Opinion: Unleashing the Power of AI to Bridge the Gap between Web3 and Conventional Gaming
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not reflect the views and opinions of crypto.news’ editorial team.
The world of Web3 gaming has always been a divisive aspect of the blockchain industry, which is a polarizing industry in itself. Its ups and downs have mirrored the broader crypto industry’s journey from prosperity to decline between 2021 and 2022. However, as crypto continues to grow steadily and decentralized finance gains more traction, few could have predicted that Web3 gaming would become more than just a niche sector.
Initially, traditional gamers found that many of these games were not entertaining and were a complicated way to stake tokens and NFTs that seemed “worthless.” However, in mid-March, the market cap of Web3 gaming tokens surpassed $30 billion for the first time since the previous bull run, when the sector reached its peak during the “play-to-earn” frenzy fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic. Within 24 hours, the GameFi sector’s market cap increased by six percent, outperforming the overall crypto market and indicating a shift in consumer behavior towards higher-risk investments.
While mainstream gamers may not be interested in the price fluctuations of Decentraland’s MANA or Gala Game’s GALA utility token, the emergence of AI in Web3 gaming signifies legitimacy and the potential to expand its user base. With the traditional gaming market projected to exceed $270 billion in 2024, Web3 games must appeal to gamers who are skeptical of any game that utilizes blockchain or mentions NFTs in its marketing material.
Thankfully, Web3 gaming studios and projects have realized that attracting traditional gamers requires a fresh approach. They are now focused on creating enjoyable games that closely resemble mainstream titles. To achieve this, Web3 gaming is actively recruiting experienced developers and executives from the mainstream gaming industry while utilizing AI to enhance in-game features, such as interactions with bots and the realistic simulation of immersive environments.
For example, Aptos Labs, the team behind the layer-1 chain, has recently partnered with Google Cloud to support the Aptos GameStack, a unified platform for creating, integrating, and connecting blockchain elements within games. By leveraging Google’s cloud infrastructure, Aptos contributes to the broader Web3 gaming sector by incorporating analytics, AI, and machine learning products, empowering developers to deliver a higher-quality gaming experience.
By integrating AI-powered features and tapping into the expertise of traditional game veterans, the space has clearly evolved from the play-to-earn era. However, there is still work to be done to attract mainstream players. A report from the Blockchain Gaming Association found that 55 percent of survey respondents consider the crypto onboarding process a major challenge, especially when players have to open a wallet to play.
While not directly addressing the problems of Web3 gaming, Exverse, a first-person shooter, embodies what the industry needs to do to embrace non-crypto gamers. This free-to-play game with AAA aspirations prioritizes gameplay and engaging storylines while utilizing AI to enhance interactions with non-player characters. Recently, Exverse garnered nearly 100,000 signups ahead of its upcoming alpha launch, all while providing an easy on-ramp for all types of gamers by allowing them to register via email, Discord, Telegram, or MetaMask.
By highlighting the advantages of Web3 gaming, such as asset ownership, and leveraging AI to enhance game quality and solve the user-unfriendly onboarding process, Web3 gaming now has more potential than ever to capture the attention of the world’s 3 billion gamers.
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