Space Summary
The Twitter Space Market Talk #BTC #ETH #SOL #AI #MINERS #STOCKS hosted by WOLF_WebThree. Market Talk #BTC #ETH #SOL #AI #MINERS #STOCKS delved into the dynamic intersection of artificial intelligence, cryptocurrencies, and traditional markets. With expert insights from @WOLF_Financial, the space explored key trends like AI-empowered trading, crypto market analyses, and the disruptive potential of Web3 technologies. Discussions covered risk management strategies, the impact of mining operations on crypto valuations, and the importance of diversification for investors. The session highlighted ongoing regulatory considerations, market sentiment's influence, and the enduring value of established cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. Participants gained valuable knowledge on leveraging AI tools, navigating market volatility, and building resilient investment portfolios for long-term success.
For more spaces, visit the AI page.
Space Statistics
For more stats visit the full Live report
Questions
Q: How do AI technologies influence stock market predictions?
A: AI algorithms analyze vast data sets to predict market trends and guide investment decisions.
Q: What role do mining operations play in cryptocurrency valuations?
A: Mining activities impact the supply of cryptocurrencies, influencing their scarcity and value.
Q: Why is diversification important in cryptocurrency investments?
A: Diversifying into emerging coins spreads risk and potential for higher returns in the volatile crypto market.
Q: How does Web3 reshape the financial industry?
A: Web3 introduces decentralized finance (DeFi) solutions, reducing reliance on traditional banking systems.
Q: What factors contribute to cryptocurrency market volatility?
A: Market sentiment, regulatory news, and macroeconomic trends drive volatility in the crypto space.
Q: Why is it crucial to manage risk in trading?
A: Applying risk management techniques protects investments from unexpected market fluctuations.
Q: How can traders leverage AI for more effective market analysis?
A: AI tools provide sophisticated data analysis, enhancing precision in predicting market movements.
Q: What are some long-term strategies for crypto investors?
A: Holding diversified portfolios, conducting thorough research, and monitoring market trends are key for sustainable investment strategies.
Q: How does market sentiment influence crypto prices?
A: Positive or negative sentiment from investors and traders can drive significant price movements in cryptocurrencies.
Q: What impact do regulatory decisions have on the crypto market?
A: Regulatory changes can create uncertainty, affecting investor confidence and market behavior.
Highlights
Time: 08:15:42
Bitcoin's Market Resilience Exploring factors contributing to Bitcoin's enduring value amidst market fluctuations.
Time: 11:30:19
AI-Driven Trading Strategies Discussing the role of artificial intelligence in optimizing trading decisions and risk management.
Time: 14:45:03
Solana's Growth Trajectory Insights into Solana's performance and potential in the competitive cryptocurrency landscape.
Time: 19:02:55
Stock Market Analysis Tools Overview of tools and techniques for analyzing stock market trends and making informed decisions.
Time: 23:55:12
Web3 Disrupting Finance Examining how Web3 technologies decentralize financial services and revolutionize the industry.
Time: 28:10:37
Risk Management Strategies Strategies to mitigate risk and protect investments in volatile market conditions.
Time: 32:20:59
Cryptocurrency Diversification Tips Tips on diversifying cryptocurrency investments for a balanced and resilient portfolio.
Time: 37:45:21
Market Sentiment Impact Analyzing the influence of sentiment on cryptocurrency prices and market behavior.
Time: 42:11:08
Regulatory Developments in Crypto Exploring the effects of regulatory changes on the crypto market and investor sentiment.
Time: 48:30:44
Long-Term Investment Strategies Guidance on adopting sustainable strategies for long-term growth and wealth accumulation.
Key Takeaways
- Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana remain prominent in market discussions, showing resilience and potential for growth.
- Mining operations impact the cryptocurrency market, affecting supply and demand dynamics.
- The intersection of AI and finance is driving innovation in trading algorithms and market analysis.
- Stock market trends and analysis play a crucial role in understanding broader economic indicators.
- Web3 technology continues to reshape traditional financial systems, offering decentralized solutions.
- Developing expertise in blockchain technology is essential for staying relevant in the evolving market landscape.
- Market volatility underscores the importance of risk management strategies for investors and traders.
- Exploring emerging cryptocurrencies beyond mainstream coins diversifies investment portfolios.
- Understanding market sentiment and news catalysts is key for making informed trading decisions.
- Long-term approaches to investing balance short-term gains with sustainable growth strategies.
Behind the Mic
Desire for Happiness and Perfection
I wanna be happy could you show me how it's done? Look so pretty really like the sun I can watch forever while you shine wanna go park the sun I could watch forever while you shine on it wanna go show me how I could watch forever I want a better body I want better skin I want to be perfect like all your other friends you look so pretty like the wind every time you touch me I feel adrenaline.
Connection and the Infinite Reach
Shine away. Reach out to everyone everything everywhere all at once, all the time have a loop below where you venture I will follow I love being beside you I'm not gonna waste what I love being inside you I'm the gonna lose your love tonight beside you I so it out for you synesthesia into rainbows we reach out to everyone everything everywhere all at once, all the time fire coming to the black hole knowledge is the light everything everywhere all I want all the time.
Introduction to Lizard Labs
Gm gm everybody, welcome back to another banger show with lizard labs. Embrace your inner lizard and join us as we pioneer play with top web free studios. Guys, I'm really excited for this one. Today we're talking building for esports. Is it even possible? Might seem like a really random question to some of you here in the audience, but honestly, something we keep hearing time and time again when we run these sort of shows with gaming projects, with gaming enthusiasts, with gamers, is like, can you actually build something for the intent and purpose of it?
