When it comes to sports or esports where the money comes from is usually the same thing: the audience. This is why athletes get big sponsorships and paychecks as they draw in big crowds. When it comes to gaming their can be big cash prizes when they win a tournament but those tournaments can afford it as they are live-streaming the event. But what if crypto gives us a way to reward gamers who play well without the use of a crowd. Can we get to a place where ranked seasons in themselves can help games pay the bills without the revenue from streaming.
Almost all online competitive games have ranked matches and seasons. And every season players compete to get to the top of the ranking list. There is usually tiers so people finish in different groups depending on how good they are. These seasons usually go for a month but can be shorter or longer depending on the game. And when they are done the top players usually get a reward. This could be a title or a skin for your character, something that says you did well that season and were one of the top ranked players. These rewards have no monetary value outside of the game but that can be changed with blockchain technology.
By using blockchain in games we can make sure that ranked matches are legit and give out rewards that players can sell for an income. This can be rare in-game items or even cryptocurrency. This will lead to ranked matches being a competitive sport themselves, one that does not require a crowd and one that can reward thousands and thousands of gamers. Sure the prize will not be as a big as a big tournament but it could be a fun way to earn money on the side for your skills. Plus the top matches could be streamed by the company of the game to bring in more revenue and get more prizes for the players.
It also doesn't have to be seasonal rewards, you could give out rewards with every ranked win. The reward could be a key that opens a random chest that has rare items it in so you will cut down on scarcity and increase the value or the rewards.
This technology can lead to a new revenue source for esports and could give gamers a way to compete who do not want to get involved at the higher levels. It is still early in the blockchain space but I think rank seasons are going to be drastically changed in the months or years to come and this will bring in a new layer of esprots.
