🔈 Speakers
Host:
Nico Vereecke - Metacast Host @ Naavik, Investor @ BITKRAFT Ventures
Guests:
- What are Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs)?
- Blockchain-native groups whose rules are enforced through automatic smart contracts
- Can be business-oriented, or any community aligned around a shared goal or ideology e.g. fans of an IP, gamer community, buying a copy of the Constitution
- Key aspects of governance are typically conducted on-chain. Other aspects could be off-chain, e.g. management of treasury, community.
- How are decisions made in DAOs?
- Decentralized across a range of mechanisms, e.g. one vote per token, delegated functions to smaller working groups, delegated representation in voting, etc.
- How can members join a DAO?
- Membership is often pegged to token ownership, but not necessarily so. Some DAOs reward members for contributing, e.g. issuing bounties for tasks. Others airdrop tokens.
- How do token-based DAOs stay inclusive?
- Legitimate concern that those with greater financial means can afford more governance tokens, crowding out those with less; Worst case - overrun by whales
- Variety of solutions e.g. differentiated voting rights à la multiple share classes, non-transferable governance tokens, quadratic voting, and inclusive initial token allocations
- Avenue to experiment with alternative forms of governance
- To what extent is DAO management = Game management?
- Similar dynamic: Power distribution in games needs to be balanced between veteran players and new joiners to ensure fairness and sustainability
- Especially for ‘whale-heavy’ games i.e. dependent on a small number of hard-core players for income
- Different: DAO members are aligned towards a shared goal, whereas gamers especially in PvP games may have divergent interests → less conflict
- Games considering adopting a DAO structure need to be v thoughtful
- Equivalent to relinquishing control, esp to DAOs given automatic enforcement
- Gamers are good at spotting problems but may lack context, skills, and/or bandwidth to consider and develop long-solutions
- DAOs could be useful for (1) players to self-organize independent of game dev, or (2) built-in group-based game features, e.g. guilds controlling shared assets
- What would it take for DAOs to become mainstream?
- Better tooling to help onboard members, facilitate voting (e.g. through Snapshot), approve contributions, communicate etc.
- Long-term viability beyond news headlines to reassure crypto-skeptical folks
- What are some bold predictions for the future of DAOs?
- Nico is excited about a DAO-governed on-chain Massive Interactive Live Event (MILE)
- Florian wants to see DAOs in games battling giant robots against one another
- Matt thinks that a gamer DAO will form to revive a dormant IP, and votes for F-Zero
🛠️ Designing Engaging Endgames
- Why should game developers prioritize good endgame design?
- Game becomes endless. Players reach an advanced level and transition into veterans.
- Critical for longevity of the game, and to sustain player Lifetime Value (LTV)
- Commonly overlooked, leading to games that fizzle out after an exciting first month
- What are the elements of good endgame design?
- Content, e.g. new models and art, new gameplay modes, characters, and challenges
- Needs to be (1) cheap relative to dev resources, and (2) accessible, appealing to both veteran and new players
- PvP allows players to create content amongst themselves
- Events are standalone experiences that can be enjoyed by all types of gamers
- Could segregate gamers into skill levels / equipment types to ensure accessibility
- Could employ dynamic difficulty e.g. initially make challenges very hard to engage hard-core players, later normalize into the game for the casual gamers
- Gatcha or cosmetic-based modes can also be solutions
- Games that succeeded via the ‘content treadmill’ include World of Warcraft. Others have systematized a solution through their gameplay, e.g. Game of War.
- How can game developers test if their endgames are well designed?
- User tests on prototypes are the best, if a game already has players
- Else, simulations via software like Machinations or Crystal Ball are very helpful, albeit time-consuming and prone to model errors.
🎮 Sony’s Acquisition of Bungie
- This week, Sony announced that it would acquire Bungie for US$3.6B
- Bungie is the developer of Destiny and creator of Halo
- Bungie’s games will remain accessible cross-platform, not PlayStation exclusive
- Why acquire?
- What could we expect from this acquisition?
- Bungie will probably stay in the Shooter genre as their core competency, given enduring demand from gamers. May include new twists such as extraction shooter games like Escape from Tarkov.
🔮 Next Big Headline in Gaming
- Probably more consolidation to come, especially in the mobile space.