Discussion on Building Esports
Actually, you know, getting that, like, cult following that competitive gamer crew all up in there, or do you just have to really build a fun, competitive game and then let that thing grow organically? And that's what we're going to talk about today. Cannot wait to dive into it. And we've got some amazing guest speakers to dive into this topic with, if you haven't already, to show that support for the conversation today.
Encouragement to Support the Show
Let's get the likes, let's get the retweets of the room out, and let's blow this one up. Speaking of amazing speakers, we have Lem's with us today. Libs. Lizard Labs IO marketing and growth. Oh, my God, we're tongue twisters already. Roger from esports with us today, esports web free and collectibles talent manager spike collects orangey. Sorry, Roger. Esports. Not from esports, I should say.
Introduction of Additional Speakers
Annie. We have chief eth lizard officer at Lizard Labs, always web free gaming evangelist, sometimes Djen and shitposter. We also have nino today. Supercharging web free brand growth core team at Webflow, cooking doggin hood, IO some of these names are bangers. Exterior with us today, powering the future of web free and AI gaming. 80 million raised ecosystem backed by Binance Labs.
Excitement for the Show
And we have star heroes. Number one esports space shooter with 1.4 million decentralized tournaments and 400k pre registered players. Guys, I can't wait to get into this one. Annie, I'm going to throw the mic to you. Welcome back to the show. You excited for the show today, homie? I am pumped up. Look, it is 03:00 a.m. in Tokyo, and we get to talk web three gaming esports in a region of the world where esports really came to life over the last couple decades.
Anecdote about Time Zones
So this is a great place to be excited for the panel today. Thanks, guys. Awesome, brother. I love to see that. You know, we're all. We're all cooking. We're all putting these shows over our own sleep patterns. You know, I think it was me in singapore a couple weeks ago. I think it was around 02:00 a.m. 03:00 a.m. you now at the 03:00 a.m. spot.
Caffeine vs. Excitement
Look, this is better than caffeine. This is what I will say it was. Definitely was the last time we did one of these shows, I tried to caffeinate up. It wasn't working, was half asleep, and then this show kicked in, and I was just right back up. Couldn't sleep for hours, which was, you know, slight side effect to this conversation I'm sure we're going to have today. Annie, I apologize if it's too much of a cook and you can't stop thinking about it and you can't switch brain off, but, guys, honestly, yeah, this.
Discussion on the Nature of Building Esports Games
This really is going to be a cook. I'm really excited for it. Lems, welcome to the show. Also, what's the first thing that comes to your mind when you read the title of today's show? Like, literally top of your head without thinking about it too much building for esports. Is it possible? All right, I know we had some audio issues last week. It looks like it's good today.
Clarity and Engagement
Yeah, you're coming through crystal clear, dude. Beautiful. Yeah, it's. This is always a good hot topic. It's kind of like the triple a title. I feel like in web three, it gets thrown around a lot. We're building an esports game. We're building AAAA game, but all you can do is build a competitive game, and then at that point, it's up to the hands of the gamers. And the community to decide if it's esport worthy.
Nature of Esports Development
Right? So this is what I hear. I'm not too familiar. Lambs, can you, like, for a gamer who doesn't go too heavy into the esports world, can you, like, give us a little bit more context of what you mean by that? Like, why can't it just be built specifically for esports? Why do you think it really has to have that almost organic path to esports? Because it's really the gamers who determine the competitive level and how sweaty they're willing to get.
Building Towards Competitive Esports
Right. You can build something and provide as much tools as possible and gear yourself towards being an esports title by having competitive modes, custom games, just, you know, creating a structure that makes it possible. But at the end of the day, if you don't have the players and people aren't interested in playing at a competitive level, where are you at? Right. There's not much competition there.
Analysis of Failed Games
We ragged a little bit on Concord last week, and that's a perfect example of a game that, you know, they probably thought, hey, we're building an esports game. But then now they got no players, and the game was a disaster. So it ain't an esports game now. Yeah, were talking about that last week, and I think it went from being a $200 million l to a 400 million dollar l to then when you talked about the acquisition over a billion dollars in the l column for Sony, I even heard, again, like, these.
Financial Implications of Game Development
These are all from these shows. I get, like, all my alpha from these shows at this point, which means that it really is dependent on all you giga brains, whether this is true or not. And. But that actually, they had to put up the price of the new PlayStation just to recoup some of the funds lost from Kong, which is kind of wild. If that's true, imagine, like, persecuting your fans for getting a game wrong.
Sony and Game Development Challenges
But hey, look, Sony have, you know, I've been playing it since PlayStation one. I'm going to give them a break here because this shit isn't easy, but my God. Yeah, they really. I hope that's not true. Roger, your hand flew up there, homie, and you have esports in your name, so I would love your take on this building 40 sports. Is it possible?
Exploring Successful Esports Titles
Yeah, I think, you know, at the end of the day, you got to look at some of the titles that have esports and that are big these days. Like, Fortnite wasn't built for esports. But it's also a question, is all battle Royale is an esport, right? So, you know, fortnight, I think, was built for the casual gamer. And, you know, it being a battle royale and having esports components, because it's a battle royale, competitive game, you know, has led to it to have the competitive esport component where I think the first year they did a $48 million prize pool for esports on the fortnight side, so.
The Metaverse Concept in Gaming
But then they also did the Metaverse style, hosting concerts and Marvel Star wars and all these crazy partnerships that you see till this day. So it's also, I think Fortnight's a good question of, was that game made for it being casual? Was it made for the esport? I think it was made for the casual. Esports is just a component of the game.
The Balance Between Casual and Competitive
I don't think any game really could plan for it being an esport. I mean, Call of Duty was big for its story mode and, yeah, multiplayer, but. And it's been competitive since Call of Duty to, or the original Call of Duty with game battles.com and running tournaments, you know, and live, you know, sweaty practices all night. So, I mean, it's tough, right? Like, our games specific, I think they're made for both.
