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Gaming is a leader in up-and-coming technologies. Though gaming itself has been around almost as long as computers have, crypto-native games are largely still in the experimentation phase.
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In an article posted by gubsheep in August of 2021, crypto-native games are said to follow the following architectural principles:
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Source of truth for game data is the blockchain
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Game logic and rules are implemented via smart contract
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The game is developed in accordance with open ecosystem principles
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The game is client-agnostic
- The game data store is permissionless
- Game logic can be executed in a permissionless way
- The community can interact with the core smart contracts without relying on interfaces provided by a core team.
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The following are not considered to be “crypto-native games”:
- A traditional mobile game with a crypto wallet integration
- A TCG where card assets are stored as ERC-721 (NFT) tokens on Ethereum, but battles happen off-chain
- A DeFi app that is gamified or has playful skin (ex: DeFi Kingdoms)
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Games that are not crypto-native by definition may be successful in ways that games using the blockchain cannot. However, it is of immense value to explore crypto-native games for a core understanding of the long-term applications of blockchain tech. Game mechanics which follow these principles allow for the exploration of new incentive and ownership models which have been made possible by blockchain tech.
Much of the “gaming” space that I have seen in crypto thus far relates more to wallet add-ons and off-chain NFT games. Are there any projects making strides in true crypto-native gaming?