Space Summary
The Twitter Space Micro Transactions in Gaming hosted by pixels_online. Dive into the realm of microtransactions in gaming within the Pixels universe, where player engagement and revenue generation intertwine. Discover the significance of balancing monetization strategies with player experience while navigating the complexities of in-game purchases. Explore the ethical considerations, payment diversity, and regulatory aspects that shape the landscape of microtransactions. Learn how community feedback, player behavior analysis, and transparent models influence the success of monetization efforts in gaming environments.
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Space Statistics
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Questions
Q: How do microtransactions impact player engagement?
A: Microtransactions can increase player engagement by offering personalized and attractive in-game purchases.
Q: What role do diverse payment options play in microtransactions?
A: Providing various payment methods can cater to different player preferences and boost transaction rates.
Q: Why is player feedback crucial for optimizing microtransaction strategies?
A: Player input helps game developers understand preferences and improve the overall microtransaction experience.
Q: How can game designers balance in-game purchases with player experience?
A: Balancing monetization with maintaining a positive player experience involves thoughtful design implementation.
Q: What impact can ethical microtransaction models have on player retention?
A: Ethical and transparent microtransaction practices can lead to higher player retention rates and positive player sentiment.
Highlights
Time: 12:05:21
Player Engagement Strategies Exploring techniques to enhance player engagement through microtransactions.
Time: 12:15:43
Payment Diversity for Gamers Understanding the importance of offering multiple payment options in microtransactions.
Time: 12:25:56
Regulatory Considerations in Microtransactions Discussing the need for regulations to ensure fair and ethical in-game purchases.
Time: 12:35:12
Community Feedback and Microtransactions The impact of community feedback on refining microtransaction strategies.
Time: 12:45:31
Balancing Monetization and Player Experience Tips on maintaining a healthy balance between profits and player satisfaction in microtransactions.
Key Takeaways
- Microtransactions enhance player engagement and revenue generation in gaming.
- Balancing in-game purchases with player experience is crucial for sustainable monetization.
- Implementing diverse payment options can cater to various gamer preferences and increase transactions.
- Strategies to monitor and regulate microtransactions are essential to prevent exploitation and maintain player trust.
- Understanding player behaviors and preferences is key to optimizing microtransaction strategies.
- Developing ethical and transparent microtransaction models can positively impact player retention and acquisition.
- Microtransactions can influence game design, progression systems, and the overall gaming experience.
- Engaging with the gaming community and soliciting feedback can help refine microtransaction offerings.
- Player perception of value and fairness greatly influences the success of microtransaction implementations.
- Creating a balance between free content and paid offerings is a delicate aspect of microtransaction monetization.
Behind the Mic
Introduction
Gm. Gm. Ladies and gents, what's going on? Welcome back to another pixel space, man. It's been two weeks since the last one. We switched up our schedule a little bit here with the spaces and whatnot, but completely all good and all cool here. Really, really excited to be back on another space with amazing pixels team, and of course, our amazing panelists today. Guys, before I proceed any further, you already know what I'm about to ask. Interact with the space link, bottom right button or pin at the very top of the jumbotron. Anything you guys can do to show love, whether that's a. Like a repost, a comment, a bookmark, all of those good things, that would be very much appreciated.
Today's Topic
And look, man, today's topic for the space today, microtransactions and gaming. I feel it's going to be a little bit more of a deep dive, a little bit more of another insight on what does microtransactions look like in gaming, what does it actually do for games, right, and how important it is in the gaming ecosystem. Right, so, that being said, let's just check in very swiftly with our panel that we have so far. I'm gonna go to Heidi here first. Heidi, what's going on? How are we doing today? Long time to speak.
Checking In with Heidi
I know, I'm good. Just busy working as. As usual. We've got tons in the works, on all fronts, so. Yeah, no, I'm good. How are you? Doing well. Doing well. Yeah. Thanks for asking. And by the way, Heidi, were you at token last week or. No, no, I wasn't. Lukewarz, though. Mmm. Got you. Got you. Yeah, I don't think I. Fortunately didn't. Wasn't able to come across Luke, but I've seen that he was out there, so that was really cool. But, yeah. Glad to know you're doing well. You guys are always busy, I feel, but glad to see you guys are always, you know, putting something forward, putting in, you know, efforts to stay in tap with the community and.
Future Engagements
Yeah, I love to see that. And I will say we are going to be at a lot of events in the fall, which I guess technically just started, like, a couple days ago. we're going to be at Binance blockchain week in Dubai, we'll be at Defcon in Bangkok, and of course, the YGgD summit in Manila. So it's going to be travel days, but it'll be really fun. I'm excited to meet a lot of our users. And at these events, will you guys, have your own pixel booth. Or, like, what does that look like? Binance? Blockchain week? Yes, Bangkok. I think Luke might be talking. And I think maybe in Manila, we'll both be talking. Maybe in finance, too. I've got to figure all that out.
Excitement for Events
Yeah, it'd be like that. I get you. I get you. No, that's so awesome. And shout out to everyone that will be there as well. Make sure you show some love to Heidi and Luke when you do see them. But, Heidi Gladstone, you're doing well. Thanks for representing pixels today. Send Luke my regards. Let's check in here with the rest of our panel. Man, we have champions ascension as well with us today. Champions. What's going on, guys? How are we doing? Hey, what's up? Yes, loud and clear. Awesome.
Technical Issues
Because usually it doesn't, you know, Twitter and X, or whatever the heck we're calling it these days, doesn't work on PC. And so glad to. Glad my PC is working here today. Yeah. Anyways, thank you guys for having me. It's fun. Always hang out with Heidi and pixels here and. Just happy to be here. I'm also Luke, so hopefully that no one confuses me with the Luke from pixels. I'm not quite as cool as him, but I'll try my best.
