3 blockchain gaming trends

The global gaming industry is now larger than the box office industry, and blockchain gaming trends will be critical to the future of gaming in general. In the first half of 2021 alone, blockchain gaming companies raised $476 million.

The growth of gaming shouldn’t surprise too many people. After all, gaming has morphed throughout the decades. Games used to be played on bulky consoles, and now billions of people can play games on their smartphones. 

Blockchain technology forces us to think differently about gaming. We are now seeing games emerge where players can earn crypto or NFTs by playing games that they enjoy, offering a much more engaging and rewarding experience than traditional games.

The advancement of the metaverse

We know gaming will play a critical role in metaverse growth, but what exactly will that look like? We know gamers enjoy virtual worlds in games such as Roblox and Fortnite, but what will gaming look like in the metaverse?

One thing is for sure: trends in blockchain gaming will also depend on which blockchains or projects end up dominating the metaverse. The most popular games will likely offer interoperability between various blockchains and metaverses. 

Of course, established gaming companies like Epic Games will have an advantage here, especially considering their ability to fund long-term metaverse plans and make strategic metaverse-related investments.

The growth of play-to-earn gaming

One of the most incredible things about decentralization is that it allows people to actually participate rather than passively consume. One of the driving concepts behind play-to-earn gaming is that gamers can now benefit from an entire ecosystem where they can earn crypto, buy/trade/sell NFTs, and even stake digital assets for profit. It also drives cryptocurrency sector growth in general.

There’s no way to deny it: play-to-earn gaming is here, and it’s arguably the most promising out of all of the blockchain gaming trends. For the first time, gamers can make money while playing games, and it can even lead to their cryptocurrency portfolio growing significantly. 

With 3 billion gamers worldwide, who wouldn’t want to start turning a profit while entertaining themselves? 

The role of DAOs

DAOs are decentralized autonomous organizations, allowing investors and contributors to help govern a project. This kind of decentralization allows anyone to contribute from anywhere globally, and many analysts see DAOs as the new way for gaming communities to operate. It might not be one of the most mentioned trends in blockchain gaming, but DAOs have gained significant traction recently.

DAOs offer more transparency regarding projects, which is another big step from the traditional model. Instead of massive corporations deciding how a game should evolve, anyone can spend time and effort to help build a gaming project. Also, they can have more of a voice in how the game operates or improves. DAOs can play a role in crowdfunding new games, as well.

Yield Guild Games is a great example of a play-to-earn gaming guild that is structured as a DAO. Space Warriors also boasts a DAO-based voting system.

The evolution of blockchain games

It’s difficult to say what blockchain games will be the most successful or which blockchains will truly succeed in the metaverse. There are also various catalysts to consider: will the NFT boom continue to fuel blockchain gaming? Will the rise of DAOs disrupt gaming communities? 

Will the metaverse genuinely be a gamechanger worth trillions of dollars, or will other catalysts that fuel trends in blockchain gaming? How will blockchain gaming trends respond to fluctuations in the crypto markets? It’s impossible to have all the answers.

Ultimately, the metaverse, play to earn gaming, and DAOs, will all play a role in the rise of blockchain gaming. It will be interesting to see which trends dominate the sector, and what trends eventually fade away.