Is it possible to earn money by playing games? If the promises of play-to-earn games are true, who pays the bills? How much do we need to start making money?
Before playing Splinterlands, the collectible card game of Hive blockchain, I asked myself the above questions. I completed my eighth season in Splinterlands last night, and I have experienced that the game can be monetized. The monetary equivalent of the rewards I received the previous season is $151 in the Splex.gg/Rewards tool's calculations. I received the said reward amount from my two accounts in the Champions league. On the other hand, we must also include the card rental expenses to calculate the net income generated in the two-week season.
The ROI Of Playing Splinterlands
There are four types of rewards in Splinterlands. We earn SPS tokens for the battles we win. The games we win give us daily, seasonal chests and rank rewards. There are SPS, card packs, cards, and other prizes, such as merits and potions from the chests. The luck factor is influential in the monetary rewards obtained from the chests. For example, yesterday, I won a legendary gold card worth $68. I also won 300+ SPS rewards several times.
The rewards increase as we progress through the leagues in Splinterlands. It takes a certain amount of time to move up in the leagues. For example, it took me three months to upgrade my accounts to the champions league. It is also an option to compete in bronze, silver, gold, or diamond leagues and aspire for ranking awards.
We are fighting with maximum-level cards in the diamond and champions leagues. A card investment of between $10k and $20k is required to build a competitive deck of cards. We can rent cards instead of buying them. Rents vary but cost between $5 and $7 per account per day. I make the rentals for two days. There is mana enforcement that limits the number of games that can be played in a given time. Therefore, I spend two days empty when the two-day rental period expires. Thus, I pay the rent of cards for seven days of the 14-day season. Last season, I paid $81 in card rent for my two accounts. When I subtract this amount from my $151 rewards, I see a $70 gain. The awards I received in previous seasons only covered the rental fees. I took some measures for more reward optimization. In my last article, I gave detailed information on the subject.
To win a prize in the game, paying 10 dollars at the beginning is necessary. Rental costs are more reasonable in the bronze and silver leagues. We can compete in these leagues by paying a rental fee of around 1 dollar per day. So on a $20 budget, we can play Splinterlands and start earning rewards. The SPS we make are paid out as staked. Unstake time is four weeks. We must consider this situation when calculating the budget we allocate to the game.
Major Factors Affecting Prize Amount
Our success in the game is one factor that affects rewards in Splinterlands. A winning percentage of 50% to 60% allows us to get significant rewards and move up in the leagues. Splinterlands is a sophisticated game, and the competition is top-notch. So it's natural to be defeated a lot in the beginning. Learning the game's rules and the cards' features is a prerequisite for success. Thus, we turn into better players over time by analyzing our defeats.
In Splinterlands, choices about buying or renting cards impact the results. As we are currently in bear season, card prices are reasonable. Also, it takes quite a while to rent a hundred cards each time. So I bought eighty percent of the cards used in the modern version of the game. Thus, I can compete in the top leagues by renting 25-30 expensive cards. I don't rent cards that cost more than 50 cents a day, as the higher the rental bill, the harder it is to get a positive in the game.
Owning or renting gold cards, which are relatively inexpensive and frequently used, will increase our reward. The guild level we are in and the extent to which we use focus cards affect the number of chests earned.
The sentiment of the crypto market also influent earnings. We are in the bear market now, so the rewards are modest.
Conclusion
At the beginning of the article, I asked who pays the bills for play-to-earn games. Investors and players who join the game after us pay the bills. The system is getting more attractive thanks to the improvements made. Splinterlands is an enjoyable game, unlike many play-to-earn games. Therefore, only some players necessarily have to earn money. I only made money from the game last season, let alone the increase in the value of the cards I own. I was satisfied with this situation. It would be better to name web3 games as play-and-earn. Play for fun; if you earn money, it will be fantastic!
The financial choices made while playing Web3 games have as much impact on the results as our success in the game. Players need to know when to buy and sell assets. In a valuable project like Splinterlands, HODL would be the best investment strategy. The change that came into effect today ensured that cards won as prizes are soulbound and, therefore, not to be sold in the short term.
The best players can earn significant income in the short term thanks to the tournament prizes and ranking awards. Average-skill players take a little longer to generate revenue. As in other fields, dedication and determination bring success sooner or later in Splinterlands.
Thank you for reading.