{"id":516955,"date":"2022-11-27T23:08:31","date_gmt":"2022-11-27T20:08:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/the-reason-bots-dominate-crypto-gaming-cash-grubbing-developers-incentivize-them\/"},"modified":"2022-11-27T23:08:31","modified_gmt":"2022-11-27T20:08:31","slug":"the-reason-bots-dominate-crypto-gaming-cash-grubbing-developers-incentivize-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-reason-bots-dominate-crypto-gaming-cash-grubbing-developers-incentivize-them\/","title":{"rendered":"# The reason bots dominate crypto gaming? Cash-grubbing developers incentivize them"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a23d305ea3d1\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a23d305ea3d1\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-reason-bots-dominate-crypto-gaming-cash-grubbing-developers-incentivize-them\/#%E2%80%9D_The_reason_bots_dominate_crypto_gaming_Cash-grubbing_developers_incentivize_them_%E2%80%9C\" >&#8221; The reason bots dominate crypto gaming? Cash-grubbing developers incentivize them &#8220;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9D_The_reason_bots_dominate_crypto_gaming_Cash-grubbing_developers_incentivize_them_%E2%80%9C\"><\/span>&#8221; The reason bots dominate crypto gaming? Cash-grubbing developers incentivize them &#8220;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.cointelegraph.com\/images\/840_aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy5jb2ludGVsZWdyYXBoLmNvbS91cGxvYWRzLzIwMjItMTEvYzhiOTc3ZDItNzViYy00MmQ0LWFiZWEtYjcwOWJmZjczMmUwLmpwZw==.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-content\" data-v-5129e2ea>Think back to the communities you\u2019ve been genuinely excited to be a part of throughout your life. It\u2019s likely these were groups formed on the basis of shared interests, right? That\u2019s because we feel a sense of belonging when we bond with others over any particular thing we feel a particular<em> <\/em>way about. For example, I love <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a>s, and I never get tired of exploring or fostering communities where I can meet other gamers.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s how I know that the current GameFi space is no breeding ground for gamers like myself and my enthusiastic peers: It\u2019s a breeding ground for bots. <\/p>\n<p>And the main issue at play is a structural one.<\/p>\n<p>A strong community signals potential to venture capital (VC) funds, so GameFi projects find themselves trying to raise funds at the community level before they can meet with investors. Therefore, they sell nonfungible tokens (NFTs) and other cryptocurrencies to get through the initial-stage-level hoops and try to earn enough cash to continue building. The more they sell, the better their chances. It\u2019s easy to see how this makes builders inherently vulnerable to what a little bit of hype can do: It can, quite literally, make or break a project.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Related: <\/em><\/strong><strong><em>90% of GameFi projects are ruining the industry\u2019s reputation<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>So, they take their incentive, accept the challenge posed to them by the very industry they love, and through no real fault of their own, they fall victim to the <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>eal of empty hype<em>. <\/em>They appoint influencers to spread the good word about their teaser trailer and how it\u2019s going to result in a $200 million movie \u2014 when in reality, it might only have cost $10,000 to make. They build fan communities and exploit them for their own gain. They give away gaming assets through giveaways in a system that resembles a multilevel marketing scheme and often promises unreasonably profitable returns it cannot possibly deliver.<\/p>\n<p>This further fuels an influencer-based and incentive-driven economy that only drives projects to boast numbers and fail to actually build groundbreaking products. Take Star Atlas, for example: It\u2019s been three years of promises and nothing has been released to the public. <\/p>\n<p>Plus, when people come together because of incentives instead of genuine interest, they fail to form real, solid communities. Look at 90% of GameFi Discord servers, and you\u2019ll only find empty conversations alongside a distinct lack of what could pass as sincere excitement. With more than 100,000 members but only four people who talk, it\u2019s obvious that operators keen on projecting a positive image of their brand are hiring shills to make their communities seem more populated than they are. <\/p>\n<p>This makes both builders and ecosystems fragile, as they are standing on very shaky ground: In the absence of reliable fans, everyone\u2019s participation is for sale. Offer an influencer a better deal than the one they\u2019re currently promoting, and they\u2019ll have no problem jumping ship. Often, so will builders, who are ready to run as soon as the token price is pumped high enough for their liking. This exact scenario happened when the Squid cryptocurrency, unaffiliated with the Netflix <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/watch-movies-tv-seriess\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Watch Movies &amp; TV Series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">series<\/a>, but hoping to bank on the association, rose to $2,800 in value and then crashed to almost zero after it was discovered that it was only a scam.