Challenges of On-Chain Gaming
There's a reason why most games aren't online games on a chain: they're riddled with problems that force developers and players to operate under strict technical constraints and deal with difficult user experiences.
Challenges of online games on a blockchain. Blockchain speed and scalability. Because blockchains are like shared global computers operated by thousands of people around the world, they suffer from a lack of speed and scalability, two critical technical elements for creating a fast game.
It is because of these technical limitations that online games on the blockchain today are mostly limited to turn-based games such as collectible card games or strategy games - smart contracts are not fast enough to process game logic in fast games such as MOBAs, FPSs, or even real-time strategy.
Player actions in a viewable form
Smart contracts and the transactions that go through them are available for anyone to see. While this can be useful in the case of financial transparency, it limits the possibilities for game design because there is no privacy.
For example, game mechanics such as fog of war in MOBA or RTS games are nearly impossible to implement because these games are based on players not having complete information. There are technical solutions to this problem that have been implemented in individual cases, but this problem has not yet been solved for blockchain games at scale.
Botting
The design of on-chain games and smart contracts means that bots can play on par with players, and there is no central authority to set anti-chit programs. This can degrade the player experience in certain games, especially because the motivation for botting is quite high when games offer NFTs and other rare digital assets as prizes.
Technical limitations
Blockchains and smart contracts are sometimes incapable of performing certain tasks due to their strict security principles.
Two important limitations for gaming applications on blockchain are access to an uncompromised random variable and automating game logic when needed.
On-chain randomization decisions, which almost all on-chain games must use, can often be subject to manipulation by validators (or miners) on the network because they can see the result of a randomization before it is validated on the blockchain.
Intermediate game actions, such as propagating a series of game logic based on player actions, require automatic calls to smart contract functions to reduce tedious gameplay, but this is not offered natively by blockchains or smart contracts. For example, if a player is collecting a resource, automation may be required to collect the resource before it appears in their inventory.
This is where a blockchain oracle network like Chainlink can play a key role in empowering on-chain gaming: Chainlink provides secure, online access to these necessary gaming features.
The conclusion is as follows:
Online blockchain games have their advantages, such as the ability to store digital assets and fraud prevention, but they also face some challenges and problems:
1. Scalability: Blockchain has limitations on the speed of transactions, which can lead to delays and network congestion in mass gaming activity.
2. High transaction cost: Each transaction on the blockchain requires payment of a fee, which can be costly, especially in the case of multiple transactions and small amounts.
3. Security: Centralized game servers can provide a higher level of security than decentralized blockchain applications, making them more vulnerable to hacker attacks.
4. User Experience: The complexity of using cryptocurrencies, private key management and other blockchain features can be confusing and challenging for newcomers.
5. Lack of game variety: There are few high-quality blockchain games currently available, and most of them are focused on collecting and trading assets, which can constrain the diversity of the gaming experience.
While blockchain games have the potential to change the gaming industry, they are still in the early stages of development and face a number of technical and user challenges to overcome.