Integration of Esports in Gaming
And I think games have to find a balance because you need the casual gamer and you need the competitive gamers, I think, on both sides of depending on what the game is being built for. World of Warcraft, you know, is a game of grinding and community and skill, but then it also became an esport as well. So it really, I think esports kind of dives in of coming into a game not being built for a game, because I think if you build a game for just specifically esport, you probably will fail 99% of the time.
Successful Development of Esports Games
But if you build a great game that has esports component and building towards that's where I think you see the success. I love this. I expect a debate today. So it's going to be interesting if we all agree wholeheartedly, because there are games in this space, right, who are trying to build for esports, but, you know, that's not to mean they're not building the right way.
Complexity of Success in Gaming
And, you know, esports is just the overarching goal. And, you know, as long as it's a competitive game, as long as it's a fun game, you know, there's. There's so many layers to success in this space, I think. But that. This is fascinating to me already. I'm so glad we are having this conversation today. It's already a hot one.
Invitation to Share Insights
Annie, your hands raised. I'd love your take on all this, brother? Yeah. Look, I liken this concept to one that I heard from my favorite professor in college. He always said that he wasn't actually an economics professor, he was an environmentalist. His job was to create an environment for people to learn, and what they did with that environment afterwards was fully up to them.
Creating an Environment for Gaming
As a teacher, as a builder, as a parent, as a friend, as a partner, you're always creating an environment for other people to react to you. I think this is true in the gaming space as well. Esports is something you can't force in. What you can do as a builder in the sector is create a framework whereby people have the ability to participate in the game, and they can build a community.
Facilitating Community and Competitive Spirit
They can build these competitive rivalries that need to take place. And as long as the infrastructure is there, as long as the community framework and support is there, then esports is what's able to emerge pretty organically over time. Right. The key is you need builders that are focused on that foundational level in order to make that work.
The Competitive Game and Audience Engagement
So the idea that you can build a really competitive game, but it's not enjoyable to consume as content, I think is a big thing for me. And also this question of, like, how big does a game need to be, just generally, in terms of the zeitgeist of. For gamers everywhere and people who like to watch that sort of contest content, even just to really, you know, be able to capture that big of an audience, I think it's so much bigger than just a fun, competitive game in my head. So I do. I do get where you guys are coming from, or at least I think, but I want to dive deeper down into this exterior. What's your take on all of this? Is this a definitive, like, yeah, we all agreed on the stage. Is there any nuance to this? Is there any way at all where you can at least give yourself a leg up to become a competitive esports game? Or is that really in the hands of the audience, in the hands of the gamers and, like, how it, you know, organically grows?
Community Passion and the Role of Developers
Yeah, agreed with everything that's already been said so far. I think there are things that games can do to obviously position themselves and give themselves greater chances, but you cannot. And it's generally not received well by the gamer community because they don't, you know, the history of they don't like being imposed on by developers generally doesn't go over well to say, I'm going to make esports. This is going to be an esport, and just be very, you know, to be so brazen, it really does have to be a community effort. Because part of the thing about esports and you think about sports, right, is a lot of the momentum for that comes from the fact that the fan bases get so hardcore, they get so passionate about their favorite teams and their favorite players. So you need that community passion. That's not something that you can force and will into being. Are there things you can do to make it more likely of success? Absolutely. I think a lot of the points already have been touched upon. You need to make sure that your game is appealing at the professional level, and that is a little bit different, I would say, than designing it, depending on your genre for the average player.
The Difference Between Fun to Play and Fun to Watch
Right. So my partner develops fighting games. There's very. There's a lot of difference in developing a fighting game, for example, for the casual circuit and for the competitive circuit. There's certain things that the competitive players need to feel like exists. The balance has to be right. It can't get to a point where there's no learning. There's got to be constantly, some way you can continue climbing up that skill ladder with time and with effort. And then the point that Ani brought up is really important. The difference in a game between fun to play and fun to watch, these are not the same things. It's not automatically assumed that having one means the other is true. If you look at web two, there are so many streamers who have private lists of games that are games I play when I'm not streaming because it's not going to go over, as well as my audi for my audience, is not that fun to watch. And the idea of an esport, which is you're building this whole ecosystem of speculation, fandom around it, means that you need to create an environment where a speculator can get into it.
Engaging with Players and Building Connections
There's something for them to grasp. They can understand what's happening, and they can develop that level of passion for their teams, for their favorite players. I love this. I love exactly where this direction of conversation is going as well, which is what is the science to all of this? You know, what sort of chemicals go in to making the successful esports games, like, what actually makes these games esports wavy in the end? I think, yeah, the fan base and also the competitive gamers, you know, having their own audience personalities that the fan base can connect to is such a big part of all this. But I want to know. I want to know the recipe that goes into this. Nino, do you got any thoughts on the conversation so far, homie, and would love to get your takes on.
Viewer Experience and Quality in Esports
Like, what do you look for if you do look at esports? Like, what is the content that you look for? What is the ingredients that you need to, you know, be entertained by something in the esports world? Hey, Jack, what's up? Nice to see you again. I see Roger with me as speaker on the stage, man, what a fucking legend. As a listener, man, this space couldn't get any better. So what I'm looking for when I'm watching an esports tournament, for example, back then, I used to watch a lot of league, the casters. They need to be great. Of course, the quality of the production and the game. I mean, of course, first thing is the game, and then I think it's a matter of hype. So what a league really nailed is that also giving each players, the pro players, a personality, right? So we all know skt one faker, for example, and everyone's like, oh, man, that's fucking faker.
