A young mother worries about her sons spending too much time on the computer. She calls me occasionally to consult whether she should do something about it. Unfortunately, I am not her typical friend who advises limiting PC time and encouraging kids to go outside.
On the contrary, I encourage her to log in.
This story tells a typical perspective on gaming. It's what it looks like from the outside. What worried parents and other people won't see until they are part of the gaming system is that it nourishes so many technical skills and also creativity.
What is the Current State of Gaming?
I am a millennial, and I have kids. I live kind of an ordinary life, building things I love. For me, gaming was Sega consoles, trading discs with classmates, and gatherings in one house to play the latest game. Then, we had games on CDs, long installation hours, and a personal gaming experience. This allowed us to connect with people not leaving our house. Moving forward, PlayStation became something exciting, and headsets and VR became something that took a lot of our free time and space at home.
For now, Metaverse has become the place that enables the next-generation gaming experience. It does not require heavy hardware or a pile of CDs. Instead, just logging in to Decentraland and playing a simple P2E game has become something fun to do while you're on your lunch break. Playing here has been motivated by earning, which is very appealing to millennials.
It was Never so Easy to Play
You might see by now that this is not a typical gamer writing. But it is also important to understand that gaming now is not an exclusive underground club. Exploring Metaverse is gaming too. Such explorers like me use computers to connect with other people in the craziest environments. I could never think that in my 30s, I would get back to creating my online avatar, buying digital clothing, and choosing the right land on Decentraland to build. With Metaverses trending, people started creating, which is the true essence of gaming today. It was never so easy to play.
P2E (play-to-earn) games got people interested in monetizing their time, making the gaming experience an actual learning curve on strategizing, executing, and iterating. This is why it's important to let kids play - you might not know how educational Fortnite, Roblox, or even Decentraland Metaverse could be.
Not the friendliest environment
While it seems that gaming is a buzzword, it is used not only in the Metaverse or traditional gaming industry. It also can be an incentive to make users, e.g., move. Everything can be a gaming experience, and it's not bad.
If there were something to worry about, I'd say projects trying to catch the hype and make their product related to gaming, even though it would be a perfect simple product. Unfortunately, with that comes complicated structures and difficult UX, which might push users away from something really great. I believe gaming should encourage creativity, teach skills, and create a great time while on it. Sometimes it's more simple than some may say.
Exclusive portal to gaming
The best way to make gaming a great experience is to let people play on their everyday devices. I am a fan of PlayStation, but I wouldn't say I like to switch it occasionally. I feel bad when I do it because it feels like it takes time from me. The paradox is that I have no problem logging into Decentraland to play some games, even during the daytime. Taking a long ride with Uber? My phone got me covered with various games available to play.
The most disappointing thing is when you can't play your favorite or trendy game on your usual devices. It takes a lot to buy hardware, and it's extra energy. However, the experience and the game should be sensational to make me order another device.
What is the future of gaming?
If you're an insider, I bet you'd say the community is the gaming industry's future. But really, it's the availability. Gaming is not an exclusive experience anymore. Instead, it's empowering players to create value in the Metaverse for the community and the ecosystem. So education and building should be gaming synonyms because it is the future!