Can Casual Gaming Become A Profitable Past Time?
I’ve always been a fan of gaming ever since I was a little kid spent many days, weekends and late nights mashing a controller in absolute delight. Having that much time to kill each holiday or weekend was a blessing now that I think back, I had a good run and it was fun while it lasted.
While I’ve placed the glory days of SNES, Sega Mega Drive and the Playstation behind me it still has a special place in my heart.
Out of sight out of mind
As we grow up and don’t get paid to play games like Twitch streamers the rest of us find it a bit time consuming and costly on the pocket and you really need to be an avid gamer these days to be opening your wallet for some of these triple-A titles price points, gaming has really become an expensive hobby.
My consoles are now sitting on shelves collecting dust apart from my PS4 which I use to Netflix on occation but other than that, it doesn’t get the rich and robust workout it was built for and it's a real shame.
While I enjoy gaming and emerging myself in another world the time and cost factor is a deterrence. I could spend those hours creating content that brings in revenue and is seen as a more “constructive” way to use my time.
But hang on, why can’t gaming be seen as a constructive way to pass the time, even for the casual gamer?
It’s not just a game its a sport
Gaming has always been seen as a luxury a recreational activity, a sort of guilty pleasure for the less sporting inclined and its created a culture all its own.
Then came eSports and Streaming and these so-called nerds, geeks become heroes, celebrities and were paid handsomely for their gaming accomplishments.
People outside the industry looked on in shock as these gaming gods racked in the money.
Casual gaming can pay off
Gaming is a without a doubt a billion-dollar industry and I’m not just referring to the elite titles, consoles, eSports and merchandise. IN that I also include the casual smartphone game serving you ads or making you purchase upgrades and add-ons.
These mobile games have given Smartphones a new way to monetize people free time without the player having to immerse themselves in a storyline or spending money on a console or gaming PC.
It's instant gaming on the go and has become wildly popular and profitable for these companies.
But apart from you spending money and time, it again isn’t a very beneficial way to spend your time and of course battery life, we all know that can be more precious than gold these days.
Then one day I came across an interesting concept still in beta then called Steem Monsters, but is now called Splinterlands, and my view of casual gaming was changed forever.
Splinterlands landed in my lap
Splinterlands is a trading card game built on the STEEM blockchain and if you’ve played Pokemon Cards, Yu Gui Oh or Magic Cards you’ll get the gist of it pretty quick.
Players build decks and compete with one another in leagues, tournaments or against each other, nothing we haven’t seen before right?
Where Splinterlands does change the game is that the cards now have real-world value, they are unique and cannot be duplicated and all cards are synced to the blockchain.
This enables users to trade cards digitally, sell them, burn them or basically do whatever they want.
Players can earn in-game currency (called Dark Energy Crystals), which you can use to buy cards and power-ups and built a deck that will earn you more rewards over time.
Then there are the forums known as Splintertalk, where you can share all your questions, cards, rewards, ideas, tournaments or any activity in and around the game.
Fellow players who find your posts interesting may also reward you with more tokens you can use to improve your gaming deck.
I personally just scour the giveaway posts and enter to pull in a few extra cards here and there.
Gameplay pays off
I purchased a starter pack for $20 and I’ve bought about 10 additional cards I thought I needed for about $5 so overall I’ve spent a total of $25 on the game.
I’ve been playing this game for around 6 months now, it really takes me about 30 mins a day which is basically anyone's daily commute.
Each day I will play to win my reward cards, If I have time, I’d enter a few tournaments or card giveaways and even trade requests.
My deck is now worth $222.21, not bad for a few minutes a day and $25 bucks spent right?
I’m pretty impressed with it myself.
Far from a finished product
While the fundamentals are there it’s still a bit clunky to play and sometimes can be a little frustrating when matching up with other users for daily battles.
The game is also still browser-based and does not have a mobile app yet, which is due to launch sometime in 2019.
Crimes that other games couldn’t get away with but since you’re earning something for your time, you tend to be a little more forgiving.
Gamers have been playing for digital rewards ever since games started, leader boards and high scores were converted for years as the pinnacle of achievement.
While gaming has improved in leaps and bounds the reward system hasn’t had an overhaul in ages.
Real-world rewards for gaming might sound far fetched now, but did we see eSports and Streaming becoming such huge money-spinners? Could this be the next phase in getting casual gamers hooked on gaming once again?
About the Author
Che Kohler is the co-founder of nichemarket, a South African Business Directory and digital marketing agency. He is an avid blogger who specialises in writing about marketing tech and cryptocurrency.
Disclaimer: This article should not be taken as, and is not intended to provide any investment advice and is for educational purposes only. As of the time posting the writers may or may not have holdings in some of the coins or tokens they cover. Please conduct your own thorough research before investing in any cryptocurrency as all investments contain risk.