Creating a Connection with Players
And whatever he does, even if it's just a side step, everyone's like, whoa, fucking faker. Like, I think it's the. The emotions that come with it, and it's the whole branding as overall. So if a game really can establish itself in a way where the watchers and the fans can associate themselves with the esports teams and actually give these esports players a character, that's huge. And also, then the post interviews, they're always super hilarious watching the guys being interviewed by girls, and they're like, oh, it's my first time seeing a real live woman. Like, I think overall, everything, it's great. Yeah, that's a very similar to the crypto space. I feel. You know, there's definitely under representation of women in this space as well, and I've definitely seen a couple of the crypto bros absolutely lose it.
Esports Community and Representation
Look, we all saw what happened in Singapore. I'm not going to say any more than that, but let's. Let's be fair. It was very clear that a lot of these guys had never been around a woman before. I'm sorry. I'm just going to have to come out and say that Annie throw the mic back over to you to save me from that take. Well, yeah, I'll save you, because I was going a completely different direction than you were, mate. Look, the point that Nino made, I think, is the right one, where in order for esports and these sort of gaming experiences to really resonate with people, they have to feel a direct connection. It's all about that relationship with the person that you're building as a champion for your team, as a lead streamer.
Connecting With the Audience
Because at the end of the day, humans, it's about that direct connection. We talk about community in Web three. It's really all these individual ties that you have with other people along the way. And so if you are able to create a platform, a structure, and experience where the characters, meaning that the people are able to shine and be their authentic selves, that's what's going to attract other people to come and follow them and become fans that really are hyper engaged. And then that is exactly the recipe where people want to play, but they also want to watch and participate as a spectator. You know, we see a number of studios that are working on this sort of spectator mechanics. And, you know, I've talked to a couple of them during this tour through Asia as well.
Community Engagement in Esports
And I'm very excited about anyone that's building where they can leverage community in a way that you really can't do in web two esports. And if you understand that and you're able to put together package that makes that really sustainable, where you can allow people to really feel engaged and tied in, I think there's a lot going for you. And look, we're not a game studio at Lizard Labs, but this is the same concept that we have. We think that you having your own identity virtually, that's connected to the brand, to the IP, to other people that are part of your clan, in our case, with a, the different elemental lizards. That's part of your, you know, your virtual community that you're building out where you can have teams and frankly, you can have rivals.
The Essence of Competition
Because we all need people that, you know, we love to hate and we want to absolutely beat every time we get into the arena with them. So those interpersonal relationships are really at the core of esports, as well as, frankly, most PvP and even a lot of pve types of games. For most of us, it's also about the people, not just about the achievements that we accomplish. I love this, guys. I'm learning so much, by the way. I just really appreciate all the speakers who've come up to just drop knowledge bombs right now. Look, I can see we've got some new speakers on the stage. We've got avalanche gaming up, official gaming account for Avax. So I'd love to throw the mic your way for the listeners, by the way, let's get the likes and the retweets out of for the room.
Understanding the Esports Audience
Like, let's absolutely blow this show up. Avalanche gaming, what's your take on all this? Just to bring you up to speed, because I know you just hopped up on stage and really we're talking about right now, what are the, you know, what are the ingredients that if your game does become esports or whatever current games are esports? What made them jump? That huge gap between just the competitors game and a game that people also love spectating, that people get passionate about the players? What, what is the secret recipe to all of this? Yeah. Hey, Jack. Hey, Lems. Thanks, lizard labs for inviting me. It's sneaky chae behind the Avax gaming account here.
Grassroots Organizing in Esports
And. Yeah, well, you know, I don't know if there is necessarily like a secret sauce of turning your super passionate community of competitive players into like a super vibrant esports scene. Like, of course, watchability is really important. And then also the support that you as a studio give to your community to not only create community sponsored tournaments and activations, but then also ones that are officially sanctioned, you know, by the studio and title. I look at parallel as being like a starlight example of this, just because I play in their ecosystem and esports scene. So they do it all the way from the ground up in terms of they have community folks like Paragon's Dao, which are hosting weekly tournaments, and they're giving away PDT token, which is their own token, not like prime or anything else.
Tournament Mechanisms in Esports
And so the community itself is grassroots organizing esports and competitions. And then, you know, parallel will support that by giving co promotion and visibility and stuff. And then parallel itself, right, not only has an in game tournament mechanism where you can, you know, pay to buy tickets and then enter into a tournament within the client itself, something that TCG players have been asking for a long time, like, hey, Hearthstone, you know, you got a lot of people that like playing in tournaments. Why not enable a tournament mode? Well, parallel did that natively in client on top of that, right? They have their parallel league that ties into their world championship series.
Player Recognition in Esports
And so every month, the top ladder players, it doesn't matter, you know, how big of a streamer you are. It doesn't matter. You know, how much time you put into the game. It literally matters how good you are. And if you're good on ladder, you know, you're going to qualify for the major and minor qualifiers that they have every month. And then if you do well enough in their esports scene and that, you know, very well explained in terms of how to accumulate points, you know, you can rise to the top and earn and then compete. And ultimately they've got events in Manila at the Ygg summit where they have, you know, another hundred k tournament that is a community sponsored event.
Challenges in Audience Growth
But at the same time, right? Like, is that enough, you know, is that enough just to have, you know, the players and the prize pool if you don't have, like, the super expansive user base to sort of seed the viewership numbers? And I don't want to, like, disparage parallel at all, but, you know, even with these massive, you know, pools and prizes that they're putting up, yes, they're attracting us players from the community of parallel, but the viewership numbers, right, aren't to the size that you would expect from like a hearthstone or other majority, you know, titles that have similar amount prize pools. So don't know, you know, what the sort of secret formula is.
