From the perspective of economic model and game design, the challenges and opportunities of Web3 game user retention

Developers should create a virtuous cycle of gameplay and economics that is fun and rewarding for players to engage with, attracting players who are genuinely interested in game design, not just driven by potential return on investment.

Written by: lesley

There are many challenges when developing and operating a Web3 game, so effectively addressing them is critical to the game's success. Some of these strategies include thorough testing prior to official release, and continuous delivery of new gameplay and content to ensure a stable game economy.

In addition to the obstacles encountered in development and operation, this article also discusses some other interesting topics, such as airdrops in Web3 games, bot problems, token economic design and game mechanism design. It is extremely important to understand the needs of players, attract new players to participate, balance the interests of all parties, create a complete game ecosystem, and support a prosperous game community.

Token Design for Web3 Games in 2023: Prospects and Trends

Web3 games offer many opportunities for innovative developers, as evidenced by the success of projects such as Shrapnel, Axie Infinity, and Illuvium. However, in this fast-growing ecosystem, developers need to pay attention to many key issues to ensure the success of their projects.

Most projects release tokens and NFTs in advance of the game’s release, which is considered by many developers and players to be the key to the game’s success. However, developers should be wary of pre-allocating too many tokens until the game is fully tested and ready for release. The right approach is to continue to provide new gameplay and content after the game is released to maintain player interest and establish a stable economic system. Allocating too many tokens too early may lead to instability of the game ecosystem, thereby destroying the sustainability of the game.

To avoid this, we should understand the concept of "the toy on the shelf". The concept states that pre-allocated tokens and NFTs may attract interest and investment, but once the game is officially released, these pre-releases will become obsolete. To attract and retain players, developers need to offer new and exciting gameplay and content that will build a loyal and engaged player base and help the Web3 gaming ecosystem continue to grow.

Airdrops are a common way of retaining players in Web3 games, but players may participate just to make money rather than contribute to the game's ecosystem. Also, using bots to automatically participate in multiple airdrops for more rewards is also an issue. These negative actions have weakened the ecosystem of the game, leading to instability and decline in the value of game assets.

In fact, airdrops are not necessarily negative in themselves, their effectiveness depends on attracting the right group of players. In contrast, a developer should create a game that focuses on gameplay and a robust economy to appeal to players interested in game design and mechanics, not just driven by potential return on investment.

Take "World of Warcraft" as an example. There is a system in the game. Players gradually upgrade from low-level materials to more valuable materials. Each material has a different value and can be sold in the game to obtain gold coins. This creates a mini-market where new players need low-level materials, and advanced players can sell materials they don't need. From this, it can be seen that developers should create a virtuous cycle of gameplay and economic system that makes players feel interesting and worth participating, attracting players who are really interested in game design, not just driven by potential return on investment. While airdrops can attract players, they should not be the primary means of retaining players.

Retain players through the design of Web3 games and their ecosystems

In order to increase the value of airdropped tokens or other game assets, game developers need to take some measures. For example, they can introduce a limited number of game items or tasks that require players to invest time and effort to complete to ensure the scarcity of items and the fun of the game. Doing so helps increase the value of early investments and keeps the game engaging while avoiding the abuse of governance power. The key is to create a stable economy that encourages players to participate and stay active, rather than just attracting players looking for a return on investment.

To maintain a high retention rate, the scarcity of game items is crucial. Game developers can create scarcity in games through various mechanisms. For example, skins in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive are very scarce items that can sell for a premium due to their limited supply. Likewise, missions in MIR4 take time and effort from the player to complete, making it difficult to use bots to level up the game. These factors help increase player engagement, maintain the value of in-game items, and drive player interest and engagement.

Beyond that, effective token economic design in Web3 games is key to maximizing retention. The focus is on creating a fun and immersive experience for the player, not just focusing on things like asset value. Magic The Gathering has an engaging game design, with regular releases of new content and different game modes to keep players interested.

The secret to it all is creating unique and compelling games that keep players engaged for a long time.

Retain players by designing NFT-related mechanisms and other digital asset gameplay

In Web3 games, NFT should give players certain ability bonuses, but at the same time, game balance needs to be considered in the design. The example of Gala Games' game "Town Star" shows that over-reliance on NFTs to determine the strength of players in the game may give some players a significant advantage, while making it almost impossible for others to win.

In order to maintain balance, we need to reasonably set the power bonus of NFT. In PVP (Player Versus) and PVE (Player Versus Environment) games, NFT should give players certain ability bonuses, but the game cannot be completely dominated by paying players. Instead, we should find a balance between players that encourage participation in the game and community without turning the game into a pure pay-to-win model.

In order to retain players in Web3 games, developers need to carefully design game mechanisms that not only meet the needs of high-net-worth players, but also provide opportunities for other players to catch up. This can be achieved by providing high-quality content to high-net-worth players, while gradually balancing the strength of other players. Attracting new players to challenge high-net-worth players is also very important, which requires a large investment in game promotion.

