In the last two years or so, there has been a lot of talk about NFTs in gaming. Indeed, if you look through some of our own past gaming articles, you’ll find several references to metaverse gaming and NFT involvement. Once an obscure concept, it’s fair to say the idea has been exciting our imaginations.
Beyond excitement or anticipation though, NFT gaming has also sparked legitimate (and massive) business already. According to VentureBeat and data from Nonfungible.com, NFT game sales had in fact already hit an astounding $5.17 billion in 2021. This speaks resoundingly to the wave of enthusiasm that drove early adoption –– and there are many proponents of NFT gaming who still believe this is only the beginning.
That’s an exciting thought as well, and it begs the crucial question of where NFT gaming will continue to expand. In this piece, we’re examining a similar, perhaps more practical question: Where do NFT games actually make the most sense?
Resource Gathering Games
The only logical place to start is with games that involve the gathering of resources (including characters, in-game items, and so on). This is because as of this writing, just such a game –– Axie Infinity –– is far and away the biggest thing in NFT gaming. This is an almost Pokémon-esque game in which players collect creatures called Axies and use them to fulfill quests. Each Axie is itself an NFT, and there are more digital resources to be earned through gameplay. And according to CoinTelegraph, this game accounts for nearly two-thirds of blockchain-game NFT transactions. Thus, it’s certainly fair to say that games revolving around the gathering of resources are fitting places for expanding NFT activity.
Console Games With Currency
When you think about it, there are already a lot of console games with built-in currency systems. Action and adventure games from Grand Theft Auto to Far Cry challenge players to collect currency, buy goods, and so on; sports games like NBA 2K and FIFA now involve player contract and endorsement management. To date, we haven’t seen too many prominent examples of NFTs working their way into these games –– but it may be inevitable. In the near future, we’d expect to see most any console game with a currency system allowing players to use in-game currency to buy unique digital assets, which could in turn be traded or simply sold in the real world.
Casino Slots
Somewhat surprisingly, it took until spring of this year for us to start hearing about NFT slot machines –– and even those emerged on Metaverse platforms like “Lucky Crypto.” In time, we would also expect to see such games on standard, real-world slot sites. Already, many of the games on these sites revolve around the opportunities to win jackpot prizes or special bonuses. From there, it’s not much of a leap to imagine players having the chance to luck into one-of-a-kind NFTs. Even more fun is the idea that these NFTs could be related to the specific themes of casino games. For instance, one of the most popular slot games online revolves around an animated explorer named Gonzo. It won’t be too surprising if in another year’s time, “Gonzo’s Quest” slot games come with rare opportunities to score NFTs of Gonzo himself in different poses or outfits.
Casino Slingos
Slingo is sort of an adjacent category to casino slots online, and while these games are less rooted in jackpot potential, they do tend to have similar thematic focuses on prizes and riches. One of the most active selections of Slingo games currently resides at Gala Bingo, where there are individual games about gold coins (titled “Stinkin’ Rich); diamonds (“Da Vinci Diamonds”); buried treasure (“Slingo Cascade”); and even game show winnings (“Deal Or No Deal” and “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire”). One can certainly imagine games like these being augmented such that the occasional rare Slingo card unlocks a treasure box or opens a “Deal Or No Deal” case to turn up a valuable NFT.
Mobile Fighting Games & RPGs
Over the years, fighting games and RPGs have become some of the most popular games on mobile platforms –– with some overlap between them. In the RPG category, titles like “The Shadow Sun,” “Final Fantasy Brave Exvius,” and even the smash hit “Infinity Blade 3” among the best and most beloved games. Where fighting games are concerned, the likes of “Marvel Contest Of Champions,” “Injustice 2,” and “Mortal Kombat” stand out. Now, there are significant differences between all of these games. But to some extent, they all rely on collection –– of characters, items, achievements, and so on. Adding NFTs to the collectibles seems like an inevitability.
None of these suggestions or predictions are ironclad. But they do speak to the scope of NFTs’ ongoing potential across the gaming world.
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