The Necessity of Community Engagement
But, you know, I think you need both the player base but then also the viewership as well as. A really good point, Jack. I love this, again, really genuinely enjoying this conversation. Where is it? This is like just a random off queue question, by the way, but is some of this just genuinely down to the longevity of these games? Like, is it like, look, to build the sort of audiences that are going to be interested in esports, you're going to have been around for some time to really just give people, you know, especially these competitive gamers, because this is, again, something that I hear time and time again, and we've definitely touched on it multiple times during this show, is that, you know, you really want to attract, I think, Nino, you mentioned this, you really need to attract these big gamers.
Building Trust in Esports
You know, these already esports gamers with the personalities already and see if they will, you know, play around within that game. That's almost a shortcut in a way to bring an audience because they're so heavily connected, not necessarily to the game but to the characters. Like, honestly, genuinely, they're fans of the people just the same way, you know, people across the globe right now are following Messi to Miami as opposed to, you know, only purely watching Barcelona. I completely get that. But to, for them to do that they have to trust that, you know, if they're going to try and build an audience throughout these other games and they are trying to play them competitively, it's a business for them.
The Business of Gaming
It's their personal brand. Just like Messi going to Miami, like, there's a little bit more flexibility. There's probably not as many contracts where, like, you can only play this game for, you know, I know that will also be a part of it, but not to that same extent. Is it, is it just time? Is it time and, you know, just being able to show that you've already built that audience and is there any real shortcut to build that audience that quickly? I just, I don't think money could do that. I think, you know, we referenced Sony's failure earlier. I've got a sense that this might just be a time thing, but I'd love your guys takes on this.
The Time Factor in Esports Growth
Roger, you give me a couple hundred, 100%. So I'm going to bias ly go over to you first because I feel like you're agreeing with me to some respect on this, but I would love your take, even if it isn't to agree. Well, yeah, no, I think also Nino hit a good point, right?
Building Characters and Sentiment
Like, you got to build up the characters. You got to build up the sentiment. You got to build up the storyline. You know, someone in the crowd here, his name is Chris Mann. He works over at Sub nation. He, he and I actually build a lot of esports together. He was a big part of the Overwatch league and growth there and other brands in Call of Duty, and he built a huge studio in California. And it was actually specifically for this to build the production, to build a storyline, to build the players up, you know, and, you know, it really just depends on, you know, the timing of these things. The, the game, it, does it have the sentiment? Does it have the user base? Right? Because when you build all these storylines, you need the fan base, right? So that's where the casual gamer comes. That gamer that's not as competitive or hyper competitive, that can't compete at that level becomes that fan and goes into the stories and really buys into the player.
The Decline of Esports Interest
So, you know, it really is all the storyline because look at Fortnite esports. No one cares about Fortnite esports anymore. Like, no one cares about clicks going and winning tournaments. Clicks, a huge streamer. People like to watch and play as a streamer, but, like, no one's going and going to twitch anymore and going what it was in 2018 to 2019 because that's what needs to be studied is the hype that 2017 to 2020, right before COVID each esports saw when it came to like, if Ninja went live, everyone was on Twitch. If League of Legends had their tournament going on and it was worlds, everyone was watching it. That doesn't happen anymore. This isn't a worldwide thing as it was once was. Now we're back to the true compet fans watching and still supporting, but you're still seeing the west kind of struggle.
The Struggle of Esports Teams
So it's an interesting concept because esports is struggling right now in the west, not necessarily, you know, in other areas, but, you know, esports teams in the US are struggling. They're running in the red. A lot of them are going bankrupt and running out of money, selling, trying to get investors to come back or go around. So you start. But in Asia and sea and all these other regions are still thriving, things are growing. The Middle East, you have so much money and investment going into esports, and esports island is being built. So it'll be interesting to see how that works from that standpoint. I think game studios need a lot of money to survive. And, you know, I think esports is going to provide another way to build money through the Middle East as well because the Middle East is providing a lot of resources.
Understanding Gaming Volatility
That's, again, really fascinating to me. It's so wild how we think just in this little web free crypto bubble that, you know, we're the only thing that's this volatile or cyclical, and then we come across something so, like, just out there with esports, it's going through the same thing. You know, Covid brought so much attention to so many of these things. And, yeah, just the idea that none of them have been able to hold it since people have now been able to, you know, go out and live their lives. I think that's fascinating to me. And, Nino, I'll throw the mic over to you because you've been mentioned a couple times with this take. Do you think there's any shortcut to this? You know, you mentioned having a game that can build characters, but even with that element, do you still think it's like a time based thing?
Game Development Timelines
Like, do you think it's still going to take time for those characters to really develop and those gamers to develop the personalities that attract fans and the audience? You know, that takes time. We all know that on, you know, in social media, or is there any shortcuts like bringing these big a star players already over? I guess you can speedrun it. So what I've loved to see back then are those content houses, seeing these esports teams in the houses and they're like, all chilling. Like, you know, when you're a little kid and you watch these videos, you're like, it's my dream job. I want to be like them. And you kind of see their personality also bringing over and I guess, like, the more content, let's say esports team demands from their team, even though they're like, probably not the most, what's it called? Extroverted people. Like, they will get used to it, right?
Content Creation Needs
So will they will develop a character on and on. So I think there's a lot of content they create with these esports teams. Like Q and A's all kind of dumb challenges, travel, vlogs, or just at all flux overall. And yeah, this content halls, they're cool, too. I do, I love that. I just love the idea of, like, all gamers just coming together. I just, I love the concept of houses for content, for anything. Just throwing a bunch of people into a room who will love the same shit and, like, just getting a ton of content from it. Isn't that the dream? Like, isn't that your dream when you were 16, just to be in the house of all your buddies over the mic where you guys could all just literally vibe out and just make a living off this stuff? I think that's a great take, by the way.
