When I Started Playing
August 29, 2021. I've been playing this game for a little less than a month, and I'm here to talk to you about my experience with the game. This is actually the very first NFT game I've ever played, and is also the game that introduced me to the crypto-currency market.
Why I started Playing
Initially, I wanted to make a quick buck. In my country, we're still under quarantine because of the padnemic, and I've always been a fan of card games such as HearthStone, Yu-Gi-Oh and so on. I was cautious and skeptical about Splinterlands, since I knew absolutely nothing about crypto-currency, and the stories about how crazy the market can fluctuate really did serve as quite the barrier. When I saw that the initial investment was just 10 USD. I thought to myself (alright, let's give it a try and see how it works).
My Experience During the First Week
Early on, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. I breezed through the tutorial, and for the first few hours, I didn't even know that ranged couldn't attack from the first position (LOL, yes, it pays to pay attention to the tutorial). I must say though, the mechanics of the game immediately drew me in. Reading your opponents, theory crafting, something as simple as switching up card positions to impact the outcome of the game, I enjoyed the process of everything so much.
Of course, like all current new players, I eventually found myself thinking to myself, (how can I possibly compete with players who have better cards than I do at this point? Rentals are way too expensive, and DEC earnings are way too slow). Then I remembered, I made a 10$ investment, of course I couldn't expect myself to compete with people who've been playing this game for years, that's just not how it works. With all that in mind though, I still reached Bronze I with nothing but starter cards, and at the end of the first season, I got lucky enough and pulled 2000 DEC from the chest.
Now, I know not a lot of people are gonna be pulling 2000 DEC, an epic, a legendary, a gold foil in their first few days of playing, but what I am saying is this. IT IS possible to make up that 10$ investment through just having fun with the game and through not rushing it. It's possible to make a buck while having fun. Imagine this, Tripl A videogames will ask you for 50$ and give you a fun time, but that's it. This game asked me for 10$ gave me a fun time, and gave back the money for me to either withdraw, or in my case, HAPPILY re-invest in the game for rentals and cards.
Where I Currently Am With the Game 1 Month Later
1 Month later, I've willingly invested 500 USD, because it's a game I'm having fun with. Not only was the 10$ entry very forgiving, but it also allowed me to slowly ease my way into the world of crypto-currencies. Now I can understand how the market works a bit better, and weigh my options out in ways that profit me. There were several times wherein I could've withdrawn and cashed out my earnings, but I am willingly re-investing back into the game, because the future looks like it's only about to get better, and I'm still genuinely having fun playing this game.
My Advice for New Players
JUST HAVE FUN! If you're looking to earn a quick buck or think that you'll make 500$ within a month after a 10$ investment, this game probably isn't for you. I trust the game because I have fun. If it's not fun for you, then maybe another game would serve you better. Splinterlands has been around for quite sometime, but to a new player like me, it feels like it's just beginning to get good, and that excites me quite a lot. I don't see myself withdrawing my investment anytime soon.
My Hopes for the Game
Currently, from my experience at least, the game seems to be encountering a few main issues:
- Unstable Servers
- Massive Bot farms
All of which the devs are currently addressing. I know that bots are a controversial issue because they do help with the game's economy, such as helping players find games MUCH faster. However, like a lot of players raised, they do cut down the reward pool by a hefty amount and leave those who actually take time to strategize and play the game properly feel like they're losing out. It also does cause a few issues on card prices in the market, since whales with several bots can basically hoard all reward cards and largely (not wholely) dictate what price a specific card may go for in the market.
All that being said though, the devs have stated that they're working on these issues, and I am a HUGE fan of how the devs always choose longevity over short-term big gains. Over-all I think my current hopes for the game's future will be addressed, and I'm just happy to still be investing my time and effort into the game a month later. :)