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Related: <\/em><\/strong><strong><em>The rise of mobile gaming shared a lot in common with crypto gaming<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In this case, scammers made away with $3.38 million \u2014 so you could argue that empty hype and incentive-based MLM-type schemes do<em> <\/em>work. <\/p>\n<p>But don\u2019t gamers deserve better? <\/p>\n<p>True gamers \u2014 the ones who are loyal to their community and come together in the name of something they truly believe in \u2014 will stay as far as they can from these dynamics. People who love what they do, not the incentives it may bring, will have no reason to join the GameFi economy as long as this is the reality they\u2019re presented with when they approach it. Those who have spent a long time building real communities have no reason to dupe their fans in the name of bloated numbers, and they know it\u2019s a losing game (pun absolutely intended).<\/p>\n<p>Just as interesting as the economic incentives is the psychological aspect of the dynamics at play. As humans, we are <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20220311012918\/https:\/\/www.psychreg.org\/human-beings-are-emotional-creatures\/\">governed<\/a> (as in, motivated and activated) by emotions: our \u201cvalue system is made up of a hierarchy of emotionally created sensations that rank what is important to us,\u201d which is to say, our brains are physiologically primed to look for emotional rewards, even more so than financial ones. Think entertainment, dependability and a sense of belonging. If there is no emotional attachment to a specific game beyond cashing in and getting out, gamers will do just that. They\u2019ll earn what they can through gameplay, then withdraw their native tokens and move on to the next incentive. <\/p>\n<p>Who do you think will find this most attractive? Who stands to profit the most from this insanely bleak treatment? That\u2019s right, bots. <\/p>\n<p>Bots are specifically \u201cprogrammed to take advantage of incentive structures to extract value, harming the game\u2019s ecosystem,\u201d and for blockchain games, they are a major roadblock on the road to widespread adoption. It\u2019s not terribly hard to estimate how many bots a specific game might attract, as data companies can simply link any wallets belonging to the same person and cross-check the list. Using this method, anti-botting company Jigger analyzed more than 60 games and services and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20220901144327\/https:\/\/www.bsc.news\/post\/jigger-says-bots-make-up-40-of-gamefi-users\">found<\/a> 200,000 bots. Jigger also estimates that bots make up 40% of total GameFi users, while for some games (MetaGear, AnRkey X, and ARIVA), the percentage rises to a staggering 80%, and for Karmaverse Zombie, 96%. <\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s almost the total user base. And that\u2019s unacceptable. <\/p>\n<p>As long as this sorry state of affairs doesn\u2019t improve, the GameFi industry will remain vulnerable to bots, scams, and hyped-up incentives that are unable to drive projects forward. And it will keep <em>real<\/em>, enthusiastic players like me away.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div style=\"background: rgb(239, 239, 239); border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 10px;\"><strong>Shinnosuke \u201cShin\u201d Murata<\/strong> is the founder of blockchain games developer Murasaki. He joined Japanese conglomerate Mitsui &amp; Co. in 2014, doing automotive finance and trading in Malaysia, Venezuela and Bolivia. He left Mitsui to join a second-year startup called Jiraffe as the company\u2019s first sales representative and later joined STVV, a Belgian football club, as its chief operating officer and assisted the club with creating a community token. He founded Murasaki in the Netherlands in 2019.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><em>This article is for <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a> information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal or investment advice. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed here are the author\u2019s alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/general\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">General category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/news\/the-reason-bots-dominate-crypto-gaming-cash-grubbing-developers-incentivize-them\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8221; The reason bots dominate crypto gaming? Cash-grubbing developers incentivize them &#8220; Think back to the communities you\u2019ve been genuinely excited to be a part of throughout your life. It\u2019s likely these were groups formed on the basis of shared interests, right? That\u2019s because we feel a sense of belonging when we bond with others&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":516956,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/images.cointelegraph.com\/images\/1200_aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy5jb2ludGVsZWdyYXBoLmNvbS91cGxvYWRzLzIwMjItMTEvYzhiOTc3ZDItNzViYy00MmQ0LWFiZWEtYjcwOWJmZjczMmUwLmpwZw==.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[91083,74863,74983,74868,133571,73821,80,10751],"class_list":["post-516955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-blockchain-game","tag-cryptocurrencies","tag-decentralization","tag-defi","tag-gamefi","tag-developers","tag-games","tag-gaming"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/516955","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=516955"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/516955\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/516956"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=516955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=516955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=516955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}