Why NFT Games Fail: Beyond the Hype

Photo by Andrey Metelev on Unsplash

I think it has been almost three years since the hype of NFT games started. Many people earned a lot of money, but many also lost their investments when the rewards became too small to recoup their initial investment.

Disclaimer: I am not a professional player or an online game analyst. I'm just an ordinary guy who has loved playing computer games since I was young. All the things written here are based on my experience and opinions as someone who loves computer games.

This is not an article against the Blockchain Game Community, but rather unsolicited advice for the improvement of games in the Blockchain for the future.

I believe the main problem is that Blockchain Games were initially presented as an earning opportunity rather than as enjoyable games.

Despite the games not being good or fun to play, many people jumped on the bandwagon due to the promise of earning potential.

NFT games marketed themselves as something where you can earn a lot of money instead of focusing on creating a good game that people can genuinely enjoy, with the earning aspect coming later.

The worst part is the high price you have to pay to play the game. Why not just focus on in-game purchases like upgrades parts etc? If the game is good, players will be willing to purchase in-game assets, not solely to earn more, but because they know it will enhance their gameplay.

I remember purchasing a skin in Mobile Legends Bang Bang because I want my character to be different from others.

Just consider many non-blockchain games out there where you can still earn money and even become popular if you're skilled at the game. These games offer real fun and are marketed as exciting games to play. They continue to thrive and are still played worldwide.

People playing these games not only enjoy the game itself but also make money from playing.

The second issue with Blockchain games lies in their earning mechanism. They make it easy for players to claim rewards, which leads players to resort to farming and using bots instead of actually playing the game.

As a result, a significant amount of money is pumping out of the game, but not much money is coming in. Eventually, these blockchain games will adjust their rules until new players no longer want to join, and old players start selling their assets because their initial intention was not to play the game, but rather to earn.

The third problem I see with Blockchain games is that developers are rushing the development process. Consequently, the games they create end up being boring and overly simplistic, leading to user disappointment.

I understand that this is subjective, as some might argue, "No! The game is really good!"

To make a game truly enjoyable, you need to analyze if it possesses the characteristics of a good game.

Let's set aside the other characteristics and focus solely on whether the game is engaging. How many NFT games have been developed that are genuinely fun to play? I've been in many group chats about Blockchain games, and so far, Splinterlands is the only game where I've heard people discuss strategies, tips, and tricks.

In other games, all I hear about is how they earned from the game and how easy it is to make money, and if anyone is buying.

What I'm trying to say is, please develop an enjoyable game. A game that can keep players engaged even without the earning aspect.

Here are some of my unsolicited advice to upcoming games:

• Don't flood the blockchain with Idle games

• Most card games are boring. If you want to create a card game, make Splinterlands your benchmark. If it doesn't surpass Splinterlands, just don't develop it.

What makes Splinterlands a great game to play is not only the story but also its user-friendly nature.

I know many players who don't earn much from this game, but they're still playing since 2021 (and I'm one of them).

When it comes to PvP games, Axie is the best for me. Other games that followed have corny graphics. Although Axie has good graphics, it's still not enough to keep you entertained; eventually, it becomes boring.

However, I can't deny that it's one of the best NFT games brought to us by blockchain technology.

Town Star by Gala Games is another blockchain game I like. Would you believe that I play that game because it stimulates my brain by requiring strategic thinking in town building? I never earned from it, but I love playing it.

The only reason I stopped playing is because it consumed too much of my time.

Lastly, if you're developing games, always strive to improve them. Many games have been neglected for far too long without any updates or developments. I don't know if the developers are simply waiting for players to lose interest. LOL.

Avoid pre-selling games and making claims that the game will be good once it is released. I remember a PvP game in 2021; I bought assets and tokens but decided to sell them before the game even started because I predicted that it wouldn't be good.

These were two PvP NFT games that aimed to replace Axie but didn't succeed. In the end, I earned a lot without even playing the game, solely because the game was hyped and the tokens were pumped.