Joining the Discussion
You're the perfect substitute, my friend. This is the substitute for Luke today. Luke, I appreciate you. Thanks for coming in with the champions ascension account. I can't even speak. Pleasure to have you here. Awesome. Awesome. Let's check in here with blast Royale, which I believe is being represented by Benny today. Benny, what's going on? Pleasure to meet you. How are you doing?
Blast Royale Team
Yeah, we've. We've got a couple of us. We've got. We've got. We got Batman and Robin here today. But actually, Anil was the. The main star over on the main account. But, yeah, I'll do my first intro, but, yeah, I'm ready. I'm the head of marketing over at first light games, developing Blast Royale, and you can probably see the. The big, bright PFP. We've got a whole lot of noob stuff going on right now, but, yeah, no, it's a pleasure to be here. We're making a top down battle royale shooter in web three, and we're having a blast.
Shared Excitement
Love that. I love it. Let's check in with who do we have behind the actual blast real account. What's going on, guys? How are we doing today? Gm? Gm? This is Batman. But when I'm not Batman, this is Anil. One of the founders at Blast Royale. And yeah, we've just come off running a really fun live stream on x with some of our community with all the web three noobs out there getting them familiar with both the game and what we're doing. But thank you for having us today. We're excited to talk to you.
Community Engagement
Love that. Love the whole Batman Robin du Bo here on today's space. Appreciate you guys. Thanks for swinging by. And of course, after you've been hosting a stream, that's pure dedication. look, I encourage everyone else as well, man. If you guys want to, share a few takes, you can leave it in the comment section down below. If you guys have questions you want us to cover today regarding today's topic around microtransactions and gaming, we'd love to see it in the comment section down below.
Microtransaction Discussion
but first, we even dive into anything around microtransactions, right. it's funny because I think today is essentially the start of q four, right. And a term that I just recently discovered that people are saying is called October, right, where essentially the markets and everything start to look a little bit green. You know, that's a little bit more green candles. But I'm over here looking at the charts right now and we just took a big look, I want to say a big one, but as a deep nose dive into with bitcoin here. So we are looking a little red today.
Looking Ahead
but that's not the whole point of bringing this up. I'm bringing this up because I want to know what are your guys plans for Q four, right? You don't have to give me a full blown out detail in depth, right? Give me in 60 seconds or less, what are you guys going to be working on in Q four? Or even better, what are you focusing on? What are you going to be paying attention to? how are you planning to end this year? On a bang. Right. I'll start off here with champion ascension, then, you know, we'll work our way around the room.
Future Plans for Champion Ascension
But please feel free to also raise your hand if you guys ever want to chime in at any given time. So that being said, luke, I'll go to you, my friend. What's Q four looking like, man? For champion ascension, Q four is looking good, guys, looking good. We got a couple things that we are working on. One is a web based game. It's going to be a companion game to our PC game, so not exactly the same. It's going to be for more those who are into casual gaming.
Expansion Plans
But the fun thing is if you're not into casual gaming, you can still use the rewards you get from the web based game in the more competitive PvP fighter game on the PC. So it's going to expand our audience quite a bit. Looking forward to that. Our community should be playing that here in the next week and then we'll be pushing it out to the public, hopefully in a month or so. Alongside that, we have announced our partnership with the Keystone foundation about a month or two ago. So we're. That team is working on TGE and integrating the protocol into the game and bringing on other games as well.
Community Engagement
So yeah, if you haven't checked out Keystone yet, I would highly recommend it. It's going to be quite fun to hopefully coincide those with the launch of the browser based game, but, you know, with TGE, you never know on the exact date and how those things go. So we'll see. But hopefully quarter four and if not, you know, early 2025. We'll see, dude. Yeah. Yeah. First of all, I love this. I love the amount of activations and initiatives you guys have going on for Q four.
Reflections on the Year
Really quickly, Luke, how would you kind of summarize the past year of 2024 for you personally? Personally, huh? Yeah. I mean, it's been a year, but it's a fun one. You know, last year I was looking to get out of this space and actually learn programming and went to coding boot camp, and that didn't go too well for me. And now I'm back here being a marketer for champions, and I've loved a lot. So I'm just grateful for the opportunity.
Personal Growth
I love to be able to use my marketing content skills again with such a fun game, such a fun team. So, you know, there's definitely been some ups and downs for me personally this year, but I'm still thankful, still glad to be here. Dude, that's awesome. And I love the mindset. Will you ever get back into programming? We think you ever tried again? You know, I think it's something that I enjoy as a hobby and might do on the side, but breaking into the industry, especially the way it is now, it's.
The Programming Challenge
It's a mess. So, you know, anyone looking to do that, good luck. I wish you the best, but it ain't easy. Oh, man, we can all definitely learn a thing or two whenever it comes to trying out new things. But Luke, I appreciate you. Thanks for sharing, man. Looking forward to what you guys to be doing in Q one of 2025. I know we're just talking q four right now, but, thanks for sharing, man. Let me pass it over here, to Benny and blast Royale, and then we'll keep circling around this room.
Plans for Blast Royale
Benny or, Man, I forgot who was forgot. Can't forget. Kidding. Speaker now. Forgot who was behind the blast royal count. But if either one of you guys want to speak on what is the plans for Q four? What are you guys focusing on? that'd be amazing. Go ahead. Yeah, I'll go. Actually, this quarter, in fact, this month is actually the biggest month ever for blast Royale. I think we've been building for two and a half or three years. Honestly, I forget by now, but now it's all happening.
Major Announcements
So we just announced last week that our genesis collection got moved from polygon to ethereum. We finally joined the Ethereum master Ace, which was great. We've just teased that we have a really epic loot to Airdrop campaign that's going to be doing some pretty unique and cool stuff, some of which I can't say because otherwise Renny will tell me off for giving away. But there is some really cool stuff happening, and it's all going to culminate at the end of this month with our tGe.
