Crypto investment has become a popular but challenging prospect. Making a serious investment in any space that’s still pretty new can be nerve-racking stuff –– then again, if finding good investments were always easy, everyone would do it. This has proven to be as true in crypto as anywhere else, but within the crypto universe, a few potentially profitable landscapes are beginning to take shape. And gaming is one of them.
The pieces haven’t all fallen into place just yet, and there remain no guarantees of fruitful investments. But with the right spread, there’s potential in the space for getting in on some ventures that might just pay off. Here, we’ll look at a few interesting ways in which crypto is becoming part of the gaming industry.
Play-to-Earn Games
Play-to-earn is essentially a concept by which gamers earn one form of currency or another based on how long they play a given game, or what they achieve in said game. To date, play-to-earn games have been most popular in countries where there is poverty or hyperinflation. In such scenarios, play-to-earn can be viewed as one more chance to generate a little extra income. But now, industry movers like Square Enix and EA are banking on the idea that crypto will represent a new lease on life for the model, and it is possible that the long-term deflationary tendency of major cryptos will attract more people to it who were less keen previously. In other words, play-to-earn with crypto on the line could be more broadly normalized (and indeed there are already some games popularizing the concept).
As a Layer Underpinning NFT Assets
A lot of people thought NFTs wouldn’t last, but so far they’ve stuck around. Gaming NFTs have found a place on marketplaces like Opensea and Pancake Swap, so it’s worth paying attention to cryptos associated with those platforms in particular –– whether that means digital coins connected to popular games themselves, the marketplaces, or the mediums of exchange. As with play-to-earn, there are some concerns that a number of gamers are put off by the prospect of more in-game purchases. However some games that are fun and well-balanced, where micro-transactions aren’t a substitute for an absurd amount of “grinding” or “pay-to-win” are less likely to draw gamers’ ire.
Online Poker
Digital poker is already a magnet for large transaction volumes, and has been for quite some time. And while this particular game may not be drawing as many headlines as giant metaverses and open-world experiences, savvy investors know that the popularity of poker is pretty dependable. Already, crypto-based poker sites have launched in a number of U.S. states where poker sites more generally are legal, and there is a hope in the industry that their use might encourage lawmakers to legalize the game in all states. In France meanwhile, winnings denominated in Bitcoin have been around for some time already –– so it appears the sky’s the limit if and when “crypto poker” catches on more broadly.
Online Slot Machines
While we’re on the subject of betting games, one that’s a bit more of a gray area (in French law at least) is online slot gaming. That doesn’t mean there aren’t investments to be mad; the pandemic has brought about a boom for online betting generally, and advantages such as faster registration and transactions make crypto appealing in the industry. For that matter, there are even some crypto-themed slot machines already. Basically, at this stage, it’s difficult to map out exactly how crypto will spread into the world of online slots. But whether through one-off crypto slots, games with crypto bonuses, or entire casino gaming sites accepting crypto deposits, it does seem likely that more movement will occur.
The gaming industry has had all-digital transactions for many years by this point, making it fertile ground for the embrace of crypto. Assuming crypto gaming in general continues apace, there could yet be some interesting space for early investment in the sector –– though once again, there’s no such thing as a guarantee.
