Blockchain gaming has taken the world by storm, and we’ve seen an incredible boom in funding and engagement for NFT games – with millions of players now getting hooked on these new titles.
Mainstream brands have noticed this trend too, as everyone’s racing to cash in on blockchain gaming fever. But there’s a concern that bots are plaguing NFT games to boost utility data.
The concern is down to an anti-fraud protection bot that audited 60 NFT games to see how many gamers are actually playing the games, which revealed about 20,000 bots across the 60 audited games.
Through careful analysis of wallet ownership, the bot was able to trace various wallets back to their respective projects or services. This allowed them to identify multiple wallets associated with each project or service.
Bot infiltration is a serious problem in the web3 space, with some NFT games having an alarming 80% or more of their user base. DeFi projects aren’t safe from these malicious actors either, as the bots do their best to take advantage of referral schemes to exploit users and siphon funds.
Bots Have Been a Concern For Many Years
Bot accounts have been a major issue in online gaming, especially games with rare items, skins, or competitive ratings. And because value is connected with many NFT games it seems like bot developers are doing their best to manipulate these.
Wherever there is value, rogue developers will try to manipulate the system with bots. And with Web3 needing wallets, gamers can set up multiple wallets to try and beat it.
Head of Gaming at Polkastarter Gaming, Omar Ghanem, said the issue will persist as long as there’s a ‘click to earn’ culture in NFT games.
‘As long as we continue to have games that are essentially click to earn by nature, with token farming through task repetition at the core of their gameplay loop – bots will continue to exist,’ said Ghanem.
‘This is why our focus at Polkastarter Gaming has been on supporting high quality, skill-based & competitive games with no entry barriers.’
The crypto gaming industry knows this is the issue, and brands like Polkstarter Gaming are moving away from the play-to-earn gaming. In place of this method, there’s a shift towards a play-and-earn culture, which means gamers won’t need a wallet to start gaming, breaking down a major barrier to entry.
Conclusion
While bots have been a problem since value ownership in gaming began, an average of 40% of bot accounts across the NFT gaming industry is a major concern. And while the bloated figures might benefit developers in the short run, it’s not a good sign for the industry.
Thankfully brands like Polkastarter Gaming are shifting from the play-to-earn method to play-and-own, -and with it breaking down obstacles for non-crypto gamers to get in. NFT gaming is likely to be one of the biggest sectors of the Web3, so a bot clean up will help the industry move forward.
