NFTStudio24 sat down for an interview with expert members of the Blockchain Game Alliance. Martin Spinetto, the CEO and Co-founder of Widow Games, and Iasi Solomon, the eSports manager LATAM for Sky Mavis, the creator company behind the biggest Web3 game; Axie Infinity, to discuss the Web3, and the future of Blockchain Gaming.
There are various difficulties and successes as the gaming sector develops. This conversation with Martin and Iasi is a fascinating exploration of Web3, Blockchain gaming, its future, and use cases of NFTs & digital currencies.
Introduction to Widow Games
Martin introduces Widow Games. He tells NFTStudio24 that Widow Games is a videogame development firm committed to utilizing cutting-edge technology to produce unique, enjoyable experiences that enthrall gamers and push the limits of what is practical in gaming.
Widow Games was established in 2012. “We started ten years ago, and we have been developing games for quite a while.” The platform has developed 30 mobile games with 1.4 million subscribers, especially from Latin America and Brazil. It has a total of 6.6 million downloads so far.
The platform enjoys integrating new technologies (such as augmented reality, 3D geolocation, and even blockchain), generating distinctive experiences for its players around the world.
Martin also states that Widow Games distinguishes itself from the other Web3 gaming platforms as it started from the premium side. They have been in the industry for many years. He says “We focus on combining both the elements. For us, every game has both platforms that should start the customer journey from the premium. And then, move to the play to earn the blockchain side.”
Widow Games aims to put the player at the center by focusing on human experience, rather than technology. This makes it unique from other Web3 development platforms.
He also talks about the language they accompany their users in to increase diversity in the ecosystem. He says it’s mostly in English. However, they work in Spanish as they are based in Argentina.
Sky Mavis: The secret behind the Best-selling Web3 Game Axie Infinity
Iasi introduces Sky Mavis and Axie Infinity may seem like a pair. However, they are two separate entities. Sky Mavis is a private company that runs Axie Infinity right now. Whereas Axie Infinity is a decentralized organization or DAO, which means it is mainly governed by the players.
“Sky Mavis is the main holder of the AXS token, which is the governance token for AxieDAO, so that’s why the development of Axie infinity goes under Sky Mavis.”
According to Iasi, Axie Infinity has the ability to run independently under the DAO. He says there’s a possibility that the player decides which developer wants to run the game in the future.
“This is the ideal revolution of blockchain itself,” Iasi says. “The governance system provides democracy to each individual who participates.” This is what makes this game so successful.
Axie Infinity has grown a lot after its massive breakthrough during the bull run in 2021. Right now, the game has reached all over the world and revolutionized the way gaming actually works.
The basic goal of Axie Infinity is to create a game that can empower the next generation of people with collectible assets in the Metaverse. By providing ownership of assets and giving them the power of governance, they can earn as much profit as they want while enjoying their favorite game.
eSports is becoming a medium to connect the digital experience from the Metaverse to the real experience in the real world. Axie Infinity is an ideal example of esports turning into a job that allows people to enjoy the game and make money as well.
Sky Mavis has laid the foundational bricks for Axie Infinity IP. The team recently had the chance to meet developers from all over the world at the recent Axiecon in Barcelona. Overall, the company stands out by bringing both the core team and community together as a whole.
The game has advanced beyond conventional games and transformed into a complex digital nation by utilizing blockchain technology and incentive design. It has brought in over $4M (7000 ETH) while being in early access.
Play to earn: Widow Game’s adoption of the model
Martin says that in his opinion play-to-earn is oversimplified, because the reality is that the play-to-earn model is quite difficult to scale as in the real world you cannot pay anybody who is actually playing.
So, I think that in a good way, the business models are evolving in a way. We have started mobile, it’s free to play, if you play right, you will make some money.” Martin thinks this model can enable more players to come on board and try it out.
He believes that games that give players money the moment they connect are quite unrealistic because the company is bound to collapse. “They’re giving out tokens that are falling every minute because people go to the extent if they sell them.”
Although the phrase “play-to-earn” is a great way to promote Web3. However, the games need to evolve this infrastructure to make it stable and long-lasting.
On the other hand, Martin shares valuable advice to players. He believes that games should be fun to play instead of just a money-making business. “You cannot buy a car with that money.” Although esports is a profession but not everyone can be an esports gamer because it requires many years of training.
Iasi and Martin agree on the point that everyone should focus on the fun aspect of the game. “If you earn a dollar, that’s your reward.”
Axie Infinity: Educating new players about NFTs and Digital currency
Iasi talks about the importance of education and how people should be educated about the importance of NFTs.
He says that Axie Infinity makes the case that gaming can be a sort of a driver to the mass adoption of Blockchain technology worldwide. Iasi points out that the game is not competing for product-market fit with other games. They are focusing on creating a space to create a broader economy.
“Yes, you may see that the market or the crypto space is really big compared to 2018, but in comparison to the real economy, let’s say using real between quotes right?”
“We still have very little that knows and understands Blockchain or transacting Blockchain because it simplifies our lives, we believe in the core values or we believe in the solutions that Blockchain can bring.”
He compares gaming to a sweetener in a coffee. If the coffee is too bitter, it would be hard to taste it. But, with sweeteners, you can try all types of coffee. Similarly, gaming can open up possibilities for non-Web3 users to discover blockchain.
Widow Games: Concept of Cryptocurrency, metaverse, and Web3
NFTStudio24 asks Martin about how young people should be taught about the concept of cryptocurrencies and Web3.
