Gaming without limits — the journey into the blockchain-powered gaming world with Kristaps Vaivods
by kp_spbch on 13 December 2020 with No Comments
The era of gaming has just started!
By Paweł Sobotkowski
With Christmas approaching, game sales soaring, and exciting new releases (like Hash Rush — one of the top 10 most expected blockchain games of 2020!), it is the most game-azing time of the year for all gamers and non-gamers alike! There will be scarily good gaming stories and tales of the gaming glories, and gaming might just as well be 2020s saving grace when we finally wrap up the year.
The era of gaming has just started! In 2020 alone, global gaming revenue is projected to exceed 159 billion dollars, which is a 9,3% increase from 2019, and early predictions show that the numbers are only set to go up. With the emergence of new technologies, such as blockchain, the future of gaming looks more promising than ever.
Gaming executives around the world see the blockchain-powered gaming world as more secure (23%), better at establishing customer trust (19%), and cheaper to maintain (17%), and many gamers share their sentiments, hoping for the creation of the first gaming Multiverse.
Kristaps Vaivods, the co-founder and CEO of VZ Games, is a veteran blockchain enthusiast, who believes in the potential of a player-owned gaming economy. Currently, he and his studio are working on the flagship title called Hash Rush, which will allow players to monetize their time. With the help of Kristaps Vaivods, we will explore the world of possibilities that the blockchain-powered gaming world might bring to the table.
Game starts, but before you go, you are invited to a special winter gaming quest — The Hash Rush winter event starting on the 21st of December. During the event, you will be able to collect unique seasonal resources and craft limited edition items that will be tokenized and tradable next year. If you want to take part in the event register and download the game on www.hashrush.com!
Happy gaming Christmas and let us give the voice to Kristaps Vaivods!
How can blockchain reshape the landscape of the gaming world?
Blockchain gaming will be the next big shift in the $167B industry, no doubt about that! Using this technology, gamers will be able to take control of their digital goods, and developers on the other hand will be able to apply new monetization methods. Applying blockchain technology to virtual worlds will bring the gaming experience closer to the real-world than ever.
Do you think that blockchain will speed up the development of the gaming multiverse shortly?
Yes, definitely! In the blockchain space, we are looking to soon bring into play the missing source — interoperability. This means that we will have several individuals distributed networks, but they will be closely linked. Meaning that I as a user could easily 'jump' from blockchain to blockchain and use the benefits of each network. When this stage is reached, we will see the first gaming Multiverse spurt out of the newly established blockchain ecosystem.
The gaming sales soar around Christmas — do you think that blockchain could change the traditional sales periods for games?
I do not think we will see drastic changes in seasonal consumer behavior by applying blockchain technology to this rapidly growing market.
Is Christmastime the most exciting time in the gaming calendar, or would you say that the gaming peak season is actually different?
I believe that Christmastime is the most existing and important time of the year for almost any consumer-based business.
How has the gaming world changed during the pandemics?
There is a huge increase in market activity. Players spend more time and money than ever on video games. People are forced into their homes, and gaming can be an immersive and entertaining pastime activity. It makes sense that we are experiencing rapid growth.
Has the role of Easter eggs in games changed over the years? Do you think blockchain could affect it significantly?
I love Easter eggs in games! It is so much fun to be the first to get your hands on or witness something unique. Blockchain could give the hunt of Easter eggs a more competitive and exclusive edge to it. The technology could keep an open ledger of activity and allow players to permanently write their name in the history of the specific game by e.g. being the first to find a specific Easter Egg.
Can blockchain games produce high revenue if players can freely sell their game assets once they decide to stop playing the game?
Blockchain is introducing diverse artillery of tools for developers to monetize their user base. One of these systems would be commissions on P2P trades.
Recent research showed that sixty-three percent of gamers say they would spend more if virtual goods had real-world value, and could be traded or sold.
How do blockchain-powered games compare to traditional games in terms of security?
Blockchain technology can provide an extra layer of security than using only a central server system. Being a distributed ledger blockchain can maintain the safety of user's funds, trading, and accounts.
How can we play games and get paid for it, especially in the blockchain gaming model?
There are different types of play-to-earn models available in the blockchain-gaming space. Players can compete in different challenges and receive cryptocurrency that later can be exchanged for real money. Otherwise, they can just enjoy a game and sell their unwanted loot to other players for real-world value.
What's one of the gaming trends you embrace with open arms?
As a gamer, I appreciate community-driven games. They embrace a strong connection between developers and the community. Developers allow players to participate in key decisions of the product or even allow them to easily create the gamer's vision of the developer's product through different mods.
What can game developers gain from blockchain-powered games? What do they lose if they decide to use blockchain technology for their games?
Blockchain will provide developers with new opportunities yet add a layer of complexity. The pillars of blockchain are decentralization and openness. For developers, this means that they will need to give more control to the player as well as be more transparent with their communities.
What does the gaming infrastructure look like for blockchain-powered games?
The current gaming infrastructure is not yet fully open and that is why not ready for the changes that blockchain will bring to it. I think that the biggest obstacle for the conservative gaming industry is to wrap their heads around this idea that gamers own their items and control the economy, not them anymore. The idea of player-owned economies directly clashes with several business models that currently exploit gamers and developers: loot boxes, fraudulent micro-transactions, monopolized distribution networks, and so on.
What types of games could thrive in the blockchain-powered gaming world?
I believe that any game can thrive by adopting blockchain technology. We do not have to limit ourselves to just a few genres or game modes. Any game and its players would benefit from transparency, security, and other abilities that this technology brings to the table.
The gaming future will be gamer-friendly!
With the emergence of blockchain solutions, the gaming landscape is likely to undergo a dramatic transformation, becoming more immersive and transparent than ever before. For the first time in history, we will be all living in the gamers' world, and all gaming feudal systems will turn into player-owned economies, which let gamers freely sell and trade their assets. Kristaps Vaivods sees the blockchain-powered gaming world as the chance to build a gaming multiverse, where transparency, security, trust, and profitability go hand in hand. Perhaps with the development of technology, his vision will become a reality within the next few years — only time will tell if the gaming world is ready to take things to the next level.