Quick Points
Currently, game companies have come under scrutiny for
their practices and how they charge players to play the games
Gaming could see a new revolution where it’s not just the “professional”
players and gaming companies that make money but all avid gamers and enthusiasts.
Major gaming companies have thrived off of console and PC gaming for years. AAA games (the gaming world equivalent of blockbuster movies) come with massive hype and even bigger budgets but bring in the most money yearly for video game production studios. Companies like EA, Activision, Ubisoft, and more have seen immense growth in their yearly profits from sales of things such as DLC, cosmetic accessory downloads, and more. Singular developers such as Bungie have milked their games for years and continue to make money off of constant story upgrades and even cosmetic in-game sales. As of recent sales evaluations of 2021, the gaming market makes $134.9 Billion per year worldwide, that is a massive amount of money!
Unjust Policies
Currently, game companies have come under scrutiny for their practices and how they charge players to play the games. EA came under fire for how they put most of their Star Wars games behind a paywall causing them to have to change their way of marketing the games from then on but in the process losing the faith of the gaming community as a whole. Bungie recently has taken a bit of heat from players as they are charging players extra to play things that were initially free before. In the past a person that bought their yearly DLC expansion would be able to get their “dungeons” aspects as well for free, now Bungie is charging players extra to even have that, meaning you can buy the expansion but you will have to pay even more to play something that was given for free initially. This move by Bungie has been met with wide criticism and anger. The frustration is understandable and a lot of companies are able to get away with this type of behavior because they prey on the loyalty of the fanbase. The players have invested a lot of time and energy into their game and the story and want to continue but must do so at a daunting price.
Unworthy Grind
This brings us to the new aspect of gaming, live service games. Games like Destiny 2, DOTA, Final Fantasy 14, Diablo, Outriders, and to some Extent Zelda BOTW involve playing the game for multiple years, investing a lot of time and effort into the progression of not only the story but your character and the overall game itself. With Destiny, I myself have spent over 72 days worth of time playing it (there are some players who have amassed 348 days worth of time and more ) and that means actually putting in the time, effort, and forgoing your own free time, family, friends, outings, etc. Lately, I have felt that that is time, not well-spent.
With the constant purging of our wallets for continuation only to receive gameplay that is recycled content at best, a story that is only fleshed out partly per expansion(literally the first month and then two or more months of nothing) one can only feel as if the grind is just that- a grind, a job, a chore. The thing about a chore is that there usually is a reward in the end. You mow your lawn to get a nice backyard that your neighbors would be jealous of, as a child you mowed lawns for a few dollars. You clean your room for your parents’ approval and if they are happy you can ask them for a favor or something else. Usually, a chore even if not materialistically rewarded will, in turn, reward you spiritually or mentally. With the grind of most games presents now, that is not always the case. This is why the new Play-to-earn model is going to change the way gaming is played completely.
A Worthy Grind
Imagine playing a live service game where your motivation is not cosmetic rewards for the avatar but rather those cosmetic rewards provide an increased value in your character that you could eventually sell-off for profit if you so desired. Imagine being able to play a game such as Destiny 2 or Final Fantasy 14 and instead of just being rewarded with a half-finished narrative or some poorly designed cape, you were instead rewarded with a token that could rise in value and be traded for profit that you could then use to live your life.
We have talked about games like Axie Infinity before and Star Atlas but gaming itself should be more rewarding than it is now. When I was a child I loved gaming but my parents always said it was a waste of time, I never understood that, until lately. As an adult, I still love gaming very much but I indeed see it as a way to waste time, enjoyable but not so rewarding. What if that were to change though? Gaming could see a new revolution where it’s not just the “professional” players and gaming companies that make money but all avid gamers and enthusiasts. As long as gaming remains decentralized and fair, this could be a new world that everyone can benefit from. This would be more of a worthy kind of grind.
Avocado Guild
It is with this idea of a “worthy grind” a grind that empowers the player that the Avocado Guild was created. Players are given an opportunity to make a better way for themselves in some areas that are not as financially stable as others. There has been amazing growth in the play to earn sphere and the Avocado Guild is right at the forefront of such growth. Recently, the Avocado Guild has announced a partnership with Blockbots furthering the quest to facilitate wider adoption of crypto games. The Avocado guild aims to unlock life-changing opportunities and rewarding experiences for all of its community members. You can find out more about the guild on their website.
With play to earn being a new and upcoming way of gaming, most gaming companies should really take a look at empowering their players even more before they get lost in what could easily be a maelstrom of better opportunities for gamers.