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Gate.io Blog Has GameFi’s Finest Hour Returned? Which Projects Are Worth Keeping An Eye On?

Has GameFi’s Finest Hour Returned? Which Projects Are Worth Keeping An Eye On?

29 November 23:27

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![](https://gimg2.gateimg.com/image/article/1692587449analysis.jpeg)
## Introduction
As the end of November approaches, GameFi is showing signs of a "spring comeback,” with a surge in tokens and numerous project releases, community discussions, and KOLs leading the way. News is constantly emerging.

After seeing too many shoddy projects, "play to earn" doesn't seem like an attractive slogan anymore. So, is this call for GameFi really "something to play" or is it consuming players' energy with outdated game content and token models again? Let's take a brief look at the problems GameFi faces and several representative projects in recent times.
![](https://gimg2.gateimg.com/image/article/170127142015581701260310_.pic 1.jpg)
Source: unsplash

## GameFi Challenge: How to Balance Economic Models and Playability, Decentralization and Player Experience
The explosion of the gaming sector in this round is not surprising, as in the previous cycle, gaming was the sector with the most financing in the primary market, but it is difficult to say whether this trend will continue.

Looking back at the history of GameFi, games were supposed to be the most diverse and easily understandable field for users to participate in, but in reality, GameFi did not produce stable and long-term projects like DeFi.

The reason may also be simple: the design logic of DeFi is self consistent, while GameFi struggles to strike a balance between financial and gaming attributes.
![](https://gimg2.gateimg.com/image/article/170127145315591701260335_.pic 1.jpg)
Source: unsplash

The goal of DeFi is very clear: decentralized financial activities allow developers and users to align and balance their needs and interests, while games are much more complex - for developers, the difficulty and cost are high, the development cycle is long, testing and launch work is cumbersome, but after investment, traditional web2 game profit models cannot be followed.

For players, the attributes of financial instruments and entertainment products are actually conflicting, and it is difficult to balance them; Once entertainment becomes a way to earn money and work, any novel game will quickly be smoothed out, and play to earn is basically just a slogan.

In terms of economic models, balancing the scarcity of game assets with the input-output ratio obtained through participation still needs to be considered, including token value and NFT auctions; If the threshold is too high and the time cost is too high, users cannot be retained. If the threshold is too low, it is easy to generate low sustainability garbage projects.

At least before, most GameFi focused on "earn,” including successful cases such as running to earn money and electronic pets, which are also very basic designs that can be exchanged for assets such as tokens or NFTs with relatively simple investments. In this way, if there are projects with more mature incentive models that can make users more money, the game will naturally lose its appeal and be ignored. So, although it's difficult, a GameFi project that allows players to have a desire to retain and has a "play" attribute that doesn't hold them back has long-term potential.

In addition to the game itself, GameFi can also drive other collaborative projects. Game development, aggregation platforms, and communication forums are also good ideas, but these are closely related to the development stage of the entire GameFi and audience stability. Therefore, having stable projects allows players to have a long-term investment willingness, and the entire GameFi ecosystem can be healthy.
![](https://gimg2.gateimg.com/image/article/170127147915601701260363_.pic 1.jpg)
Source: unsplash

## What are the Recent GameFi Tracks Worth Keeping an Eye on?
SHARPNEL
Perhaps one of the most eye-catching games in recent times, SHARPNEL is an FPS game developed by a team of 3A game developers who have precise considerations for economic model design. The highlight of this game is its excellent production, which has the potential for long-term attention.

BigTime
When the BIGTIME token was launched in the first two months, there was a more than 20-fold increase, which can be said to be a project that ignited enthusiasm in a bear market. Its highlight also lies in the guaranteed production quality, which is considered a rare "orthodox" type with high gameplay by game enthusiasts. However, correspondingly, it requires a certain amount of time and investment to understand and invest, and there are some gaming thresholds.

<a href="/price/gala-gala" target="_blank" class="blog_inner_link">GALA</a> and Wemix
These two are aggregation and development platforms with certain qualifications, and the quantity and quality of integrated games have obvious advantages. In terms of game development team, Gala Games team is one of the few well-known traditional game industry developers in the GameFi field. The development cycle is generally longer, but it also generally has more long-term potential.

Gas Hero
Produced by the STEPEN team, with GMT as the governance token, this is a placement game with no problem in production level and low threshold for gameplay and understanding. Combined with the team's reputation, it can attract a large number of user drives, which is also the source of recent increase in GMT.
![](https://gimg2.gateimg.com/image/article/170127152815611701260383_.pic.jpg)
Source: Gate.io

Meanwhile, veteran star projects such as Axie, <a href="/price/stepn-gmt" target="_blank" class="blog_inner_link">STEPN</a>, and Star Atlas are also continuing to make efforts.

## When We Discuss GameFi, What Do We Want to Seek
Although some may jokingly say that "enthusiasts in crypto space only want to make money," no matter how much effort is put into attracting users to make money, the essence of the game should still be to make participants feel interesting, gain emotional value, and resonate with discussions among enthusiasts.

So besides creating buzz, what other aspects should GameFi do well? The most crucial aspect is still playability. Nowadays, people see more complex large-scale productions, but ultimately, fun games do not necessarily require huge databases or very frequent real-time interactions. Developers can trace their origins and seek inspiration from classic board games or previous generations of single player games, creating a flexible and interesting interaction design and core mechanism.
![](https://gimg2.gateimg.com/image/article/170127156715621701260395_.pic_hd 1.jpg)
Source: unsplash

Next is artistic, or audiovisual design. As the "ninth art,” the combination of sound, light, shadow, and interactivity is the most intuitive attraction of games. Polishing art and music, and creating a good visual experience rely more on the team's aesthetics and creativity, without the need for strong network performance support. Players will always stop for excellent works.

Reasonable governance is an important reserve force, which is directly related to the environment and fairness, and is the key to long-term vitality. On these foundations, it is best to make the game have a certain level of social interaction, and discussions can create connections among enthusiasts, naturally driving the community.

Although Web3 games are still in their early stages due to network throughput delays and other issues, as new technologies gradually alleviate scalability issues, Web3 and games will become a perfect combination.

<div class="blog-details-info">
<div>Author:**Sherry S.**, Gate.io Researcher
<div>Translator:Joy Z.
<div class="info-tips">\*This article represents only the views of the researcher and does not constitute any investment suggestions.
<div>\*Gate.io reserves all rights to this article. Reposting of the article will be permitted provided Gate.io is referenced. In all cases, legal action will be taken due to copyright infringement.
</div>

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Introduction

GameFi Challenge: How to Balance Economic Models and Playability, Decentralization and Player Experience

What are the Recent GameFi Tracks Worth Keeping an Eye on?

When We Discuss GameFi, What Do We Want to Seek

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