key conclusion
key conclusion
Midcore Gamers are strategic and research-oriented, and are willing to pay for achievements in the game. This highly coincides with the behavioral characteristics of Web3 users.
Midcore Gamers with in-game payment behavior will become the paying user base in Web3 games. They are more receptive to Web3 assets, rules and concepts.
3A games do not adapt to the current Web3 market environment. The experience pursued by the target group of 3A games is very different from that of Web3 games. At the same time, the cost of 3A games is high, the key path to success is not clear, and it is not suitable for the current Web3 market environment.
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introduction
introduction
The root cause of the GameFi track fire is that it can attract a large number of players to enter with the Play-to-Earn model, and to a certain extent solve some of the pain points of NFT, for example, there is no complete product closed loop, and the lack of a clear value evaluation model .
However, "circle-breaking" projects like Axie Infinity and StepN are currently facing a slowdown in user growth, lower player revenue, and even a sharp decline in assets. This also exposed some problems of the GameFi track: product homogeneity is serious, most games are simple to play, and the economic model is mainly based on mining, output and reproduction. This has been unable to meet the higher expectations of players for the game, nor can it attract more Web2 users to enter. If the chain game industry cannot attract fresh blood, and cannot continue to improve content quality and game development, it will face the crisis of slow development and stagnation.
Based on MixMarvel's years of experience in the game industry and deep understanding of Web3, MixMarvel DAO Venture conducted research and analysis from the dimensions of game categories, game user portraits, and Web3 user behavior characteristics, and came to a conclusion: Compared with 3A Games (Hardcore Games), the game content for Midcore Gamers is more suitable to join the Web3 concept and succeed in the Web3 world.
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First, we classified traditional games from the three dimensions of game category, game equipment and game time spent by players.
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According to game categories, traditional games can usually be divided into:
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game time
According to the game time spent by the players from less to more, the games can be divided into:
Casual Games
Players usually spend 0.5-1 hour per day on such games.
Features of Casual Games: Simple, fun and easy to use. Before the popularity of smartphones, Casual Games mainly focused on puzzle games that were pre-installed in mobile phones and PCs. With the popularization of smartphones and 4G/5G mobile networks, the casual game category has entered an era of diversification, and PC-side casual games are gradually being replaced. Simulation management, sports racing, interactive stories, etc. occupy the main market of Gasual Games. In addition, Casual Games has been widely recognized by the market for its features that do not require heavy mental activity, the game background is not complicated, and the game can be played and stopped to solve puzzles or complete repetitive actions.
Midcore Games
Players typically spend 1-1.5 hours per day on these types of games.
Features of Midcore Games: The elements of Hardcore Games are refined, and the threshold of the game is lowered. Midcore Games usually extract the elements of Hardcore Games, simplify the operation steps, and mostly run on mobile devices. Midcore Games also has advantages that are more attractive to players, such as multiplayer experience, low hardware requirements, easy to use, inclusive themes, and strong game strategy. In terms of game time, Midcore Games does not require players to indulge in it for a long time, which is very friendly to players who lack sufficient game time. Therefore, the audience market for Midcore Games is very broad.
Hardcore Games
Players usually spend 2 hours or more per day on such games.
Game editor Kris Graft vividly describes Casual, Midcore and Hardcore Games as: Casual Gamers play games in their spare time; Midcore Gamers arrange games according to their lives; Hardcore Gamers arrange their lives according to games.
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gaming equipment
ConsoleAccording to the equipment of the game, the game can be divided into:
PC: Host games, including two parts: handheld games and home console games. The content is usually dominated by 3A games;
Mobile: Including digital/boxed PC games and web PC games;
: Games played on smartphones or tablets.
In the following user profile analysis, we will exclude players who are console-oriented games.
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We cross-categorized the game categories above using a Venn diagram, and will perform user profiling on the overlap between them.
