Rebecca McCarthy 
The world of online gaming is ripe for a very serious financial evolution. Or better yet, revolution. When blockchain became all the rage, it was expected that suddenly, some of the persistent online gaming issues would be solved easily. It didn’t happen. However, the future of digital currency in online gaming still holds a lot of potential, and we see a lot of progress being made. So, what is the future? It’s safe to argue the future of digital currency in online gaming is the same as the future of digital currency in other applicable areas. But for digital currencies to truly take shape in online games, some fundamental changes must be made.
The Online Casino Approach and Why It Works
Some online games already have a very good relationship with digital currencies, and those would be online casino games. Online casinos, in their essence, act more like a pre-paid game library. Developers (called providers), run their games on online casino platforms, and online casinos (called operators), handle the client management, bonuses, promotions and payments. With this approach, players make deposits, and you’ve guessed it, most reputable online casinos allow these deposits to be made with digital currencies. And it works for all types of games. Slots like https://casinodays.com/ca/game/9-masks-of-fire (9 Masks of Fire) and other titles from this category may seem like the most suitable candidate for digital payments, but it also works on Blackjack, Roulette and any other casino game.
Making it Fair and Square (for Everyone)
The current problem with other online games is that they run on private networks, like Sony’s or Apple’s, which control the payments.
Perhaps calling it a problem is not really the right word. It’s more like an obstacle, if we want to see digital currencies, especially cryptocurrencies, take a more serious role in online gaming. For those to take off, we would need to have blockchain games. And blockchain games would solve a lot of problems, particularly the most sensitive ones, like ownership issues.
The ownership of games has changed a lot. From having a physical copy of a game in your home, to subscription models. The cost of games has been another running debate in the industry, with some of the newer titles costing well over 60 USD for 20-30 hours of playtime. Now, the real problem with value comes in the territory of online games, since most of them fall within the free-to-play realm. A rather controversial way of monetizing games. Something drops in a game, maybe a new skin or weapon set, and it’s priced on the higher end. Suddenly, there’s a wave of outrage, like players were somehow cheated out of something they never actually owned. It’s not like anyone forced a purchase, but the reaction is almost personal. It’s even worse with micro-transactions, often regarded as something that destroys the industry. Now, what blockchain technology could bring are true ownerships of in-game assets, and decentralized game economies. We really like that idea.
Blockchain Games as a Gateway to Digital Currencies in Online Games
Ubisoft seems to be one of the first AAA developers who took their promise to develop blockchain games seriously. Just recently, they have launched Champions Tactics: Grimoria Chronicles, which is described as a PVP tactical RPG game.
The goal is to collect figurines from the world of Grimoria, which are then assembled for turn-based fights against other players. This doesn’t sound like a completely novel concept, except that the game was built on blockchain, which means any figurines you buy with real money or cryptocurrencies are truly yours. You need an actual blockchain wallet to play this game. Maybe this is the reason why the game has got the AO rating (Adults Only). Since gamers don’t seem very interested in blockchain games, and some developers have outright rejected the whole idea of developing NFT titles a long time ago, it makes us curious why Ubisoft launched this title in the first place. Even Ubisoft at some point didn’t have high expectations from NFTs in games, but their stance on the whole thing leans more optimistic than cautious. The vice president of its Strategic Innovation Lab seems convinced that gamers just “don’t get it.” Maybe he’s right. Maybe this title will show us that blockchain games are the right step forward, which then paves the way to more widespread adoption of digital currencies.
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