New York Times: Expanding Competitive Gaming Faces Opposition From Existing Players

For many years, Christian Lantz played STALKER, the first assassin set in post-apocalyptic Ukraine, famous for his important role. So when the 18-year-old high school student learned that there was an expansion for the game this year, he thought it was a must buy.

Until GSC Game World, the Ukrainian company that developed the game software, announced last month that the new STALKER would include a crypto-based tool called NFT. In the new game, players will be able to buy and sell NFTs for items such as clothing for in-game characters, GSC said. The company announced the move as a "transformation" into a virtual world called Metaverse.

Lanz was angry. He joins thousands of NFT followers on Twitter and Reddit in the link to STALKER. They say game makers want to squeeze more money out of gamers.Those affected quickly reversed the situation and abandoned the NFT plan.

Lantz, an Ontario resident, said, "The studio has abused its location, "That fact not only makes the game better, it's worth it."

Image space is also taken from 'Stalker 2'

The crypto industry has been going crazy for over a year now. Cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum have risen in value. Cryptography-based tools such as NFTs have emerged. Twitter founder Jack Dorsey recently changed his name to a blockchain company in honor of the blockchain, a data distribution platform that achieves digital gains. Melania Trump sold her own NFTs. Proponents hope blockchain will transform the industry from finance to advertising to entertainment.

But for some, the crypto craze has gone too far, too fast. Skeptics claim that cryptocurrencies and other assets such as NFTs are digital versions of Ponzi scams with a price higher than their real value. Some wondered if the vague terms cryptocurrency and blockchain could help for a long time.

There's nothing worse than community play.Disputes over encryption between users and major gaming platforms such as Ubisoft, Square Enix, and Zynga have escalated.In many adventures, players have courage, at least for now.

Mutahar Anas, gamer and YouTuber with 3 million users said "People are holding the buzzword," said Mutahar Anas, gamer and YouTuber with 3 million users. The people who pushed NFTs into the game were "if you want to sell".

These last months,At least six game studios have indicated that they plan to add NFTs to their games or are considering doing so to provide proof of authenticity and ownership of digital devices has been identified from blockchain technology.Game developers say it gives gamers a unique digital product that can support vendor NFTs in online stores. Game publishers say NFTs could change the course of gaming in the future. This means that elements of one game franchise can affect the gameplay of another game franchise.

But say the players.They view these moves as cash fraud.

"I hate that they keep trying to cheat us in every way," 22-year-old Matt Kee said. Kingdom Hearts says they are updating NFT. "I haven't seen any comments on how good it is for players, how to improve gameplay. How do you still make money?"

Images of Square Enix's Kingdom Hearts III game

Most of the complaints stem from the interference of in-game microtransactions.Over the years, game developers have seen many ways to make money from users by paying to level up their character or progress in their game. We've been asked to pay more for digital devices such as clothing or character weapons, even though people prepaid over $60 for the game.

In a popular event in 2006, "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion" role-playing game paid users $2.50 to purchase a set of horse armor for their character.

Eric Hild, a 31-year-old brewer from Decola, Iowa, remembers thinking, “Why don't they give us a horse when it's only a few dollars? "'Why do we have to pay for this?'

Merritt K, gaming presenter and editor of gaming industry website Fanbyte, says gamer animosity toward corporations has grown over the past decade and a portion of microtransactions have increased. So when game developers tell NFT to add on to buy and sell, players say, "I intend to blast this product."

This angered gamers, who ruled game companies. In December, Sonic the Hedgehog game developer Sega Sammy received rave reviews on NFT and crypto after user "mistake". Ubisoft, which makes games like Assassin's Creed, said it decided on the level of consumer dissatisfaction after announcing its NFT campaign last month. Over 90% of viewers dislike YouTube videos on the go.

"We may have underestimated the power of reboundsays Nicolas Pouard, vice-president of Ubisoft.

Gaming companies say NFT executives aren't backed by results. Instead, NFT says it's giving fans a new way to monetize the sale of assets and liabilities.

"It's about the community," said Matt Wolf of Zynga, the developer of the mobile gaming platform pioneering the blockchain gaming market. "We believe in giving people the opportunity to gamble and make money."

The craze for the adoption of crypto in gaming has intensified in recent years. Some developers are starting to create blockchain games that make it easier for players to write down and prove their digital abilities. One such game is CryptoKitties, a 2017 hit game where players collect digital cats. Some have sold for over $100,000. Blockchain-based games like Axie Infinity (a game where players earn and sell NFTs for money) have also benefited from the spread of Covid-19 everywhere.

Bigger parks are now trying to get involved in the move, although some crypto plans are unclear.

Ubisoft is the first major game publisher to enter the cryptocurrency space. In December, it announced an initiative called Ubisoft Quartz, which released three clusters of NFTs in digital devices such as helmets and guns. Ghost Recon Breakpoint's NFT shooter is free for players who have leveled up in the game. Players can grab their wares or sell them on a third-party marketplace, the company said.

Ghost Recon Breakpoint Gaming Station at Electronic Entertainment Expo 2019

Pouard said Ubisoft only put 3,000 NFTs in the first batch, but so far 10,000 digital wallets have been connected to the Quartz platform. This shows interest in more NFTs in the future, he said.

Pouard added that Ubisoft finally plans to reduce NFT sales in the future. “We are moving from an industry model focused on sports to an industry model focused on an ecosystem where every player can be involved,” he said.

Zynga, required by Take-Two, announced in November that Mr. We had hired a wolf to lead the crypto effort. Wolf says the goal is to create a new blockchain game that will make it easier for players to acquire, own, and sell NFTs. He gave some details on how it works, including whether NFTs can switch to Zynga games.

"We're still working on all of that," he said.

Other gaming companies are also getting their hands on NFTs, reiterating how cryptocurrencies can create new benefits for users. This month, Square Enix President Yosuke Matsuda said in an opening statement that gamers can make money by creating blockchain games. This would be the "key point" of the business, he said.

However, with the large number of NFT broadcasts from game studios, gamers were frustrated. After users objected to the Sega Sammy cryptocurrency campaign, an executive told an executive meeting last month, "If it's just financial, I've decided not to go. . then. "

Other sports companies have opposed cryptocurrencies. Microsoft Xbox head Phil Spencer told Axios in November that some NFT revenue-focused games look "serviceable" and won't be released on the Xbox Store. Microsoft declined to comment.

Valve, owner of online store Steam Room, also updated its policies last fall to prohibit blockchain games that enable the exchange of cryptocurrencies or NFTs. Valve did not respond to a request for comment.

Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games, which develops Fortnite games, said his company wouldn't use NFTs in its own games because the company is full of "all kinds of scams". (Epic will continue to allow developers to block games on its online store.)

This impact is not limited to game studios. Discord, a platform popular with gamers, pulled out in November after users threatened to remove payments from their cryptocurrency plans. Discord CEO Jason Citron has criticized the Twitter project.

"I'm glad a lot of good things have happened in the blockchain space, but there are a lot of problems," Citron said in an interview.

Player Mr. Kee said he will continue to oppose the gaming company over the use of cryptographic strength. He said he hopes the changes made to NFT by STALKER developers will allow other companies to sway public opinion.

"He was happy everyone was against him," he said. "Over the past 10 years we've seen all kinds of services like this and we're bored."