Product Development Journey
But I think first and foremost, like the product that we've made, it's taken quite a long time. We've been in hiding for quite a while. We really wanted to make it as good as possible. It's really improved a lot this year. We've used real metrics, working with our players and getting the feedback. It's in a good place now. And now it's a little bit like when you have to leave your house after you spent 18 years with your family and your mom and dad kick you out and they go, you got to go and be a person now.
Final Thoughts
That's what's happening to blast Royale. But I think even though we're all noobs, we're ready to grow up and we're ready to have a lot of fun. So, yeah, this is, I gotta be honest, if the entire team is being powered by Red Bulls, monsters, and coffee right now, but it's all good, we're pumped, we're excited, and we're ready to go. Dude, please toss me a Red Bull and coffee. I need that ASAP. No, I'm just kidding. I am just a little bit jet lagged still from token, but I'm doing just fine.
Introduction and Meeting the Panel
And look, this is my first time actually meeting you guys on the space, so I'm going to do some more research after this space is all wrapped up to get a little bit more alpha, some info on what is blast for ya. I'm already seeing the profile. I love what I'm seeing with the banner, the pin post, all those amazing things. So I appreciate you sharing. Let me toss it over here to an emosita man on behalf of lizard Labs. What's going on? First of all, thanks for joining. and essentially, I'm asking people here in 60 seconds or less, right? What is the objective for Q four? How are we ending 2024 with a bang, right as we enter 2025? animosity, my friend. Please, would love to hear from you. Go ahead.
Q4 Objectives and Major Launches
Yeah, look, appreciate it, Fazla. also jet lagged a little bit from token. I'm still in Tokyo, though. Heading. Heading back here tomorrow, actually. So that said, q four is a massive quarter for us. We have our tge for Liz coin that's coming up here in the next month. And as part of that, we've got a major public airdrop for people. So we just announced recently the launch of our Lizard lounge app. So those of you that are interested, come check it out. We'll get the post pinned up here in the nest. But it is an approach to bring in thousands of the leading players that have been participating in web three gaming for years. We're actually going after gamers. We have the most advanced analytical airdrop that anyone has ever done in a web three.
Incorporating Gaming Mechanisms
As part of that, come check us out of the lounge. If you've been playing, if you've been, you know, holding assets, if you've been supporting studios through Discord, you're likely going to be eligible for this Lizcoin Airdrop. And then following that, we've got the launch of our Lizard League app. So the lounge is our central hub for everything from questing platforms, staking, lootbox, distribution of our token and other partners. The Lizard League app is incorporated there, and it's the central home for esports tournaments and wagering platforms in web three. And so this allows us to connect to many other studios in the sector, and through that, we will become the central hub of gaming within the Webberry space. So, really excited for this quarter. It's huge for us, not just from TGE standpoint, but really from a product standpoint as well.
Importance of Questing Platforms
Yeah, and look, I've also just started to realize the importance of questing platforms and the role that they play in communities, specifically in gaming. Right. So first of all, congratulations ahead of time. It seems like everyone here on this panel has something planned up in q four. And look, last but not least, I got to check in with Heidi herself. Heidi, I know Luke is not with us today, but what is the alpha? What are we looking at here? I know you mentioned events for fall Q four, but aside from that, what is the objective to end this year on a very high note? Go ahead.
Chapter 2.5 and Upcoming Events
So it's hope. There's a lot of different things. So we've talked a lot about this kind of elusive chapter 2.5 coming. So chapter two has a lot of issues in it, and we recognize those. And we've been working really hard to figure out what makes sense to kind of make things better, more balanced and whatnot, more fun. And so we've kind of conceptualized this idea of chapter two point, which doesn't really make sense, but it's fine. We can move with it. And so there's been a lot of debate internally about, okay, will it be this big release or slow rollout? So I think we're going to go with the slow rollout of things. So there's going to be lots of different updates, starting with, I'm hoping in the next few days it might be next week, but there's going to be like an energy wine rollout that's going to change things up a little bit.
Event Plans and New Partnerships
So there's going to be a lot of different meta changes coming to the game to kind of do chapter 2.5 is really like a chapter two rewrite. So that's like a major thing that's coming. And then, yeah, on the event side, we also have tons of in game events coming. We have a fun one next week. I think it is an energy party that's going to be also a Twitter space, which will be fun with some pretty cool people to celebrate an avatar launch, which is a good one. And then we have a really big partnership coming up, which I wish I, I really want to leak it so bad, but I just can't. So that will be coming in a couple weeks, actually, very soon. So I've been working really hard on that behind the scenes.
Transparency and Player Experience
And then, yeah, like I said, Luker and I are going to be at a bunch of IRL events. There's so many things going on behind the scenes. I wish I could just, like, show you guys all of our notes, but I can. But, yeah, I would say, like, for the average player, their probably biggest concern is this chapter two rewrites. So lots of different changes in meta are coming, so stay tuned for that. I love that. I love that. We were so close to getting the alpha from Heidi. Guys, I tried my best. that's the whole point of me doing these little short segments. No, I'm just kidding. look, this is why I say, guys, make sure you're following not just the pixels account, but Heidi as well.
Microtransactions in Gaming
Should have fallen to Luke's accounts because all the updates are probably going to be pouring in from these two alone, you know? So join the discord. Get involved with the community. Man. Everyone here is busy and locked in for Q four. I saw something this morning. It's called the Winter arc. And supposedly, right the way that grok shout to Grokai on Twitter. They summarize it as every last three months of a year is when you're supposed to lock in and you become. You become the best version yourself entering a new year. And I'm like, yo, how come I just heard about this year? I didn't know this was an actual thing. So, look, it honestly sounds like you guys are all in your own little dojos.
