1. The evolution of GameFi: from AAA games to TG games
The pros and cons of different types of GameFi projects
Since the rise of the GameFi sector in 2018, it has undergone a profound transformation. From the initial ambitious 3A-level blockchain game project to the now popular Telegram (TG) mini-game, this evolution process not only reflects the shift in market demand, but also reflects the entire industrys rethinking of user experience.
Early GameFi projects often targeted large-scale 3A games, with development cycles of 3 to 5 years and investments of tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of dollars. These projects are like giant ships in the blockchain world, carrying the ambitions of developers and investors. However, the high threshold of these games has also become a double-edged sword. Players not only need to have a deep knowledge of cryptocurrency, but also need to be equipped with high-performance hardware. For example, projects such as Illuvium and Big Time, although they combine NFT and DeFi elements and show extremely high-quality game graphics, their complex mechanisms and high participation costs have also kept a large number of potential users out.
As the market develops, a new trend has quietly emerged. TG mini-games have quickly gained the favor of a large number of users due to their simple and easy-to-use features. These games have a short development cycle and relatively low investment costs, and users only need an ordinary smartphone to participate. Games such as Dice Bot and Rock Paper Scissors Bot, although simple in form, can attract a large number of users in a short period of time, showing amazing vitality.
Analyzing the changes in user groups: from cryptocurrency enthusiasts to traditional gamers
This transformation is not only reflected in the form of games, but also in the changes in user groups. The early GameFi project mainly attracted cryptocurrency enthusiasts and blockchain technology enthusiasts, many of whom were studios or professional players who came to earn gold. This also explains why early 3A masterpieces/stand-alone games were so popular, such as the explosive growth of Axie Infinity in 2021 is a typical example.
However, with the launch of the Bitcoin ETF in 2024, more traditional users are beginning to get involved in the crypto space. Games have become the fastest way to connect Web2 and Web3 users. Traditional gamers are more likely to adapt to the GameFi ecosystem due to their existing gaming experience. Nevertheless, the learning cost is still a challenge that cannot be ignored. To this end, many projects have begun to adopt more user-friendly interfaces and simplified game mechanics to lower the entry barrier. For example, the pixel-style MMO game Pixels uses a wallet-free gaming experience, and players can log in directly through their social media accounts, greatly simplifying the participation process.
This evolutionary trend shows that GameFi is trying to find a balance between the innovation of blockchain technology and the playability of traditional games. It not only meets the needs of cryptocurrency enthusiasts, but also attracts a large number of traditional game players. This transformation is still ongoing, and the key to surviving in this battle royale lies in whether the project can truly understand and meet the needs of users.
2. GameFi’s Evolution: From “Play to Earn” to “Earn to Play”
The rise and fall of the “play to earn” model: early success and sustainability challenges
The Play-to-Earn, P2E model in the GameFi field has also attracted the attention of the Web3 world. This model allows players to obtain actual economic returns through games, subverting the one-way investment model of players in traditional games. The application of blockchain technology provides unprecedented transparency and security for P2E games, allowing achievements in the virtual world to be converted into value in the real world. The success of games such as Axie Infinity shows the huge potential of this model.
However, the P2E model also faces ongoing challenges. First, the limitations of blockchain technology, especially the difficulty of cross-chain communication, limit the scalability of games. Most P2E games are still limited to a single blockchain, which to some extent hinders the expansion of the user base. Second, economic incentives may weaken the entertainment value of games, making them more like work rather than leisure activities. Financial rewards have become their main motivation for playing games, rather than the fun of the game itself.
In addition, the high entry cost and learning threshold have also become obstacles to the popularization of the P2E model. Data shows that the initial investment of some popular P2E games may be as high as hundreds of dollars, which is a considerable threshold for many potential players.
The rise of the earn to play concept: reshaping the balance between gaming experience and economic incentives
At present, the GameFi field has explored a new direction, which is the Earn-to-Play or Tap-to-Earn model. This model attempts to rebalance the gaming experience and economic incentives, and put the focus back on the fun of the game itself.
The core idea of the Tap-to-Earn model is that players first earn certain tokens or assets through simple tasks or activities, and then use these assets to participate in a deeper gaming experience. This approach lowers the entry barrier while retaining the element of economic incentives.
Take Notcoin on the Ton chain as an example. This application has attracted a lot of users to participate. According to official data, the number of people participating in mining at that time was as high as 36 million. Users can use the robot on Telegram to participate and earn more rewards by continuously clicking on the mobile phone screen.
Another advantage of the earn to play model is its sustainability. By lowering the entry barrier and emphasizing the fun of games, this model can attract a wider user base, not just cryptocurrency enthusiasts. According to an industry survey, more than 40% of new users of games that adopt the earn to play model come from the traditional gaming field, which greatly expands GameFis market potential.
However, the earn and play model also faces challenges. How to avoid inflation and token depreciation while maintaining economic incentives is still a problem that developers need to explore continuously. Some successful projects, such as Sweatcoin, have achieved a relatively stable token economy by strictly controlling the issuance of tokens and designing a diverse consumption mechanism.
Overall, the earn to play model represents an important transformation in the GameFi space, which attempts to find a better balance between gaming fun and financial returns. As technology advances and more innovative projects emerge, we have reason to believe that GameFi will continue to evolve and bring players a richer and more sustainable gaming experience.
3. Challenges and Innovations in Economic Models
Liquidity management strategy: avoiding the death spiral of economic models
In fact, GameFis economic model is very simple. Most of the early GameFi projects adopted a simple mining-withdrawal-sale model. Although this model can attract a large number of users in the short term, it is often difficult to sustain and easily fall into an economic death spiral.
