TRUST ISSUES, what Developers owe players
Trust Issues (in Gaming)
If you want long term engagement, you need to build the trust in players first. Players want to know that the time and money they invest will not vanish due to instability, developer mismanagement, or abrupt shutdowns. However, gaming industry continues confusing players with high-profile incidents of shutdowns that have eroded player confidence.
PlayStation’s Concord is a prime example of a live-service game meeting an expected shutdown. Despite promises of longevity, the game was shut down weeks after its PS5 launch due to poor player uptake. For players who had invested time and money in the game this closures felt like an ice shower, with the reality of how much control the developers have in decision making over the actual players of the game; a problem inherent in the centralization of decision making.
Such incidents underscore the need for stability and transparency. Players want assurances that their time and investments will be respected. Fortunately, advancements in decentralization and blockchain technology create a clear vision of how developers can offer trust to players early on in the relationship, even before the game goes live.
Decentralization Increases Stability
Traditional, centralized games are entirely dependent on the developer keeping them running. If the company shuts down a server, the game, the assets, all associated player investments, disappear. This leaves players vulnerable to decisions outside their control.
Decentralization is a viable alternative. By hosting games across multiple nodes (networks), the risk of a single point of failure is minimized. Decentralized games can continue to operate even if the original developer ceases support, as long as there are players willing to support it and those players have the comfort of knowing their work can be preserved as long as they desire.
For example, blockchain-based games often operate on decentralized networks, ensuring that the core game and its assets remain functional even if the developer team disbands. This design builds trust in players that they can invest more time and effort into a game, knowing it will survive.
Transparency = Trust
One of the strongest aspects of blockchain is its transparency. In gaming, this shows advantages in randomization fairness, asset ownership, and developer accountability.
Fairness in Randomization
Randomized rewards, such as loot boxes or item drops, haven’t received skepticism from players and even lead to lawsuits. Developers have been accused of manipulating odds or creating pay-to-win schemes. Blockchain offers a solution by making random number generation (RNG) auditable.
Using smart contracts, games can openly display the odds of certain outcomes, providing players with open and verifiable fairness. For example, blockchain-based games like Gods Unchained show the RNG processes, reducing skepticism and risk of litigation.
Accountability in In-Game Economies
Blockchain allows every transaction to be recorded on a ledger. This ensures that in-game purchases, trades, or transfers are traceable, reducing the chance of fraud or manipulation. Players can trust their assets are protected by the design, not just promises of the developers.
Ownership Rights
Unlike traditional games, where assets are often owned by the developer, blockchain gives players ownership of their digital assets. This means no surprise bans, lost access, or server shutdowns causing lost their investments.
NFTs: The Ultimate Trust Mechanism
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) give players ownership and a higher level of trust built directly into the technology. With NFTs, players don’t just own items in a game, they own them completely, allowing players to transfer the assets and protect their investments no matter the originating game’s future.
Cross-Game Utility
NFTs allow players to transfer assets across multiple games or platforms, protecting the value of the asset(s). For example, a suit won or purchased in one game could be used in another, creating a sense of permanence and reducing the fear of investing in a game that might eventually shut down.
Secondary Market Opportunities
Players can sell or trade NFTs on exchanges, providing real-world value to the creator of the asset and the game developers. This provides optionality to the player and additional revenue to the asset creator and developer through royalties (as noted in previous articles). This feature also increases trust, as players know their investment of time and resources have value on a secondary exchange.
Long-Term Value
Even if a game is not supported by developers or nodes in the future, the NFTs acquired can be used in future games. This is another safety net for players, ensuring their time and money aren’t lost at the decision of a single company.
Developers who leverage blockchain and NFTs are considerate to players’ needs and will attracting them to play the blockchain based game over an equivalent game not using blockchain.
Trust = Commitment
Trust is the key to long-term player engagement. When users are confident games are fair and won’t randomly shut down, they’re naturally more likely to invest their time and resources. Blockchain is the foundation technology of building trust in an industry that has faced recent controversies.
By giving players ownership of their assets, proving fair gameplay through transparency, and protecting investments in games through decentralized networks, developers can create experiences that transcend their own game. This isn’t just a nice to have feature, it is the future of gaming.