, and BAC Games.

These survey results indicate that Web3 Gaming seems to be at a turning point, starting to return to a healthier development track. Current Web3 players place great importance on both "gameplay" and "gamification," valuing both equally.

Conclusion

Whether it is innovation in "gameplay" or "gamification," as long as it meets the needs of players, it is commendable. However, we must not overlook the essence of games - to satisfy people's needs for spiritual freedom and emotional release.

Although there are currently very few Web3 games that truly have playability and can meet the spiritual needs of players, as long as there is a demand for the spiritual aspect of gaming, Web3 Gaming will definitely have a future.

The market is waiting for a breakout point. Whether it's creating gamified products that make people "want to play" or developing highly engaging products that feel "fun," the ultimate goal is the same - to enlarge the market pie. In this way, both game developers and players can benefit from it.