The blockchain industry is often said to be one that’s moving at breakneck speed, with new people, projects and platforms that come and go constantly. In this fast-moving culture, it can be extremely challenging to build something that lasts the test of time.

The crypto industry has seen hundreds of projects come from nowhere, only to fade away into obscurity as fast as they appeared. Numerous ICOs, DeFi apps and meme coins have come and gone. Names like Alchemy, Gems and PayCoin, to name just a few.

Blockchain gaming is a good example of this. We’ve seen dozens of so-called play-to-earn games emerge, raking in millions of dollars in investment cash to fuel a frenzy of new games and tokens. DappRadar lists over 2,000 blockchain games - the vast majority of which appear to be inactive. So that begs the question, how can blockchain game creators create something with longevity, based on a passionate and highly-engaged community that promotes sustained growth?

Create An Addictive Game

It might seem obvious, but the gameplay has to be given top priority. The traditional gaming community has been at odds with the blockchain games industry and not without good reason. The vast majority of blockchain games are too focused on play-to-earn, when the thing gamers really want is play-for-fun. The earnings potential should be secondary, like a bonus, rather than the main incentive. After all, many gamers have real jobs, and they don’t want to feel like they’re working instead of playing.

They don’t have to either, because there’s absolutely no reason why blockchain games can’t be on the same level as triple AAA games. What’s more, developers don’t have to worry about creating super-realistic graphics or immensely complicated virtual worlds. However, they do need to create a game that’s consistently enjoyable.

Luckily, some Web3 game studios are starting to realize this and we’re starting to see more original titles emerge. Take Fashion League, a game that sees players take on the role of a fashion designer and create their very own clothing brand. It’s a metaverse-style game that allows players to create their own virtual fashion store, design all manner of clothing and accessories, mint them as NFTs and then enter them into exhibits where they can compete against other designers and finally, sell them to other players. Truly a game for showcasing your creative talent, Fashion League primarily targets a female audience, but at the same time it is also open to established, real-life fashion brands, providing them with a way to recreate physical items in the metaverse.

It’s an original, engaging game where the only limitation is the player's own creativity. It’s no surprise then that it has rapidly built up a loyal community, with over 10,000 followers on Twitter and more than 5,000 on its official Discord.

Make It Competitive

Not only must a game be enjoyable to play, but it also needs a competitive element. Players need something to aim for, whether it’s that top spot on a community leaderboard, access to new levels or items, or regular competitions where they can win bragging rights over their friends and rivals.

The great thing about blockchain is that it’s an ideal mechanism for making games extra competitive thanks to the play-to-earn element, giving players the chance to compete and not only earn prestige for winning, but also real-life rewards. Just remember that the rewards should not be the primary focus, but rather the gameplay itself.

A good example of a competitive game is Pooky, which sees itself as a healthier alternative to gambling. Pooky is a football prediction game where players must acquire NFTs called Pookyballs that enable them to predict the outcome of a select number of games. Users who successfully predict results can earn cryptocurrency tokens that can either be cashed out, or used to upgrade their Pookyballs, making them more powerful and increasing their earnings potential. It’s an entirely unique alternative to betting where no-one loses money. Ultimately, players compete not only for earnings, but to climb to the top of multiple community leaderboards, which enable them to earn even bigger prizes.

Invest In Your Community

While many blockchain game developers are focused on building the biggest possible community, it’s important to remember that quality is what counts. A smaller, loyal and active user-base is likely to last much longer than a legion of players who quietly jump between one hot title and the next.

As such, games developers need to invest in their communities. It starts with support, where projects are recommended to hire a professional customer service team to handle inquiries with a real, human connection that’s on hand 24/7. A player who always has a human on hand when they require support is much more likely to remain loyal to a game than one that only offers an email address and is sluggish to reply.

The horse racing game Pegaxy stands out because its support staff provide prompt response to user’s questions around the clock, setting it apart from the vast majority of other blockchain games. It also boasts a very competitive and fun game model with a strong economy, where any player can enter any race for free. There are 12 horses per race, with the top three in each meet earning crypto rewards that can be used by players to enhance their NFT racehorses.

Get The Community Involved

Last but not least, the most successful blockchain games tend to be those that involve their communities the most. And why not? After all, the blockchain space is so nascent that games developers often struggle with limited resources. Yet the industry is all about decentralization, where anyone and everyone can chip in, and blockchain can be an open canvas for creativity when developers are willing to accept input from the community.

Illuvium is an up-and-coming Ethereum-based game that’s all about open-world exploration, where players have to collect NFT-based creatures, explore and fight to dominate seven dazzling alien landscapes. It bills itself as the first AAA game on the blockchain but where it really stands out is with its community focus. Within Illuvium, players battle each other for ILV tokens, but the game is designed so that 100% of the in-game profits will ultimately be returned to the game. Moreover, the game has created a DAO-based governance structure where the community is fully involved in all product-related and strategic decisions about the future direction of the game. By giving players more input, they feel more involved in the game, boosting loyalty as a result.

Building a gaming community is all about building a wider base of contributors, so that everyone can join in and take the game in the direction they want it to go. So, developers would do well to make it happen.