Transition to Main Topic
You guys are all locked in. And I love that. And I would love to catch up with you guys as the months, as the weeks goes by to see where you guys are with the progress. Right? And I know you guys have already been doing so many things here. So much love, much respect, and I appreciate this quick little segment, everyone here. And that being said, let's finally transition into main topic today, which is micro transactions in gaming. And the reason why I chose this as a topic was one I if you've been tuning into the many spaces we've been hosting with pixels, where I literally covered so many aspects, from community building to in depth game development to what makes a great ip.
Discussion Starter: Microtransactions Role
Right? Could we cover so many things when it comes to the pickle spaces? And I feel like one thing we don't do enough, though, is diving a little bit deeper into the actual infrastructure of these games, right? And more most importantly, right, as we continue to see games that come from this space and make a huge leap into the web two scene, right. I think it's very important that we kind of highlight the exact steps. What are the strategies? What is the blueprint looking like to make sure we execute this at a high level? And one of them being is microtransactions. Right? Because I feel microtransactions is just.
Gamer Perspectives on Microtransactions
I wouldn't say it's one of the easiest ways that games are currently monetizing, but it is personally, from my experience, whether that's I'm playing a mobile game or I'm playing pixels, whatever it may be, these little Ui experiences that I come across where if I need to spend $10 to get a season pass or a battle pass, right? And I see the amount of rewards, I can see the amount of cosmetic skins that I can. I can earn by purchasing this, right? I'm down, right? Like, take my money. I'm ready. Here's my wallet. You know, here's my ethereum, right? And I feel this type of experience can actually elevate that gaming experience that we come across, right? And I think that's something as a gamer myself, we appreciate so much.
Exploring the Value of Gaming Investments
And look, I know nowadays games are so expensive, but if it is worth it, right? And we do see the value, right. There is nothing more than porn than that, to me, than a gamer, right? So my first question, right. And I would love to have this be the introduction. The discussion starter is how do microtransactions affect the enjoyment and satisfaction of a game, right? Do they enhance or do they distract from the experience? Right? And again, I'm always looking things from a player perspective, you know? So, that's gonna start going to be the first question, and I would love to pass it around the room.
Microtransactions Impact on Gaming
Let me actually toss it over to Luke here on behalf of champion session. And Luke, if you don't mind tackling the first question of the discussion today, right. How do microtransactions, man. Affect enjoyment? Go ahead. I mean, I think if you ask gamers just straight up, you know, it depends on the gamer. Right? Right. You know, if you go to PC gaming or subreddit, you know, you're going to see thousands of posts on microtransactions and gotcha mechanics and just slamming all those all day long. So it depends on the community.
Diverse Reactions to Microtransactions
But if you're a specific mobile gamer, then you're probably a lot more used to microtransactions, I think, in terms of, does it actually make the game better for gamers? I think it really depends. I think microtransactions is such a broad kind of catch all term, right? Like, are we talking microtransactions as gacha mechanics? Are we talking about it as a battle pass? As you said, you know, like, I don't love microtransactions, but as you said, boswell. Like, yeah, I'll buy $10 battle pass on Valorant to collect, you know, 90 days worth of skins and fun things like, yeah, I enjoyed that.
Concerns with Pay-to-Win Models
you know, there's microtransactions that literally gatekeep content or make the game pay to win. So I don't think, you know, I think growing up, I would have been one of those gamers on the PC gaming Reddit that said, microtransactions. Screw Any game that does that. But I think I've come to realize, like, there's such different applications of that, and sometimes it does make a game better. And, you know, I would prefer to play a free to play game and then, you know, spend some microtransactions here and there if it's worth it to me. So, you know, I don't know, it's yes and no, depending on the.
Funding and Experience in Games
I think, yeah, dude, I like, man, I think the number one game where I spent so much money on is League of Legends. Like, that skin store, the amount of skins I have in my library. Oh, my goodness, dude. Like, I need to check my balance on how much I actually spent. Yeah, trust me. Don't, Jeff. It's probably going to make me cry. I'm not going to be on. I'm just going to be honest with you. But, yeah, DUde, look, I really agree with you, though, right? It really depends on the player and the game itself. Right. And I love what you were saying, though, when it comes to mobile.
Cultural Differences in Microtransaction Acceptance
And this was actually interesting. I heard this on a space last week, someone said that in Asia, right, because of how the gaming culture is, like, literally so integrated with, like, the day to day lives of so many people there, that microtransactions are more likely to happen in these regions compared to, like, your western countries, right? And I was thinking about it because when I was in Asia and Singapore, dude, the amount of people that I would just see playing mobile games on the train, on the MRT's, when they're walking around, right? And if we're talking Apple Pay, where Apple pay. Apple pay makes it so easy to buy anything online.
Ease of Purchase and Mobile Gaming
You literally just have to scan your face id, right? Double tap the power button on your iPhone. The next thing you know, boom, you bought something, right? Like, they make these devices, make it so easy to want to buy things. And I feel like it makes the most sense for mobile. So I just wanted to reiterate what you're just saying, Luke, I see Lizard Labs here with their hands up. I would love toss it up. Lizard Labs, please go ahead. Yeah, I think we've seen this evolution over the past, let's call it ten years, basically, as we've moved into the free to play and microtransaction era, especially in mobile gaming.
Critique of Extractive Game Design
This is not something that's a new topic. I will say it's probably the one that gets more gamers in the west up in armst than anything else is the extractive nature of the design process for games, especially mobile, where most mobile games now are comprised of a studio that has more data analysts and individuals, psychologists that are focused on this dopamine shot, extractive loop where, you know, everything is optimized to ensure that, just like the maximum spend possible is happening through microtransactions. Right. And like we can debate whether this is a good thing or a bad thing that it's been so heavily optimized.