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Casual Games+Mobile: Players neither consume nor make money, and usually use fragmented time to play games
Casual Gamers prefer to choose free games that don't require much attention and can be started or interrupted anytime, anywhere. They have no need to make money from games.
In terms of time, Casual Games allows players to pause or quit at any time without any loss, and players can play games at any fragmented time. CandyCrush is a very classic casual game;
On devices, Mobile is the best choice for many Casual Gamers;
In terms of game consumption, Casual Gamers will not link games with their actual economic interests. Therefore, they will not choose paid games, nor will they have any expectation of making money from games;
Casual Gamers don't like to study strategies. Instead, they prefer to continuously repeat some core game instructions or actions to continuously gain a sense of accomplishment in the game;
The Casual Gamers group is relatively stable and extensive, with a high penetration rate in all game types.
We use Candy Crush Saga as a case study for user analysis. "Candy Crush Saga" is a PUZ game and one of the most classic products in the American match-3 market. This product has occupied the first place in the US best-selling list for a long time and has attracted the attention of the industry.
User characteristics of this game: Most of the players are female, the players are mature, and they dislike the game fees.
"Candy Crush Saga" uses brightly colored candies as the theme element, and the majority of female players are between the ages of 26 and 54;
Players are more inclined to play games for free, even if there is a paid option, they will not choose easily. The ways to obtain the game life of "Candy Crush Saga" include sharing with friends on social media, paying time costs and paying. The first two methods have been proved to be the most frequently used;
It is very common for players to commute and play in fragmented time.
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Midcore Games+Mobile/PC: Players tend to be more strategic and research-oriented, and are more willing to pay in-game
Midcore Gamers like to study game strategies and are willing to pay to make up for the gap caused by lack of game time.
In terms of preferences, Midcore Gamers will also like Hardcore Games, but lacks sufficient game time;
Psychologically, they hope to get good feelings and gains from the game in a limited time. This type of player also inherits the competitive consciousness of Hardcore Gamers;
In terms of behavior, they are willing to pay to make up for the lack of time in order to quickly obtain in-game improvements. The in-game requirements created by some game officials in a centralized way often require players to pay to obtain key assets. This design will attract a large number of Midcore Gamers;
Midcore Gamers have good game operation capabilities, and are good at improving the attributes of characters or rankings on the leaderboard through "governance strategies".
Next, we will select the highly rated "Yuan Shen" for analysis. When "Yuanshin" was launched in 2019, it captured a group of core users between Midcore Gamers and Hardcore Gamers. These users were born around the millennium when the quality of material life was rapidly improving. They began to pursue high-quality mobile games and "consumption upgrades" in games. However, the mobile game market at that time did not fully meet these needs, and " "Original God" turned out to fill this gap. After 3 years of iterations, although "Yuan Shen Shen" is still an MMORPG in essence, it is already close to a 3A game in terms of picture quality on the mobile side.
Now, the high-scoring "Yuan Shen Shen" is still the main driver of the MMORPG category market, with a share of more than 95%, and it also won the TGA 2021 Best Mobile Game Award.
The characteristics of the users of this game: Most of them are 2D players, and they are willing to pay for the characters without enough game time.
Mainly young people (under the age of 24);
It overlaps with the players of "Honkai 3" and "Tomorrow's Ark";
Among the player composition, there are some console game players, but the main group is still more inclined to use Mobile. Such players have a certain appreciation for games, but are not familiar with the 3A game mode;
Players are willing to pay for drawing game characters. For example, characters with exquisite vertical drawing, smooth movements, and excellent dubbing will attract a large number of players to draw their favorite characters;
Players will learn and exchange game strategies in the game forum;
Hardcore Game+PC: Players have superb operating skills, low willingness to pay, and are more inclined to obtain game assets and upgrade levels through pure play
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Hardcore Gamers have superb game operation skills and are unwilling to pay for in-game props, but they can purchase advanced hardware equipment to enhance the game experience.