To sum up, effective token economy design in Web3 games needs to create a complete game ecosystem, deeply understand the needs of players, balance the advantages of different players, and attract new players to join in and build a prosperous community together. Game developers should focus on designing mechanisms that encourage player participation, including leveraging tools such as NFTs, and carefully considering player interactions and relationships to promote a balanced and enduring game environment.

How to prevent users from profiting from robots

Bot issues are common in Web3 games, with some games having more than four times the actual daily transaction volume. However, many games do not mean to exclude these bot accounts, as they can exploit the number of bots to significantly increase their active user data.

In order to optimize the game, developers need to take some measures against the bot problem. One approach is to associate wallets with accounts, creating a network of associations to identify bots. If the game design requires frequent transactions, developers can find a direct connection by transferring multiple accounts to a single account, and then mark these accounts as belonging to the same entity to help accurately identify the number of real players.

Bots are often mistaken for ideal players because they log into the game every day and complete tasks. However, by observing the transaction behavior, it is possible to distinguish bots from real players, which helps to create an attractive game ecosystem for real human players.

Changing the way Web3 games are played to retain players

Changing the game of Web3 has its advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, it can attract different types of players and increase retention; on the other hand, frequently changing game mechanics may lead to the loss of old players. Therefore, throughout the game design process, it is necessary to attract different types of players and fully consider the needs of more users when changing the gameplay.

Different players like different ways of playing. Some people like to use powerful game characters to concentrate their firepower for onslaught, some people like to use a large number of cheap characters for continuous resistance, and some people like to use long-range attack strategies to fight against enemies. If the vast majority of players only participate in one mode of play in the game, game designers can increase the appeal of other modes of play by adjusting game mechanics. They can also try to introduce more innovative gameplay, such as changing game mechanics to force players to try new strategies. However, it's important to avoid overly forceful changes that can cause player churn.

In order to retain players with diverse interests, developers must fully understand players of different ages, professions, analytical skills, and game levels when changing gameplay. Game developers need to carefully analyze the design architecture of the current game and determine the functions or content that need to be added to optimize the game experience of different players. In the process of optimizing the game, the development also needs to consider many factors, such as style selection, one-handed or two-handed operation, and so on. Game developers should strive to balance different needs when changing gameplay, learn from successful cases and try new gameplay, but also avoid excessive changes to avoid losing loyal users.

Changing the gameplay can indeed retain players, but there are risks involved. On the one hand, game developers need to attract and retain different types of players throughout their game design. On the other hand, the needs of different players need to be considered when changing the gameplay. Clash Royale is an example of adding gameplay to appeal to a different type of player.

If you want to change the gameplay and attract different types of players to participate in the game, you need to know the following skills:

• First, attention should be paid to attracting different types of players throughout the game design. This can be achieved by providing a variety of game content, features and interactive mechanisms.
• Secondly, when changing the gameplay, it is necessary to balance the needs of different players and avoid a certain style of gameplay being too powerful. Instead, different styles of gameplay should be optimized and balanced to ensure game diversity and balance.
• Third, encourage players to try new ways of playing through daily challenges, but also avoid being too forceful or excessively pushing, so as not to drive away old players. Maintain moderate guidance and balance, allowing players to choose new ways to play independently.
• Finally, understand the feedback of different players to strike a balance between encouraging exploration of new ways of playing and retaining existing players. This helps to understand player needs and expectations, and make appropriate adjustments based on feedback to ensure game sustainability and player satisfaction.

Web3 - A Story of Power Returning to the Most

The early-stage Web3 ecosystem was initially developed by ordinary people who wanted to use a decentralized and open on-chain system to protect their property. However, with the popularity of Web3, this technology has gradually been adopted by the rich, and the whales have taken control of the chain world from ordinary people. Eventually, as the hype for Web3 technology dies down and the rich and famous get tired of it, Web3 will start to come back into the hands of most ordinary people.

At the current stage, it is important to develop value creation projects for ordinary people to promote the development of Web3 games and benefit more people. Ordinary developers must continue to try, learn, and improve their operation and development capabilities to truly understand user needs and create value. Although you may face failure, as long as you persevere in creating value for ordinary people, you will eventually achieve unexpected results.

At the outset of a project, it is critical to monitor the various asset types entering the market, as this can lead to most people losing control of the project. Developing projects that represent community interests is critical to preventing this risk. Ordinary developers must have the foresight and resilience to contribute to the healthy development of Web3 games at this critical stage. Only by paying attention to the development of the industry, understanding the motivations and behaviors of various users, and planning the development and operation of the next stage, can the stable development of Web3 games be achieved, and eventually return to the hands of most people.

Overall, the future of Web3 games depends on the dedication and innovation of ordinary developers who are committed to creating value for the most people. Working together, we can build a fairer, more transparent, and more accessible on-chain environment that everyone can benefit from.