RE: Pay2Win - Blockchain Gamings Downfall?
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Forgot to say a few things in my other comment.
A lot of games like Clash Royale are essentially "pay to win" (like Splinterlands) even if they frame it more as "pay to progress." Paying money speeds up your progression but once you hit max level 13 (for Clash Royale), you're on an equal playing field with other top players. But the same could be said with Splinterlands. Given enough time, you could use the rewards you earn to build up your account all the way to max level (though that will take a very long time). But once you have leveled up your cards to the league limits, you're on an even footing with other comparable players.
In most other games and sports, there are "pay to win" elements even if they are more subtle.
When it comes to real-time computer games (like Clash Royale and League of Legends), CPU performance speed, gaming accessories, and internet speed/connection can have major impacts. When I play Clash Royale, about one out of every three or four games I usually experiencing lag (with that flashing internet signal) and sometimes lose connectivity. I know I can't compete at the upper echelons with my current internet package and I'm okay with that. I'm not going to shell out extra money for better internet just for this single game!
If you look at sports, there are plenty of cases where equipment plays a key role. Rowing boats, blade runner prosthetics, swimming fast suits, Nike Vaporfly shoes, high altitude training, blood doping, and legal performance enhancing supplements.
There is also the time factor. Some people have the luxury of spending more of their time practicing their sport or their game.
"Skill" can be represented in different ways. There can be the mental, strategic side. Or, for many computer games it can be about who has better hand-eye coordination and who is the faster typer.
Great comment(s), thank you for taking the time to write all this, it's basically an article on its own.
I agree on Synergy of Serra, I'm really not sure if their model will be sustainable, either. But I respect them for trying. Simply because everybody has done things in a certain way doesn't mean they'll have to be done that way for ever. Shuffling both players cards together might be a brilliant idea or it might blow. Either way, it'll be an important step for the genre, simply because the ones coming after them will be able to work with the experience they made in that game.
Depending on who I'm discussing with, I've been on both sides of the Pay2Win/Pay2Compete discussions. Essentially, once both players have access to all cards in the game, no money in the world can buy you an advantage, so the game is essentially a pure test of skill (and some luck) at that stage. The question remains how much it costs to get there and how many players will be willing to pay it. If you've been with the game from the beginning (and are good enough at it) there might be a chance to keep up with all new cards just by playing. Anybody joining now will never be able to do so without a sizable initial investment.
The comparison to MTG is sound and that's obviously where Aggy and Yabapmatt are coming from. They iterated on a lot of the things MTG set up and build their designs on top of it. That said, it's a bit like MTG would ask you to bring an additional 8 copies of the Black Lotus so it provides you with 4 mana instead of 3.
In regards to earning vs. gaming this is certainly one of the main issues in blockchain gaming in general, a problem both created by the developers and the players. When I promote a new blockchain game one of the first questions is often going to be "how much can I earn playing it". At the same time, developers are often building their economy first and only then will they care for the actual game. In the end, this whole genre is still in it's infancy and it's a learning process for everybody invovled.
I'm a gamer first myself, have been ever since I powered up my dad's C64 more than 30 years ago. I have no issues with paying for my entertainment. At the same time, I find the prospect of a gaming world fully powered by blockchain to be extremely promising. In the end, we need to find ways that benefit all kinds of players - from the casual gamer that will never get too involved with anything to the most involved whales..
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