Hardcore Games usually have relatively high hardware requirements, and its players prefer to use high-definition monitors, sensitive control devices, high-end PCs and the latest stand-alone machines to enjoy long-term gaming experience;
Players often read game-related information (keep abreast of new versions of software and hardware) and participate in game community discussions;
Hardcore Gamers prefer highly competitive and complex games, and they tend to challenge and master the operations and game tasks at the highest level of difficulty;
Hardcore Gamers tend to gain in-game achievements by improving their skills to outwit other players. Most of them are perfectionists who want to enjoy the full game content;
Among players of all game types, Hardcore Gamers has the highest participation and game loyalty, willing to spend more time in the game, and the player group is relatively fixed.
We chose "World of Warcraft" (MMORPG) developed and published by Blizzard Games for analysis. The game is nearly 20 years old, but still has nearly 5 million players actively subscribing in 2022.
The characteristics of the users of this game: the majority of male players, low willingness to pay in the game, and more emphasis on the sense of accomplishment obtained through operating skills and high rankings
Male players account for the vast majority of the game;
The age of players is getting younger, the main age group is 18-34 years old;
Players have high requirements for equipment and hope to get an immersive experience;
There are many in-depth players, and their game online time is generally very long. In addition to the monthly card, players will not have more money to invest in the game, hoping to rely on their own efforts and game experience to obtain the fun and sense of accomplishment of the game;
"World of Warcraft" also has rib players (players who sell gold coins for cash). In addition to monthly cards, they will sell the game gold coins they get for cash.According to the above survey,We can find that MMORPG spans the categories of Midcore Games and Hardcore Games
. But in different categories, MMORPG performance is also different, we will give an overview from two aspects of game equipment and player preferences.
First of all, in terms of equipment, MMORPG games belonging to Midcore Games are mostly Mobile games; MMORPG games belonging to Hardcore Games are more inclined to be PC games.
MMORPG games belonging to Hardcore Games will attract more players who like to immerse themselves in the game for a long time because they support PC devices and super high-quality games. At the same time, they are unwilling to pay for items in the game, but prefer to prove their abilities through their own game operations.
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We compared the behavioral characteristics of the players screened in the previous article with Web3 users, and found that Midcore Gamers and Web3 users highly overlap. They are all strategic research players and are willing to pay for products. After these users enter the Web3 world, they will become the basic group of paying users in the game.
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The characteristics of Midcore Gamers and Web3 users are highly overlapped
First, let's look at the behavioral characteristics of Web3 users.
Strong transaction type, usually through payment to obtain income
Web3 players aim at "Play-to-Earn" and have a strong desire for real benefits. They will pay to buy initial assets in the product, and are even willing to invest more assets in the mid-term to upgrade the level to get more benefits. Web3 users pay special attention to the economic system of the game, but do not have high requirements for the gameplay and style of the game itself.
Flexible thinking, with a certain foundation of economic knowledge
A complete economic system of Web3 games involves the knowledge of market economy and financial currency theory. To earn real income in the game, players need to have a certain foundation of financial knowledge and be able to have a basic judgment on the direction and trend of the product.
Young, good at studying tokens and economic strategies
Web3 players are younger, and they have more energy to keep learning and researching the blockchain technology and application scenarios that are still developing in depth. Especially for Web3 games with the economic system as the core, young players are more interested in studying the economic and trading strategies.
Pay special attention to your own property rights
Based on the highly overlapping behavioral characteristics of Midcore Gamers and Web3 users, we believe that game content for Midcore Gamers is more suitable for adding Web3 elements and concepts, such as adding rules for FT and NFT assets, and making game assets more open through smart contracts Transparent, players really have ownership of assets, etc. Midcore Gamers, due to their strong willingness to pay and preference for strategic research, will have a very high acceptance of Web3 assets, rules and concepts.