He shared the example of mobile games. Everything started first with a portable gadget mobile. Thousands of people are now playing every day. It has become a really big market. He adds that we should try to make people learn the concepts of Web3 components by showing them through examples.
Here he gives an example of a game called Geopoly. It is a mobile real estate simulator game that is an amalgamation of Pokemon Go and Monopoly games. Players can walk around the city, rent and sell any real estate properties.
Hey, #Geopoly players! Prepare yourselves for the newest #game update: version 3.4.0 💃 You will discover a new feature 🔥 the Daily #Rewards, find the closest rentable business highlighted on the 🗺, minor bug fixing, and FTUE improvements 💪 Update now and enjoy the updates 😎 pic.twitter.com/hHpO6NooJQ
— Geopoly (@Geopoly_Game) July 10, 2023“We started with the core gameplay, the core game looked on mobile on the premium and then we started slowly adding Web3 components. For instance, you have soft currency and you have hard currency. On the premium side, you have coins and you have gold bars. The only way to get the golden bars were the ones where you can do more things within the game.”
He also adds that you pay them with a credit card as the typical monetization system for premiums. And then once a user buys a golden bar we automatically create a chain wallet for the user.
Martin says that we create fun activities for the users rather than designing a PowerPoint presentation for users so that they can understand the concept better.
Metaverse: How will the gaming industry grow in terms of adoption?
Iasi thinks that NFT gaming is inevitable, its evolution is happening fast. He also tells NFTStudio24 that Blockchain technology is opening up cast opportunities for users and the experiences that take you back and forth to the Metaverse as well as the real world.
“I think eSports is one of those, just to cite an example like we had Axicon last year in Barcelona where we were in a transition as a company between the last version of our game that was as Infinity Classic remained able to download it but we were transitioning to the actual version of our game that’s Axie infinity or Unions.”
Moreover, he stresses the fact that Blockchain gaming and eSports create all these things and it forms a connection between the Metaverse and the real world.
“So that’s fascinating for me.”
Effects of FTX crash on Web3 Gaming
Martin says that he’s a positive thinker and he feels that it’s the market watching themselves. It has washed out all the bad actors and bad practices. Whereas the negative outlook is that it will slow down the adoption of Web3 components at crypto in general. But, at the same time, there’s now a higher bar in terms of security.
Martin believes that people should separate crypto and blockchain, especially in gaming. Crypto is a financial asset while blockchain is a technology. If someone is playing a game and owns an NFT, the FTX crash or other market trends wouldn’t matter.
Widow Gaming: Life Meta
Martin introduces LifeMeta, the first game to create NFTs based on human emotions. It is a unique use case of AI and blockchain technology.
You can read wonderful stories at Life’s Meta and communicate with a variety of characters by sending them messages. Utilize your android’s personality features and basic emotional statistics to access your human side and generate interaction.
As your emotional intelligence grows, you can use unique objects to open up additional dialogue options. How you interact with the characters will affect how the plot develops and how attached you become to them.
Furthermore, you will receive a Feelcore based on your final emotional statistics at the end of each narrative. This you can use to increase your Emotional Intelligence levels and open up new chances within the platform.
Career opportunities for students: Learning about Metaverse and Web3
Iasi talks about how Metaverse is a whole new world. A lot of jobs and various learning experiences can be extracted from the world of Metaverse.
Furthermore, he also shares that people under 30s are confronting a world that has changed its fundamental cores. Institutions that were deeply entrenched in society are in crisis. The world is moving from the fixed structures created by past generations because it doesn’t work anymore.
According to Iasi, the economy is also rapidly alternating after the introduction of blockchain. He thinks people need to be educated and aware of the changing world so they can keep up. He also thinks that the current generation is a fast learner who knows how to process information critically.
The world now is all about the abundance of infinite information. People should know how to use that information to find their path or write their own story. Iasia is optimistic that there will be a perfect place for every single individual in this whole world. A message he’d like to spread.
Blockchain Game Alliance: Aligning with the company’s goals
Iasi says that NFT and Blockchain applied to games are the real future of gaming. He adds that it is because this whole thing validates the way of gaming that was already happening.
Moreover, alliances like Blockchain Game Alliance are great places to speak and exchange ideas about the coming future.
Martin told the NFTStudio24 that their main goal is to make progress through innovation. And he says that in that sense they are quite aligned.
“I would like to mention that I founded a game company ten years ago but six months ago I founded an incubator, a Blockchain incubator only for video games called Game Volution and we are working with a separate team. And our mission, they are on Game Volution is way much more aligned also to the BGA that we help these, let’s say traditional, gaming companies to spin their creations to the wealthy category because there are a lot of things to do there.”
Wrap-up:
Martin and Iasi shared a motivational message with the builders, developers, and gamers who are already working in the area or who are about to join as the interview came to a close.
Martin: “Definitely I mean go for it. You don’t have any excuses right now so go for it. So, no excuses at all. The technology is free. You can use it whenever you want. It’s not that difficult for a developer to learn.”
Iasi: “Yeah definitely, I will talk to the guys that are next to finding their first job. I know that an ever-changing world is scary because you may not know what’s coming next.. that is written more in the short term.
“But, as Martin said, and I think exactly like him, this is the time never before it has been so cheap and so easy to put your mind into, create something new, learn something, test an idea a business idea, that’s cheap compared to the other moments of the entire human history so I would encourage everyone to go for it…Just try to picture yourself in the end line and just go for it.”