In this model, the interests of project owners and players often conflict. In order to maintain the token price, some projects may take some controversial measures, such as adjusting the difficulty of mining or increasing the withdrawal threshold, which further exacerbates the conflict with players. At the same time, some players also regard the game as a pure money-making tool, ignoring the entertainment value and long-term development of the game itself.
Exploring sustainable economic models: utility tokens and in-game value creation
In order to solve the current problems in the GameFi sector, some projects have begun to explore new economic models. Among them, the PVP (Player vs. Player) model has received widespread attention. In this model, the platform plays more of a content provider role, creating a battle environment for players, rather than directly participating in the economic cycle. This model is particularly important in the seed user stage, as it can help projects quickly accumulate an initial user base while avoiding excessive intervention in the economic system.
However, there are still many challenges in building a sustainable economic model. The immaturity of the market and technology, coupled with the short-term profit-seeking mentality of investors and players, makes it difficult for many projects to balance short-term appeal and long-term sustainability. Although large AAA GameFi projects have the potential to create more complex and lasting economic systems, their high barriers to entry and long development cycles also limit their popularity.
In contrast, small games, especially those running on social platforms such as Telegram, have shown unique advantages. These games not only have a low entry threshold, but can also quickly bring entertainment experience and economic returns to users, making the act of playing games itself valuable. This model not only meets the entertainment needs of users, but also brings them economic benefits in a short period of time, thus achieving a balance between spiritual pleasure and material returns.
As for the technical value level, the application of blockchain provides new possibilities for improving the security and fairness of games. Games on the entire chain greatly reduce the risks of fraud, cheating and unauthorized modification by utilizing blockchain technology and decentralized consensus mechanisms. This is essential for building a fair and transparent gaming environment, especially attracting those gaming communities that value competitiveness.
As the market develops, we have seen an interesting phenomenon: a large number of GameFi projects appear in each bull-bear cycle, but only a few survive for a long time and are remembered by players. The current rise of Telegram games reflects the FOMO sentiment of the market to some extent, and also provides a convenient entry for Web2 users to enter the Web3 world. This trend may promote further segmentation of the GameFi field, such as the differentiation between 3A masterpieces and small casual games.
With the advent of the bull market, capital is paying more and more attention to the GameFi market. This is both an opportunity and a challenge. On the one hand, the influx of funds can promote technological innovation and the improvement of game quality; on the other hand, how to maintain the essence of the game and user experience under the pursuit of capital will be an important issue facing the GameFi project.
Looking ahead, the innovation of GameFis economic model will continue. The project needs to find a balance between attracting new users and retaining old users, and may need to design more complex token economics and game mechanisms. At the same time, how to meet users needs for both entertainment and income while avoiding the misunderstanding of a simple money-making tool will be the key to whether the GameFi project can achieve long-term sustainable development.
4. Future Outlook: GameFi’s Evolutionary Direction
Can GameFi become the Super Mario of the crypto world or become Tetris?
A key question for GameFi’s future direction is: Can GameFi become the “Super Mario” of the crypto world, or will it become “Tetris”? This metaphor is quite apt, as Super Mario represents broad popularization potential, while Tetris symbolizes a niche but enduring game type.
To achieve a popular breakthrough like Super Mario, a true killer game needs to appear in the GameFi field. This game should be able to attract a large number of users, not only because of its economic incentives, but also because of its excellent gameplay and innovative design. For example, if a game of the quality of Black Myth: Wukong appears in the GameFi field, it is likely to trigger a rush of users and drive the entire industry towards popularization.
At present, GameFi has made some progress in the field of small games, especially on social platforms such as Telegram. These games successfully combine entertainment with economic returns, allowing users to obtain tangible benefits while enjoying spiritual pleasure. The success of this model provides important inspiration for the future development of GameFi: even small games can attract a large number of users as long as they can balance playability and economic incentives.
Prospects of integration with the traditional gaming industry
However, for GameFi to truly achieve mass adoption, it will need to deeply integrate with the traditional gaming industry. This integration may bring a series of challenges, the most prominent of which is the issue of taxation. If the play-to-earn model is widely used in traditional games, then how to tax game revenue will become a complex legal and policy issue. Especially now that Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs have been passed and blockchain is gradually entering the world of compliance, governments may need to formulate new regulations to meet this challenge, which will undoubtedly affect the development trajectory of GameFi.
Another trend worth noting is the differentiation of the GameFi field. On the one hand, we may see more mature 3A-level GameFi projects emerge. With their high-quality graphics, rich plots, and complex game mechanics, such games have the potential to attract a large number of traditional game players. For example, if an open-world RPG game combined with blockchain technology comes out and can provide a gaming experience comparable to traditional 3A masterpieces, it is likely to become a key factor in driving GameFi to the mainstream.
On the other hand, small GameFi games for ordinary users will continue to flourish. These games may focus more on social and casual elements, providing users with a quick, simple but fun gaming experience. For example, we may see more GameFi projects that combine social network features, allowing users to naturally participate in games and earn money in their daily social interactions.
In general, the future development of GameFi will be diversified. It may not completely copy the popularity path of Super Mario, nor will it be limited to the niche status of Tetris. Instead, we may see an ecosystem of games of various types and sizes gradually take shape. In this ecosystem, large 3A games and small social games coexist, and traditional game elements and blockchain technology are deeply integrated to provide diverse choices for different types of users. The success of GameFi will depend on whether it can continuously improve the user experience while maintaining innovation and effectively solving key challenges such as economic sustainability and legal compliance.