Building Competitive Games
I really do. How? Okay, so we've really set the foundation here. I think it's fair to say that we're almost entirely in agreement that you can just build for esports. You can build a competitive game. You can build with certain, you know, mechanics that are going to make content better. They're going to make IP better. They're going to help creators build a character around the game. But the idea that, you know, that's just going to automatically make you an esports game actually pisses some gamers off, which is hilarious to me. Like, gamers are the, like, they are just the touchest humans on the planet. And, you know, I'm speaking from my own respect here as well. Like, I just, I don't like being spoon fed stuff and I definitely don't like feeling extracted from or thought that someone can take advantage of me.
Red Flags in Esports Claims
And I think with those elements where I would like to get to next is what does that mean for maybe the web free, you know, because we are all in, you know, this space, a lot of us here. And for the web freezes as well, likes retweets if you haven't already, let's get that support out, because this question is going to be important to a lot of people. I think if you are in Web three and you like the idea of collecting holding assets, maybe even you've been lucky enough to get into a seed round for some of these games, however they say they're building for esports, is that just an immediate red flag to somebody in this space who isn't, like, all in on gaming, but does like the idea of investing in a game that could succeed? Or, and again, NFA, you know, it doesn't have to go hyper financial, or is there a great area that we can dabble in here where, let's say, look, a game can say, look, the long term goal would be great to be an esports game.
Game Projects and Their Goals
However we're building X, Y, and Z, or really is just to mention this early on, if they haven't even got an alpha released or a beta released yet, is that genuinely just showing that their goals and their overarching targets just don't really make sense for the, you know, basically for the area that they're building? Like, just does it almost show a sense of like, oh, I'm not too sure these guys understand the complexities of the gaming space, and therefore, this might not be something that I want to get involved in, either as a gamer who's creating content or someone who wants to hold the asset. Annie, where's your head out for this? And then I'd love Xterio's take on this one as well. And then over to avalanche games.
Esports as a Growth Hack
Yeah, look, I think esports, and frankly, just like PvP in general, is absolutely one of those growth hacks that allows the game studio to be very sustainable. Right. It's difficult to create evergreen content, and so we seen, you know, having these types of loops is very beneficial for studios in general. So that said, when I'm looking at a, you know, an asset that I'm going to hold or a project that I'm going to invest in, much more important than anything else to me, is just the overall vision. Do I think that they have identified a niche that they can operate in? Is there clarity for what the current next steps and then, like, future long term vision for the project is? Because everyone in gaming has to iterate. Nobody gets it right the first time, and so you need to have that clear vision, and you also need to understand how you're going to be able to get there.
Project Viability
The fact that someone says esports is a core component, as long as they can articulate what that actually means. And as I mentioned earlier, how they're going to create that environment or that foundation for it to work, then this is an absolutely valuable structure that a studio can build, but it's not in and of itself for me, either bullish or bearish on a project. It really goes into the total picture of what the studio is building and why. I get that. I think I see where you're coming from here. It's almost how much of their vision is just esports, right? Like, if they're just like, look out the gate, we're gonna be an esports game. And, like, as soon as we launch, that's just gonna happen for us.
Esports Plans and Industry Understanding
And you can almost not see the cogs really turning in the direction where they're not giving you a definitive step by step and also a longer term horizon on this sort of stuff seems to be where we're coming from here. But, Xterio, I'd love your take on this. Like, if you were to see this, if you were to see games where they're just like, look, we're gonna be esports game tomorrow. Like, where's your head at? And if you were someone who was looking to collect in that space or looking to, you know, really contribute a lot of time streaming this game and trying to build an audience with that specific game in mind, what would your thought process be?
Investing as a Streamer
Yeah, and I can speak to this, to the last two parts of that question. As a web two streamer, and then in web three, I obviously invest in a lot of nfts and look at tokens for games as a consumer as well as a builder. The scenario you described where a team is just, I've definitely had cases where I roll my eyes when I see someone saying, you know, we're going to be an esport on day one without the level of detail that Ani mentions. Because for me, as with the web three kind of investor mindset, what that really is a red flag for is how well do you understand what you're getting into? Tell me. You don't know much about game dev. You don't have really solid web two game dev routes or just understanding of the industry.
Competitive Infrastructure and Streaming
If you're going out there and saying, we're going to be in esport tomorrow or within six months, without any kind of details about how are you going to support the infrastructure for that level of competition, what is it about the game that's really going to appeal and convince pros to go over? Do you already have partnerships or networks in place or plans that are going to make that happen. So it's more like on the investing side, it's more of a red flag if there's no details, because it's a warning sign that this team might not really understand the industry that they're building in, that they're asking you to put your time and potentially your assets into as a streamer.
Streamer Considerations
It's less about whether the game going back to our top, our conversation, beginning of the space, it's less about whether the game says they want to be an esport or nothing and more, is this fun to watch? Is this something my audience is going to engage with? Because for streamers, they live and die by their numbers. That's what their audience numbers, their viewership. That's what makes it possible for them to get sponsored deals that bring in a lot of income and then their audience is directly contributing via donations. Right? So for a streamer, everything that they decide to stream, it really comes down to, is my existing audience going to be into it?
Audience Engagement in Streaming
Because unfortunately, sometimes streamers also get boxed in to a certain genre or even a specific type of game within that genre where when they switch, they see a lot of drop off in viewership. And then it just, is this going to be something fun that my audience will engage with? Are they going to enjoy watching me try to be competitive in it? Are they going to want to stay on and watch through that? My goodness, aren't you just one of the assets for this sort of conversation? You can literally come at it from every single angle here. Streamer, the exterior themselves, and then also as an NFT holder, I love this, again, really learning so much today.