Balancing Player Experience and Microtransactions
you know, I. I do, I do, you know, to some degree miss the purity, if you will, of just, you know, pay $50 or whatever it used to be, you know, for a particular game title that you could just play the entire thing. And I think that's a. It's a more, maybe honest approach. But. But also, you know, the. The ability to allow a majority of players to come in and play for free and those that are most interested in spending, you know, that have a combination of means and interest, you know, that want to either collect major cosmetics or that want to participate in this, you know, it's called pay to win economies of games.
Transparency in Business Models
And that wasn't transparent upfront. I. And oftentimes, you know, there will be a much more extractive mechanic than something, you know, as, let's say, acceptable. And, and from a cost standpoint, as accessible as, you know, like a battle pass mechanic or something that really isn't too crazy. Instead, you know, you'll get through, like, half the gameplay loop and find out it's actually going to be $250 worth of microtransactions for me to really come in and complete the entirety of the structure. And I didn't realize that as I was playing. And I think that is the piece that, for me, feels questionable because you don't have the transparency going in that this is going to be the business model. And so I think that's where the additional transparency is what's most important. And frankly, web three has a mix of structures that are better and that are worse than this. And I think it's really just an amplification mechanic that we tend to see in web three rather than a fundamental change in a lot of cases where you'll see both the best and the worst in terms of actors in their approach to microtransactions that emerge in web three gaming.
Incentives from Gaming Projects
Right. I like that. I like that. It's kind of making me just think now, right. Is it makes sense why certain incentives that come from gaming projects can sometimes feel like. Right, like people are playing the game because there's an expectancy of an ROI, whether that be in the form of a currency or a token airdrop, whatever that may be. Right. And so I agree, the transparency, the communication needs to be improved. I will. I will agree with that. and look, I want to pass it over to the blast royale Batman and Robin duo we have here. And I know we already kind of said quite a few things here already, guys, but we'd love to kind of just hear your thoughts on this. Right. how do you kind of view microtransactions affecting player experience? we'd love to hear from you guys. Go ahead.
Microtransactions in Pricing Models
Sure. One thing I was going to say that's kind of funny is that these days, even if you pay like $60 for a full price game, you still get microtransactions. So in some ways, that is the worst of all worlds, right? Because there's an upfront cost and you still have to pay. But broadly speaking, like, we really like microtransactions because it means that you can download and play a game for free, which is really what you want, right? Like I come from an era where I used to play in the arcades. You had to pay money just to play a game once, right? Then you have a game that you can try for free. And now maybe with web three, the stuff that you get, and it even has value, which is really good as well. So that's like the best of all worlds we found. But of course, the use of microtransactions, the devil's in the detail, right? So unfortunately, what has happened is that you get many games now that are completely optimized for monetization to the extent that there are some companies, for example, a lot of the successful israeli companies that make things like, you know, Coin Master and things like that, right?
Monetization First Approach
They actually, I'm not making this up. They start with the monetization first and then they make the game second. That tells you everything you need to know about games like that, right? They work out the perfect way to get someone into a loop and how much they should be able to play and where they should be prompted to spend, et cetera. They optimize for that and then they build all the mechanics around that. Now that I really hate. Unfortunately, that game is one of the most successful mobile games of all time. Even so, it does show that it works. But I mean, what we really like about it instead is we just like the idea that anyone can play. And if you've built like a great product, then you know, you want to spend because you like the thing that you've got, right? And then you want to keep spending it over and over, hopefully. But you don't have to. There's no pressure. I mean, you've already mentioned League of Legends. That's like got a great model where it's all cosmetics.
Cosmetic-Only Models
There's nothing that's paid to win and you can do it that way. I would say from our own experience, we had an old version of Blast Royale, one of the first ones that we launched with that did have a kind of element where you could pay to upgrade your equipment to make it better. And our players very quickly told us, you need to pull this out of the game and you need to pull it out yesterday. So we did that because it's really important for like a battle royale game to be fair play. And it should come down to the skill and not like, you know, oh, I've got the bigger wallet than you have. So I win the game and so it depends on the games. But other games that as you've referenced, like asian games, but I think not just that, but I think in general, like rpg's, like, you know, if you play an RPG and someone's grinded for ages and you want to speed up the grind, I don't think people necessarily have a problem with that. Or if it's like more PvE rather than PvP. Then again, you might not have such a problem with it.
Context-Aware Monetization
Like if someone's won by every mount in the game, like World of Warcraft or something like that, and get like the really cool looking skins in the taverns and stuff like that. No one's really got a problem with that. But I think we do draw the line. I think not even just like Coin Master, but, you know, you'd get four x games where they basically incentivize you to attack one another. And then if you lose, you can buy back all of your army, which would otherwise be a permanent loss for real money. So then you essentially get this thing called the revenge loop, right, where it's just two guys having like, or girls having a, you know, a pissing match against one another, and it's just who can spend more money until you run out of money and then you wait till next month's paycheck. And that's a very real thing. And unfortunately has been designed with like, you know, it. That's an intentional design.
Design Ethics in Gaming
So I guess it's a bit like Spider man. With great power comes great responsibility. I know I said I'm Batman. I guess I'm changing what superheroes are now. But, yeah, that's really important. But I think it's good. And it will be interesting to see where web three goes. But I think that with Web three, what's really great about it is that if you're buying something and you're buying an NFT that has value, right? Or you can trade it with someone else for something, and I think that's great. I think that would make you more tempted to want to do it. I think also, you know, if you're building an ecosystem, so the thing that you're buying maybe can even work across multiple titles and things like that. That's even more awesome. Imagine that, like, your League of Legends skins, like riot makes another game and those skins appear. Now, other games that you could play, like, say it's Valorant or something. Maybe you like the gameplay of Valorant, maybe you don't, but it might tempt you to give it a chance.
