The world of online gaming has come a long way! Now, players have access to millions of different games and many different ways to play them. is estimated to be worth $1.62 billion in 2024. In 2023, it will cross 3 billion worldwide players.
The industry has also given rise to an entirely new class of people. There are professional players who make money by competing in tournaments or streaming their gameplay on social media. But while these changes are exciting and beneficial for many gamers, they’ve also left others feeling like they don’t get enough ownership over their virtual possessions.
Blockchain technology has the potential to create actual ownership among gamers everywhere! It can offer us more opportunities than ever before when it comes to gaming.
The Evolution of Online Gaming
Now that you know a little about the history of online gaming, let's take a look at how it has evolved over time. While the concept of playing games online is not new, it has become more prevalent and popular over time.
The accessibility and interactivity of games have also improved, making them more interactive than ever before. Take for instance an MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game), which can now be played asynchronously by gamers worldwide through their smartphones or consoles.
Moreover, certain social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter allow users to share their gaming experiences with other players from across different platforms in real-time. The online gaming economy is run by gamers and content creators.
Blockchain Technology and the Digital Revolution
Blockchain technology is a distributed digital ledger that records transactions. It’s a new way of storing and managing data, allowing for a decentralized database. While previous systems were centralized, blockchain technology allows various parties to access and view the same distributed data simultaneously.
Blockchain technology has three components:
- a public ledger (or chain),
- a consensus algorithm
- and cryptographic keys/hashes.
The first two can be used separately or together depending on whether your goal is financial transactions or digital identities/documents stored in a private database system. The third is for security and access/ownership.
Tokenization of In-Game Assets
In the past, most in-game assets have been controlled by the developers/shareholders of individual games. But as online gaming becomes more popular and sophisticated, gamers are demanding more control over their digital items.
Blockchain technology can allow game players to tokenize their virtual items and create a decentralized economy that is more transparent than previous models.
How Blockchain Will Change Multiplayer Games
Blockchain technology is already changing multiplayer games in a significant way. It can be used to create a decentralized economy and transparent gaming environment by eliminating the need for third-party intermediaries, ensuring that all players have fair access to rewards and resources, and providing more accurate data on player behavior.
Instead of having one central server (or "bank") that controls all transactions between players, there are multiple banks.
Each bank is controlled by different people who can transfer assets between themselves without having to go through a third party like PayPal or Apple Pay. These banks form their own economies based on their ability to generate trust among users within their system.
Besides providing these benefits, blockchain technology also allows gamers to be rewarded for their participation in the game with crypto tokens. an incentive that will increase engagement while incentivizing developers to create more engaging games.
Conclusion
It’s clear to see that the gaming industry is changing, and it’s not just because of blockchain technology. VR, AR, and other new technologies are also playing a part in this transformation. But when we look at the massive potential of blockchain technology, it becomes apparent that we could be on the verge of an entirely new paradigm for interactive entertainment coupled with a free economy.