Understanding the Gamer's Perspective
And I guess that was the question and it very much seems to be answered in that, you know, in that regard of like, if people that you really do need to see a project because I do think there are gamers in this space who are more hobbyist, but it's like, oh, I can invest in a game and they're not going to do the due diligence or have the background to really understand. You know, like, oh, someone's saying esports, it probably is something you actually would like to hear, but not really understand that. Look, if they're saying it without the context, the background that Annie pointed out and you've elaborated on that, actually, that could be a red flag.
Esports Buzzwords and Transparency
So I love that we've gone there avalanche. I do not worry. I'm going to throw them straight over to you is I would love your perspective, especially, you know, coming from that other angle where games are coming to you to explain, like, how they're going to leverage both the blockchain, how you've developed, and then obviously, you must hear this. You must hear this every now and again, like, oh, we are building for esports. I would love you to take the conversation wherever you like.
Incentivizing Competitive Play
Yeah, I think Annie and Xtero, they made amazing points. And I just like to reiterate that incentivize competitive play or, like, competitive play to earn is not the same as esports. So just because, you know, you want to put up money for tournaments or for, like, your, quote, unquote, hardcore competitive players, that's not the same as esports. And I would say it's like a really big red flag. Like, the other, you know, speakers, you know, said, if a company isn't being, like, transparent with that because either, one, they don't understand what they're doing, or two, they're trying to use esports as, like, a buzzword to try to, you know, portray something that really isn't going on.
Production Experience in Esports
And I'll tell you guys, you know, from. From my experience on the production end, before I got into web three gaming, I worked at a little studio called esports Engine, and what we did, were the largest broadcast and production company for AAA studios around the world. So we worked with Twitch, rivals, Forza, Clash of clans, Supercell King. So all of the studios that, like, actually do this correctly, just like how Roger, you know, was saying, the budgets are insane. And the budgets aren't just going toward prize pool. The budgets are going toward players and talent. They're going to actual production companies who are writing studios, who have teams full of backhouse engineers and people that are running the streams, making sure that they're going well.
Investment in Talent and Production
Cutting to casters, making sure the casters are well versed with the storylines and the narratives that we're trying to be pushing so that, you know, again, we can create Personas within the community that people can gravitate towards and attach to, and these things. This stuff takes time and insane amount of money, guys. So it's, like, not just something that you can, like, haphazardly say, like, oh, we're going to do esports.
The Reality of Esports Investment
It's gonna be this amazing thing. Yeah. Like, no fucking no, you're not. You're not gonna do it, because, like, I'll tell you right now, down in Brazil, if you want to get a rainbow six esports team, it's gonna cost you a hundred to $200,000 to get that going. And so, like, in terms of the studio has to pay the professional esports teams that much money to form a team and compete. So if you're like an esports team and you just want to go into one region or like, I'm SOrRY, you're a studio, a game studio, right? YOU WANT TO GO INTO ONE rEGION, YOU WANT TO APPROACH TSM OR WHATEVER BIG, LIKE GAMING.orG DOWN THERE, YOU'RE LiKE, hey, I WANT YOU TO MAKE AN esPORTS tEAM AND COMPETE FOR MY GAME. They're going to be like, all right, sweet. $300,000 upfront. ANd you're gonna be like, oh, my gosh, that's for one team. It's like, yeah, man, that's for one, like, professional, like, real teaM.
The Challenge of Esports Enthusiasm
So, like, you know, the folks that are saying like, oh, I want to do esports, it's like, maybe one day. That's really cute. But honestly, a lot of folks just want to do incentivized competitive play. So competitive play to earn, which is great for me as a player, you know, as a TCG tournament player, Hearthstone participant, you know, all of that esports, I love it. Great for me because I'm going after those cash prizes and pools. But, you know, what is that doing besides, obviously me as a player wanting to engage more, grind more, and compete? But again, you need, I think, that casual user base, those stories, those Personas, the reason why for that person to want to actually view and watch it track the esports, figure out who's succeeding, who's not succeeding. That's what makes esports. Esports is actually having a fan base and fans.
Appreciation for Humor in Serious Topics
I am so glad that you continued speaking for, you know, an extra minute there after you did the voice of the guy who was saying they were building esports because I was genuinely, like, gut laughing. Like, my stomach, I was so heavy laughing that I was like, oh, please don't stop talking for a sec because I needed to find that composure. And you just about got there. So thank you so much for that. That was incredible. If we can sound bite that voice and just plaster it everywhere for avalanche, that would just be incredible. Like, that should be the, like, the definitive, like, this is a dude who doesn't know, you know, like, the character of this game and moving forward. So, yeah, that was dope. This conversation's been dope.
Community Engagement and Support
Listeners, if you've enjoyed this conversation again, implore you to like and meet tweet if you haven't shown that support already, but also really appreciate you guys today hopping in showing the support, hitting us in the comments. It all means a ton to us up here on stage. And look, if you've liked any of the individual takes on stage, because it's been genuinely chock full of alpha through the whole show, go follow these guys. Go follow these guys up on stage. They're obviously like, their knowledge base is wild, and. But also, they just build them really dope shit. So it's just gonna obviously increase the dope shit that's on your feed. And let's be honest, we can all deal with a little bit more of that, especially as x's algo just goes absolutely bonkers at the minute.
Thoughts on Esports and Game Development
I don't know about you guys, I'm getting some wild stuff. Roger, I see the hand raise. Homie, phone the mic over to you, Jack. I want touch, because my man just spit some great stuff there over at Avalanche, and, you know, he mentioned esports engine, and that brought back a lot of great stuff for me, because esports engine originally pretty much was MLG, which MLG is a big reason why esports succeeded. And I think it's a great topic to talk about because. Because amateur esports was a big reason why esports thrived. It's a big reason why franchising happened in Activision. MLG set the precedent for franchising in some ways, and I'm not saying they started franchising, because I think franchising ultimately was the worst decision to happen in esports and ultimately killed the ecosystem.