Lifetime of Games and Player Involvement
And, you know, all games have a shelf life. Even the biggest games of all time will not last forever and you'll move with something else. So I think there's a lot of interesting things that we can do of it. And personally, I think that actually, web three is one of the best things to happen to players in a long time. It's high time to be honest with you because I think, sadly, the last ten years have just been about optimizing. And, you know, you've just got the big players now dominating and trying to price everyone out. So I think we're due a revolution and something that brings power to the players. No, absolutely. My quick comment to your take is just like, I wish that one, right. A lot of these cosmetics, games, whatever, you know, we spend our money on these games.
Ownership and Digital Assets
I wish we actually, like, own them, you know, because, I mean, that's the whole point of what blockchain is actually introducing with. You know, we're trying to build here, right? And I know that's something we're currently tackling, but, man, like, just looking back now, because it's funny, we keep talking about, like, ownership and all these. Of all these assets. I'm like, man, I spent so much money on league, but, like, at the end of the day, it's not even mine, right? Like, it'd be cool to flex that, right? And I love how you mentioned, like, flex culture is so real in gaming, right? People love showcasing that. Hey, I own the golden AK 47 skin and there's only 50 of them in the game.
Value of Cosmetics in Gaming
The one thing, though, and it's an interesting one to me, is if I'm already spending $60, I think games nowadays are sometimes even $80, which is crazy. But if I'm already spending that much money and then on top of that, I'm buying hundreds and hundreds of dollars of whatever cosmetics and skins, I would want these cosmetics or something to at least, like, amplify. Like, I don't know, my. My damage or, like, make my movement faster, whatever that may be, right. Because, I don't know, sometimes I feel we spend so much money on these cosmetics and whatnot, and then we come soon to realize that, oh, man, it really doesn't even do anything. Like, you can be bronze and have, like, the golden AK and you're still trash, right? Like that. It's a side topic, but again, just. Just thinking out loud from what you guys are saying, and I love this, and I actually do just want to pivot the conversation just a little bit here, because something that recently took off at the very beginning of this year is, play to earn, right.
Evolution of Gaming Models
And I feel like we've reiterated this model so many times from time to earn, to pay, to win, et cetera. I can't even think of all of them right. But blast Royale, you were mentioning a few titles that were essentially doing this microtransaction model really well, and I was wondering if I can follow up with you very quickly, is what are some other examples of games that have successfully implemented microtransactions without alienating their player base. Right. And what can other teams learn from these games? Blasphemy. I would love to go back to you for this one. Please go ahead.
Successful Games in Microtransaction
Sure. I think the sad thing is there aren't many of those games. The other one that really stands out would probably be fortnight or maybe PUBG. And the reason why it doesn't work is because basically the amount of money that you will make per player or per user will be lower because there isn't a need to do it. Right. It is kind of the thing of like, if you give someone one slice of a chocolate cake or you give them the whole chocolate cake, a lot of people like me who agree you're just going to eat the whole chocolate cake, and it doesn't mean they're going to pay more for it. Right. They're just more well fed. So those games get away with it because they've got such an incredible reach that they can still sustain like massive revenues because so many people play it.
Revenue vs. Game Quality
Now, of course, you can make the argument, though, that maybe because the monetization is like that's why they've got such a great reach, whereas other games aren't really able to do it because they're not as good. And that is possibly true. That is possibly true. But yeah, there aren't so many games that do like a purely, you know, player friendly monetization model. And I think even some of those games have tried to sort of iterate around that and make it so that some people are able to spend like a crazy amount of money. I think games that maybe lie sort of halfway between would be, and I think, like some of the digital tcgs, like maybe Hearthstone, I think to a lesser extent, magic the gathering.
Competitive Balance in TCGs
I mean, you do have to spend if you really want to get everything, but I think that you can still, you could get to, like, the number one ranking in those games with like an entirely free to play deck. And I think it wouldn't even take you that long to do well. You have to be good at the game. That's the thing that takes long. But, I mean, in terms of building up cards, it's just you wouldn't be able to have, like, 20 different decks and things like that. So I think their model is also not a bad way to do it. And, you know, basically, you spend more if you want to get more of the different playstyles and things like that. But there are examples that come to mind. I'm sure other people in the chat will also have other examples, but not many is the sad answer.
Identifying Successful Models
Yeah, yeah. And it's funny, the. You mentioned before and I mentioned. Mentioned PUBG. Those are the exact games that actually came to mind. I didn't want to say it because I feel like it was such an open on a, I guess, straightforward answer, but, yeah, no, 100%. let me toss it over back to Heidi here, because, Heidi, I feel you guys have really nailed down this concept of play to earn so well. and I feel like you guys have actually pioneered this concept. And this is why we're kind of seeing pixels lead the way with play to earn. Right. kind of curious, Heidi, over the past years or so now, since that has kind of been blowing up the narrative that meta has, you know, done its thing, how are you guys adjusting the game plan now to so, you know, making sure that concept is still very much interesting?
Adapting to Market Changes
It's. It's attractive for your players. Right? What does that look like? Oh, man. Okay. What a big question. Also saying that we're pioneering this and we've nailed it. We have not nailed it. It is actually a very complex system. And I think, you know, we talk a lot about experimentation and how this is all uncharted territory here. We talk a lot about how one of the goals of pixels, if we're talking from a very business perspective, is utilizing play to earn as a user acquisition method, which is web three in itself, versus maybe web two, where microtransactions or these flashy, addictive sort of psychological tricks.
Exploring Play to Earn
So I would say, you know, along with, you know, everyone else in web three gaming, we're experimenting with, how does this work? How does play to earn work as UA model? But then how can we also keep the economy sustainable and balanced, which is something that we're still heavily working on developing, experimenting with? So I don't think anyone's nailed it. And I think that's what we're all here to find out is, can we make this all work, right? Yeah. Sorry. There's a lot there.