Why 3A games don’t adapt to the current Web3 market environment
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3A games generally refer to high-cost, high-quality, and high-volume stand-alone games, which are an American standard. 3A games are actually a market concept, and the industry has not made such a classification of the game itself. The concept of 3A games was first applied in the game industry in Console games, and later evolved into PC versions. So, why do we say that the game content for 3A players is not suitable for the Web3 concept? The root cause should be analyzed from the business model of 3A and the psychological characteristics of players.
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The psychological characteristics of players and business models of 3A games determine that it cannot be integrated with the concept of Web3
The target users of 3A games pursue an immersive experience, which deviates greatly from the experience brought by Web3; the cost of 3A games is high, the key path to success is not clear, and it does not adapt to the current Web3 market environment.
The 3A player group pays more attention to game experience than transaction
The 3A game player group does not match the Web3 user portrait. 3A game players are more concerned about the immersive experience of the game plot and gameplay. They are less sensitive to financial strategy content such as the economic system and asset transactions, and cannot adapt to the strong financial attributes of Web3. Some players even resist Web3 games with their own financial attributes. French game developer Ubisoft tried to add NFT assets to the game, but canceled the plan due to player resistance.
In terms of business model, the time and capital cost invested by 3A cannot adapt to the rapid iteration rhythm of Web3
But if it's AAA quality (special art quality, not game design philosophy) game, but aimed at midcore players, such a game will definitely be successful.
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Web3 games with AAA art quality and aimed at Midcore Gamers are more likely to succeed
However, we will not completely deny 3A games. The movie-level art quality of 3A games is what all other types of games need to learn from and learn from. In the current Web3 market environment, simple game mechanics + medium and low-level art quality + simple game experience have been unable to achieve the goal of attracting more game users. However, Web3 games with 3A art quality and Midcore Gamers experience are more likely to succeed. No player will refuse an immersive gaming experience, even Web3 players who pay more attention to asset transactions.
The "Original God" we mentioned earlier is a case that fits this type of game. Although some people have classified it as a 3A game, there are also many voices of doubt. For example, some senior 3A game players do not recognize this classification. However, we believe that a game like "Yuanshinshin", which is close to the 3A standard in terms of picture quality, is worthy of attention and research by the Web3 game team.
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How to add Web3 concepts to game content
There are two ways to add Web3 elements and concepts to the game content for Midcore Gamers:
Based on the existing Web3 game design concept and design framework, as well as the characteristics of Web3 users to develop blockchain-native Web3 games;
Transform or reshape the Web3 concept of Web2 games that have been verified by the market.
The second path proved more likely to be successful. A game that has been verified by the market usually shows that the user data model is healthy after the game is launched, players have good feedback on the gameplay, and the recognition of the quality of the game content. This type of game has repeatedly polished and demonstrated the details, and already has a market size and user base in the Web2 field.
From the perspective of development time, it takes a few years for a game to go from concept to design, development, repeated debugging, and then to the official launch. The popular third-person shooting (Third-Personal Shooting) game "Fortnite" has been polished for 6 years. Compared with developing a new Web3 game from scratch, adding Web3 design and concept on the basis of Web2 games that have been verified by the market, and innovating business and business models can save development time to the greatest extent.
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end
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The Web3 gaming industry is already full of contests. From the successful release of MIR4 by South Korea's Wemade, to Ubisoft's attempt to release NFT in France; from the British Web3 game developer Oxalis Games, which received $4.5 million in financing from Supercell and Animoca Brands for the development of the Web3 game "Moonfrost", to Japanese games The giant Square Enix sold more than 50 IPs such as "Tomb Raider" and "Final Fantasy" to enter the blockchain industry, and even the Chinese game giant Tencent invested in the Australian NFT startup Immutable... Most people They are all concerned about the issue that the blockchain industry needs games to land. But has anyone ever thought about why games need a blockchain?
MixMarvel DAO Venture gave its own answer - the blockchain can bestow human rights and spirit.
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About MixMarvel DAO Venture
About MixMarvel DAO Venture
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