Solana Wants to Lead the Crypto Gaming Charge—Here’s How

Whereas naysayers proceed to name NFTs and the related blockchain video games a money seize, the Solana Basis intends to flip the script and alter the narrative, making a public push final week with its PlayGG occasion in San Diego.

“The reception and the thrill from each the attendees and our developer group has been wonderful,” Solana Video games Normal Supervisor Johnny Lee instructed Decrypt on the occasion, which spotlighted quite a lot of video games constructing on Solana.

Lee stated the Solana Basis hoped the free two-day occasion would entice traders, the media, and native San Diego households to expertise blockchain gaming in a means that didn’t emphasize crypto or NFTs. The occasion included video games like Star Atlas, Aurory, and Alchemy: Battle for Ankhos, and featured skilled players from the G2 Esports crew.

“By definition, we’re a Web3-related occasion, however we do not consider this as a Web3 occasion,” Lee stated. “We name it PlayGG: play good video games.”

Realizing that “NFT” is usually a grimy phrase amongst members of the gaming group, many builders are distancing themselves from the time period, as an alternative calling them digital collectibles. Lots of the video games offered at PlayGG, not like blockchain video games of the previous (like play-to-earn video games), didn’t push NFTs or token rewards.

Lots of the video games, the truth is, don’t require any type of fee or cryptocurrency to play. Lee stated that the aim for titles supported by the Solana Video games initiative shouldn’t be merely to be higher than different blockchain video games, however to face tall even when in comparison with conventional (or “Web2”) titles.

“We now have all the time believed and centered on [the idea] that Web3 video games must compete with all video games, not competing solely with different blockchain video games,” Lee stated. “I feel it was vital to point out good video games as quickly as potential—that we’re utilizing blockchain expertise to offer distinctive and high quality participant experiences.”

To ensure Solana Gaming solely helps video games which have promise, Lee stated sport builders must current a construct of the sport first and let his crew play them. Over 50 such video games had been current on the PlayGG occasion.

“When sport builders would strategy us for any modicum of economic assist, we required a play take a look at,” he stated, “and we introduced it publicly within the business.”

One of many fundamental complaints that many gaming followers had of earlier “metaverse” and blockchain video games was the low high quality and excessive value of entry. Lee stated that Solana Video games is keen to spend the capital and time it takes to make sure that high quality video games are launched on the Solana community.

“We had been ready to take a short-term enterprise hit to correctly construct the long-term worth of our video games ecosystem,” Lee stated.

Whereas Lee is optimistic about the way forward for gaming on Solana, he acknowledged that the blockchain has had points previously. Nevertheless, he stated the community is stronger now than ever earlier than, and claimed that it’s going to haven’t any downside supporting video games and transactions. He additionally pointed to optimism across the upcoming Firedancer validator shopper, which can additional assist stabilize the community.

“Whereas the identify ‘Firedancer’ is cool, the work it is doing is much more so,” Lee stated. “Its testnet has surpassed our expectations with its efficiency enhancements.”

Whereas lots of the video games at SolanaPlayGG had been nonetheless in improvement, Lee is assured that they might match up nicely in opposition to comparable video games from the standard sport business when they’re prepared for public launch.

“We are able to confidently say now that the far majority of our video games have the potential to compete with different mainstream video games in comparable genres,” Lee stated. “We’re very excited for this subsequent stage of Web3 video games.”