Subscription Models in Gaming
No, no, it definitely made sense. And, Heidi, just. Just like, a curious question, right. What are your thoughts on just subscription models in gaming? Like, do you think. You think players would be more incentivized to subscribe to something in a game and, like, every month, let's say they get, like, a care package. Care package or something, and it comes with all these goodies. Or should we stick with just simple, straightforward microtransactions? Get people what they want right then and there. Right. What are your thoughts on that?
Current Subscription Offerings
So we actually have a subscription model in place for our vip subscription that we've seen it be actually very successful. We have continuously experimented with the benefits of VIP. Some have hit, some have not, and I. And we're still working on that in the play to earn it, really, you know? And also, this VIP subscription has to somehow satisfy the masses, which is something that, once again, we've experimented with some things, worked some things don't. Some people see it as a really great, you have to have it kind of subscription, and then others see it as, oh, my gosh, this was a waste, like, you know, fudding it and whatnot, which you're always going to have.
User Personas and Subscription Success
And it just really goes back to which sat. Which user Persona are you satisfying with this subscription from a business model? It's been very successful. We've seen a lot of our. A lot of burn of our token through that, which is something that we are hyper focused on with inflation and whatnot. We want to create sustainable sinks, but these things have to be attractive to the user because why would they do that then? Right. So, yeah, no, I'm in favor of it, but it has to be done right, and the user has to actually care and want it. It's also good for retention, so there's different ideas there, but, yeah, I think it's an interesting model if you do it right?
Evaluating Pros and Cons of Models
Yeah. Yeah. And I bring it up because I feel like that's something that we don't discuss enough in this space is, like, the differences between a subscription model or, like, microtransaction, you know? Do you think there's pros and cons to each? Right. And do you think there's more cons, there's more pros, or is it kind of just like a fine balance between the two? I just think it comes down to experimenting with all of it. Everyone's player base is slightly different. They want slightly different things and finding what works for your player base and also the kind of players that you want and you want to attract.
Finding Sustainable Economies
So I don't think there's any one answer. I think every game, as long as they can find a sustainable economy within whatever they're working with and their systems, it can work in, everything can work, really. The players just have to care and want it. Yeah. And I feel like the responsibility comes from the team to make sure that the players actually care. I love this. I love this. Guys, we have ten minutes remaining in today's pixel space. Man, like I was just saying, the very beginning of today's space.
Deep Dives into Gaming Insights
I'm telling you guys, we always get into the deep dives, the insights, learning a thing or two, right?
Appreciation for Participants
So I do appreciate all the speakers and all the panelists that have been contributing in today's space. And, of course, the lovely audience down there below. Thanks for swinging by to another pixel space. And I know we switched our schedule a bit, and we are in a bi weekly space show run now, so if you guys want to hit the. Hit the reminder already for the next one, I believe it's all pinned in the discord community internally, so show some love on that. For the last ten minutes, right, it's going to be very different, very fun. Right? I guess for the. The last ten minutes, I'm just going to ask you guys, right, what has been your favorite game you've played this year? Right? And you can't say your own game, right? We'll say that you can't say pixels. You can't say blast Royale. Whatever, right? Because that's just straight up shilling. Right? But aside from that, what has been your favorite game you guys been playing of 2024? I'll skip the line here.
Favorite Games Discussion
Let me go to Lizard Labs first, and I'll circle away around this room to end with Heidi. But Lizard Labs, man, aside from what you're building and what you guys are doing over at Lizard Labs, what has been a game of yours that has been a favorite right, of 2024? We'd love to hear from you. Go ahead. Am I focusing on web three games only, or are we talking just gaming in general? Gaming in general. Okay, for me, is easily Baldur's Gate three is the one that I've been playing in this year. It's been several months now. Full transparency. But that was definitely one of the best games in the past decade that I've had a chance to play. And so kudos to the team. It's been a long time coming, but was well worth the wait. From a web three standpoint, I'm actually gonna go a little bit, like, probably under the radar and unknown. I really enjoyed and spent an inordinate amount of time playing celeros. It's a.
Celeros and Personal Gaming Preferences
It's an airspeeder racer game. I really appreciate it because, you know, I come from, like, a, you know, a lot of, like, fighter pilot games. You know, everything from, like, the original, you know, x wing versus tie fighter days. Yeah. Decades ago. And it's a racing game, not necessarily like a, you know, shooting game, but having the 3D Controls really clean. And I got to participate in their Genesis race early this year and absolutely loved it. So well done to the saltwater games team for that. And I think was a very addictive trying to, you know, get those fastest lap times when you're getting thrown up against the wall due to cross currents that are. That are picking you up. You know, I feel like we need to see more racing games that come from this space. I don't know. Maybe I just need to do more of my research. But that competitive edge we get when playing racing games. Oh, man, that is unmatched, dude.
Shared Experiences and More Favorites
Appreciate you sharing labs. Thank you for, by today's space. Let me toss it over here to luke here. Luke, in general speaking, right. What has been a title of yours? Yeah, a couple shout outs. Valheim, if you want to get your ass kicked. It's a good game to play. I think the game that I've been playing the most is valorant. Still hooked on the riot drug, mostly because my brother in law plays, and he gets our whole family. So my wife's in there, in laws are in there. It's a ton of fun. We suck. We're not good. We're in bronze and silver, and it's just a fun time to. To troll around and play together. And lastly, as far as web three games, I've been trying to get some of my family to test out and play games with me, and they're not into crypto. They're not into web three gaming at all. So we've been making some fun content.
