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Female Web3 gamers more optimistic than men: Blockchain Gaming Alliance
Women in the Web3 gaming industry are more hopeful about blockchain gaming taking off in the next year compared to men, according to the Blockchain Gaming Alliance (BGA).
“Female respondents expressed more optimism, with 38.9% expecting over 40% adoption within the next year, compared to 25.1% of men,” the BGA 2024 annual report says. The survey pulled in 623 responses from participants in the Web3 gaming industry worldwide — from those working in infrastructure and marketing, to design, content, investment, media and AI.
Almost half of the male survey respondents believe that less than 20% of the gaming industry would adopt blockchain in the next 12 months, while only a quarter of female respondents shared that same bearish outlook.
Web3 boomers are more conservative
The survey shows younger people in Web3 gaming are more confident that blockchain is “the natural” next step for gaming.
The majority (81.6%) of young gaming professionals (18-24 years old) believe blockchain adoption in the gaming industry will reach over 20% in the next 12 months.
Meanwhile, the boomers are playing it safe — less than half (43.2%) of those 45 and older agree.
Several executives shared their insights with the BGA, and the consensus suggests they’re optimistic about the year ahead.
Base network creator Jesse Pollak says that gaming onchain “bridges the gap between virtual and real-world ownership.”
“With onchain gaming, players can actually own their assets and accomplishments and take their assets from one game to another,” Pollak says.
Sovrun’s chief of staff, Gillian Pua, says onchain games and autonomous worlds are a pivotal shift in the gaming landscape. “These advancements unlock new possibilities for immersive and interactive experiences.”
Not everyone’s on board. Gaming consultancy firm Always Scheming founder Matt Dion told the BGA that “onchain gaming remains a niche struggling to find product-market fit.”
“Recent momentum in integrating AI agents has been particularly impactful in bringing renewed attention to the space,” Dion said.
The BGA is an organization that promotes blockchain in the gaming industry and is made up of some of the most well-known executives in the industry.
Axie University has pivoted to be for ‘all the games out there’
Three years on from the Axie Infinity boom of 2021, Axie University in the Philippines has had to make significant adjustments to its operations.
A university that once supported thousands of Filipino players relying on Axie Infinity as their primary income source saw most of its scholars leave by September 2021. Earnings from the once-lucrative game plummeted after a cryptocurrency market crash, falling below the national minimum wage.
Spraky, co-founder of Axie University and community lead at Yield Guild Games, had two choices: help turn the university into something sustainable or shut it down. Looking back, he’s glad he chose to keep it going.
Speaking to Web3 Gamer in the Philippines, Spraky, a quirky and charismatic personality with a near-cult following in the Filipino gaming scene, explains his initial mission for the university was to offer Axies to aspiring Filipino players — many who were out of work and struggling through the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic — eager to start earning by playing Axie but needing some financial support to get started.
Like many in the Philippines, Spraky discovered Web3 gaming during the pandemic. “So many friends and family were impacted by job losses during that time,” he shares.
His curiosity was piqued when he saw a friend’s Facebook post about Axie Infinity, prompting him to explore the potential of getting paid to play games.
Along with two other mates and help from Yield Guild Games, they began the Axie University.
At its peak, thousands of users played games with Axie University’s assets, operating under a revenue-sharing model with the university.
But after the crypto crash, the user count started dropping off fast. They had to pivot.
Fast forward a few years, and the university has expanded into other ecosystems. “We call ourselves AXU now because we are here as a guild not only for Axie but for all the games out there,” Spraky says.
It has become more of a mentorship platform for those wanting to get into any part of Web3.
“There’s a lot of opportunity out there; you just need to know what you want to do in this space.”
Spraky says the main metaverse program teaches anyone new to Web3 — young or old— everything they need to know. They educate and equip them with skills they can use in the Web3 space.
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The university also offers scholarships to players for games in the entire YGG ecosystem, providing in-game assets and sharing the revenue.
“If you’re the scholar, you get 70% of the token earnings,” Spraky says.
Spraky’s Web3 journey, from the highs and lows of building Axie University to where it stands today, is the focus of the Metaverse Filipino Worker documentary, set for full release in 2025.
BEAM Node sale launches, ‘huge alpha’ says investor
The Beam Foundation has launched a Node sale campaign, allowing users to earn rewards by serving as network validators.
Early users who lock in a node during the first week may see their returns triple by week two, according to Beam.
The node sale kicked off on Dec. 17, with tokens priced at $1,250 each until Dec. 24. After that, the price jumps to $3,750 per token.
Crypto investor VirtualBacon said in a Dec. 19 X post that “BEAM nodes are huge alpha.”
VirtualBacon explains that “nodes will be transferable after Horizon upgrade in Q1, so you can sell them.”
Crypto commentator Jonny said to his 99,300 X followers, “Who would be fading one of the deepest treasuries in gaming, as well as one of the flagship AVAX L1s.”
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Beam uses blockchain technology to offer a sovereign network for game developers, allowing them to build games with asset ownership for players. About 20 games are currently featured on its platform.
Currently operating as an Avalanche subnet, the Beam network will transition to “a permissionless, proof-of-stake consensus mechanism,” following the Etna upgrade to the Avalanche network and Horizon upgrade to the network.
The Horizon upgrade is expected to be completed by the end of January and no later than Q1 2025. When this upgrade happens, rewards will start flowing to validators of the network.
Beam says the “rewards are meant to function as an incentive for the validators to validate and secure the Beam Network.”
Other News
— Gaming platform Immutable has onboarded 250 games this year, more games in a single year than it has in “previous years combined.” Immutable’s belief for 2025 is that “regulatory clarity and surging institutional demand will further accelerate Web3 gaming’s mainstream adoption.”
— Hong Kong-based game software company Animoca Brands has released its latest investor update, revealing that its crypto asset balances increased by around 40% throughout November.
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Ciaran Lyons
Ciaran Lyons is an Australian crypto journalist. He’s also a standup comedian and has been a radio and TV presenter on Triple J, SBS and The Project.
