Play-to-Earn vs Play-and-Earn
Over the past few years, we’ve seen the rise of blockchain games, also known as crypto games. This newfound sector quickly managed to attract millions of gamers with its lucrative new Play-to-Earn model that rewards users for their in-game time. It enabled regular players to earn money simply by playing, without having to compete at the highest levels of an esports title.
What is Play-to-Earn?
The premise of Play-to-Earn (P2E) is simple — users earn in-game tokens or digital assets by playing. They can then sell their tokens/NFTs on a marketplace for real money. Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? What’s the catch?
The main problem many users are having is that Play-to-Earn games feel more like a job than an actual game. With no incentive to hold their earned tokens, players would constantly sell them. Paired with a poorly designed economy and token supply issues (a lot of minting and not enough burning), this often led to rapid asset devaluation and a drastic reduction in profit.
To make matters worse, the games themselves had little to offer in terms of gameplay if one were to remove the financial factor. But even that varied greatly depending on at what point of the game’s lifespan a user joined in — this is a major point of concern. P2E games rely on a constant influx of new players to invest money. Only then can the early players cash out and profit from the game. This brings the first-mover advantage to a whole new level, where early adopters tend to have the highest earnings, easily surpassing everyone else.
Another big drawback is the lack of a community. If the game isn’t exclusively multiplayer, there’s no motivation for players to socialize with others. This makes the title resemble a gamified investment mechanic more than anything else. Last but not least, there’s the barrier to entry. In order to participate in a Play-to-Earn game, users need to purchase an NFT. This initial investment can be in the range of hundreds of dollars and it prevents millions of gamers from joining in. What’s the solution?
What is Play-and-Earn?
Myria is driving the growth of a new model — one that could address the flaws of its predecessor. Play-and-Earn adopts a similar yet slightly different philosophy when compared to P2E, in an attempt to remedy its shortcomings. Gamers can still earn tokens while playing but that’s no longer the main focus. Play-and-Earn puts fun and replayability back into the spotlight, making blockchain games feel like genuinely entertaining games instead of a financial chore. These games are still enjoyable, even without the income factor. This positions Play-and-Earn as the dominant model to usher in the wider adoption of blockchain gaming and bring it to the masses on par with mainstream titles from traditional gaming studios.
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What makes Play-and-Earn better?
Play-and-Earn is the next step in gaming and not just an investment opportunity like Play-to-Earn. As we’ve mentioned, another big shortcoming of P2E is the lack of a community. If there’s one thing that gaming and crypto truly share, it’s their focus on community. Users in P2E titles would usually log in to complete their daily tasks and log out. The earning of in-game tokens rarely requires any interaction with other players whatsoever.
Play-and-Earn games have learned from the mistakes of their predecessor. Say goodbye to unsustainable economies and the endless, monotonous grinding. With Myria’s Play-and-Earn games, the barrier to entry set by P2E is completely removed, allowing anyone to join in and play along. Our new generation of crypto games seeks to onboard players with a free-to-play, Play-and-Earn model. Play-and-Earn games focus on attracting a dedicated user base through engaging gameplay and community-building. The latter is a crucial element of any online gaming circle and many blockchain gaming studios are already creating titles with the new model in mind.
The future of blockchain gaming
Play-to-Earn was the start of a revolution in the gaming sector. It showed players worldwide that there is an alternative many of us thought was not possible. P2E was so successful that it turned into a full-time job for many users around the world. Despite all the attention it received, the model had its flaws and proved to be unsustainable in the long term. We’ve already seen numerous examples of this.
Play-and-Earn is the natural evolution of P2E and it’s aiming to fix everything that was broken. With Play-and-Earn, blockchain gaming returns to its roots. By offering players an engaging experience with the added benefit of earning NFTs and tokens, P&E games strive to build a strong community around them. If crypto gaming is to survive the test of time, it needs to address two things:
Play-and-Earn games are here to mend these problems. The design philosophy behind Play-and-Earn lies in long-term economic sustainability and appealing gameplay. This resonates with most of the existing crypto gaming player base and will be a key factor in onboarding the next billion gamers to the blockchain. It’s only a matter of time before the entire industry comes to the same conclusion.
What is Myria?
Myria is an Ethereum Layer 2, built to scale digital assets, NFTs and blockchain gaming. The platform utilizes ZK roll-up technology to supercharge its ecosystem and bring the next generation of crypto gamers on board. Myria’s internal game development division, Myria Studios, excels at creating Play-and-Earn games that are first and foremost designed to be fun to play, with the added bonus of earning tokens and NFTs along the way. In addition to creating its own games, Myria also partners with other developers and studios that focus on Play-and-Earn titles, bringing them to its state-of-the-art blockchain. Thanks to the ZK tech, users can expect high transaction speeds, 0 gas fees and free NFT minting.