Impact of Amateur Esports
But I think amateur esports was something that got pushed out, and it's what thrived the industry and people like MLG. Esports push these things in these initiatives, and it allowed the amateurs to be able to compete and engage and be a part of the community in a way larger scale, because now they're invested, because you had these amateurs that spent thousands of dollars just traveling, and most of them knew they weren't going to win. But it was the competitive side. It was the chance, it was the opportunity. It was the networking. It was the meeting. It was the conferences. It was the production side, how MLG and esports engine operated. There was a lot of things that went into it. And unfortunately, when franchising came in with Activision Blizzard, it really killed the whole industry.
The Evolution of the Esports Ecosystem
And I think esports engine ended up getting bought out, too, by MLG or Activision, and that was a whole thing. And, you know, so, like, I think ultimately, too, like, you know, I think the amateur side of esports was something that pushed the esports side of games. And I think that was ignored and continues to be ignored in some ways. I think super smash still doesn't. And they're thriving, but not like, thriving and, like, killing it, but they're a competitive, healthy, competitive amateur scene that has been going on for decades. So, you know, these are things that continue to go on. So I think amateur esports was something that got pushed out with franchising and so forth, and I think that was a model that got left behind.
Grassroots Efforts in Esports
I love that take. It's like, it's funny how, you know, grassroots in any sport, and I know esports, like, is going to be a couple people who come for me right now, but, you know, it, is it a sport in a way. It's at least the spectator side. It literally got sport in the name. People leave me be. Right. If grassroots works in all of those other areas, like the idea that we would just be like, oh, we don't need that anymore here. It's like, look, it takes time to build these things, and you need to give people stepping stones. It can't always just be the top 1%. And actually, content across the board gets that wrong right now. And it's a big thing. I think web free offers as an opportunity.
Future Opportunities in Web3
I think distribution and also value is just more equal in web three. It's like, it's a. It's just something that's core to the fundamentals in Web three. Like gamers projects, everybody expects and more equal distribution. It's not about just the top 1%. It's about everybody. And I do think if grassroots has already had that history of success, I would love to see where Web three really kick that off again and see if that then, you know, really brings just more attention to those gamers who deserve it. You know, the guys who are like, just trying to get to that level and just doing it for the freaking love of the game for now, you know, with that dream, we all need the underdog and you, it becomes fundamentally very difficult to find one when it is just like these individual characters, these individual teams who've just been around for the longest time with the budgets that you cannot, you know, comprehend.
Closing Thoughts and Audience Engagement
Like they just immediately going to pick up the best players. So, Roger, I love that take. Homey. Look, we're very close to the end of the show. Lem's, you were given Roger a bunch 100% there. I think it's been a fantastic show. So we'd love any final thoughts from you on this one. And also, if there are any updates from Lizard Labs, who I just need to thank for putting on a banger today. And then please, by any means, do so now. Give us any updates, milestones for our audience. Yeah, this was a killer space. Loved all the speakers takes. It was great just to get, you know, the back and forth across the panel. Some really good discussions on this because it's no simple matter, right? There's a lot of nuance to esports and what and how to implement it and even just to, yeah, facilitate competitive gaming, even at an amateur level.
Significance of Grassroots Efforts
I thought that was a really good point because that sets up esports in the future. And yeah, from us over at Lizard Labs, we actually have our other space on Thursday. I'll grab the tweet and pin it to the top of the space now as well. And that's blizzard lookout. It's at the same time as this one. So anyone who's kicking around on Thursday at the same time can come join us over here. I know Annie's been busy traveling. He's almost back to reality now. I don't know if there's anything else you want to drop here, Annie, before we start to wrap up.
Reflections on the Future of Gaming
Yeah, look, the. The sector continues to really come into its own. I've seen so many good projects over the past couple of weeks. I know sentiment is not great, and frankly, user numbers are not where they need to be at. But these sort of discussions and really working with studios to help build the future of gaming is at our core at Lizard Labs. And so whether it's our green room program, you know, our products and platforms that we're building together with studios to create additional gamification experiences, this is what we're here for. And so we know that the sector is inevitable. However, the journey along the way has some bumps on the road. And so that said, if you're one of the folks that's here building, I see a lot of individuals I know in the audience that are stick with it because we are making tremendous progress.
Excitement for Upcoming Events
This was a parent at Gamescom. It was a parenthood at the Tokyo game show looking at the web three gaming booths that are out here. So it's never been a better time than today to be in web three gaming. There's never been a better time to be a lizard. So, you know, get over to the Lizard lounge and get signed up, you know, get to get a piece of that juicy airdrop when we get to our TG. Let's go. Let's go. I love you guys, by the way. These are some of the funny shows for me. We just, we get such fun topics and you guys know you're stuck so well, we always just cook up an absolute great guest panel as well.
Gratitude to Participants and Audience
So really just appreciate you guys. And yeah, as they've said, definitely follow them and then, yeah, go take that next step, get into the discord and see what these guys are cooking up. And look, guys. Thank you, Roger. Thank you, Nino. Thank you to Lizard Labs. Thank you exterio star heroes. Thank you avalanche gaming. Especially for that little voice at the end that still kills me now thinking about it. Thank you, Annie Lem's look, it's been a great show. But the biggest thank you comes to the audience. Thank you guys so much for tuning in. Thank you for all the love, the comments, the likes, the retweets.
Community Engagement and Final Farewell
And I know you have all, we've got what, 30 people? 35, 36 people in this space. I know you've all followed every single one of these guys up on stage because they've just been giving you alpha for the last hour and you've loved every second of it and you want more of it. And you're going to come back next week. We know it. We're growing. This is the right space to be in and we're going to play one out now.