Gaming with Family and Humor
They still roll their eyes on a lot of things in this space, but the one game that they've been, like, kind of okay with so far has been nian heroes. So I'll give a shout out to them as the game they've enjoyed so far the most. Dude, first of all, I'm over here laughing, but I'm just as booty cheeks as you are, too, man. So don't worry. Don't worry. Old man reflexes ever since I turned 30, they've just gone downhill from here. So, yeah, man, this new generation of young gamers are. My goodness. I can't even describe the reflex time that they have is insane. Yeah, apparently that's been disproven, but, you know, I still use it to cope, so that's my excuse. I love that. I love that. Luke, we got to have you back on another pixel space, man. I appreciate your time.
Final Thoughts and Favorites
Yeah, thanks for having us, guys. Appreciate it. Yeah, of course. Let me go to the blast royale, guys, for this last one, and then we'll go to Heidi for closing thoughts. Blast for. Yeah, man. Aside from what you guys are building and playing, right, in general, what has been a title of yours that has been catching your eye this year? I would love to hear from you. Go ahead. Yeah, I'm going to give you two and she first one because it's a new game from this year is black myth Wukong, which is like the chinese God of war. Not only has it got amazing production values, but it's the chinese mythology. I think it's really cool to play a game like that. Like a side note, one of my favorite books is three body problem. They've obviously turned that into a tv show.
Cultural and Creative Influences
But reading it as a book because it's written by like a chinese author and it's like chinese culture, it's just amazing to read a book that's written in a completely different way. You know what I mean? Like not the sort of western stereotypes and things like that. And I feel the same. Like playing this game, there might be things that you might like or dislike, but it's really interesting to see a game made through that lens and what, you know, like AAAA super duper game of that type would be so highly recommended if you haven't played it. It's very interesting and a really cool game. Very well done. And the other one is a bit of a hipsters choice, but I'm going to give it to you anyway. Is a game called Zero and it's like a top down extraction shooter game and it's made by just one guy and it's amazing.
Creative Independence and Inspirations
It's like pv game. But the reason why I like it is that like, well, you know, we're also a top down game. We don't have an extraction mode yet, but who knows, maybe one day in the future. But I just have like major props. Like, it's the dream for everyone, right? Imagine if you could make a game by yourself and make it successful. There's not really many to do that. Like, Stardew Valley, of course, is, like, the other one in for infamously that, you know, one guy made it five years. His girlfriend even broke up with him, but he still made it. The dreams came true in the end. So those are two games. Black myth, Wukong and Zero Siva. Dude, I was waiting for someone to mention black myth.
Personal Gaming Experiences
That is like, man, that. That blew my expectations outside of the freaking water, man. So, yeah, I'm glad you mentioned that. And, guys, I will say thank you once again for everyone just contributing today's discussion. I think just my little click to this one is I really enjoyed helldivers to this past year. I don't know what it was about that game. I don't know if it's just the. The comedic side of it, how they're always preaching democracy. Democracy. But, like, it's the first. It's the first time where I've ever played, like, an alien, I guess, also kind of an extraction type of shooter, but that type of game and kept me on for a good hook for almost like two, three months. And then I was like, all right, time for something different.
Closing Thoughts from Heidi
But, yeah, man, shout out to helldivers, too. Heidi, I would love to know your favorite game of this year outside of pixels. And then, of course, after you've done so, if you have any closing announcements, any closing thoughts regarding pixels, we'd love to hear from that end as well. Please go ahead. Okay. A lot of our users already know this, but I'm a huge mini game player. So I'm, like, literally just pulled hold out my phone to look at the kinds of games I've been playing this year. One that has got me extremely addicted has been Hexa sort. I've talked about this a few times on, like, live streams and stuff. I really like it. It's just such a good minigame.
Mini Games and Recommendations
I think with mini games, the right amount of, like, playtime to, you know, lives or whatever that playtime looks like versus, you know, the number of ads they show you has to be perfectly balanced. I think this one has perfectly balanced that addictive behavior with, like, the amount of playtime you get with the amount of ads you have to watch kind of thing. I think. I think it's very good. I really like this one. And then what was the other game? I was gonna say any version of Moki Pochi, if you saw there was like a. I did an interview while I played it. I think we live streamed it last Friday during an energy party. But I've played a few versions of that game. It's through Moku. If you guys are interested in playing it. I love that game.
Moki Pochi and Further Insights
Like I said, I've played several versions of it. I think there's, you know, a lot of different game. We should make a version. Wait, we should, right? So those two games have really got me this year. Yeah, yeah. How do you spell the last one? You were just saying Heidi. M o k I. From Moku. Moki Poachi. So p o c h I m. I just. I see it right here. I gotta look into this. If you go to the Moku website, you can probably find it. Yeah, yeah. Oh, this is cool. This is. Okay. I love that.
Pixels Announcements and Wrap-Up
I say those are my top two. Okay. I love this. I love this. Any announcements you want to share from pixels before we wrap up? Let me think here. We have a fun, like, spooky season kickoff giveaway happening. I did post, it's shared to this Twitter space, but if you go to the Pixels page, it's also pinned. We're giving away a pet, and all you have to do is find the cat, the elusive black cat around Terra Villa, and take a picture. It's just a really easy, like, social quest. So that's a fun one. We'll announce the winner tomorrow on our space. And then. Yeah, everything I said earlier, we've got heavy development into this rewrite of chapter two.
Game Updates and Future Plans
We're going to be releasing, like, small pieces of it over the next few weeks. And I will say the decision to do that was not made easily because some of, you know, some of these fixes that we put in might feel like a bit of a nerf in one area, but then it's like really better. It's really great in another area. And then we're going to release another bit, which might feel like op in another area. You know, there's going to be lots of different meta and, like, economic changes coming. So stay tuned for all of that. I think it's going to be really good, and we're going to react quickly to, you know, like, with this initial energy wine meta change that we're going to implement, we're going to be paying attention. Like, okay, this needs to be tweaked.
