Problems with NFT games

Games exist to provide entertainment — current play-to-earn games feel more like a job with the worst kind of grind. What’s more troubling is that games designed around a token or NFT-based system are exposed to external market forces that gamers have zero control over — and this is by design. Speculators with no interest in the game pile in early to boost the token value and then leave a trail of inflationary destruction in their wake. Suddenly, play-to-earn becomes pay-to-play with the worse kind of effect — if the user can’t pay, he can get a loan from another player and are now indebted to them to build their empire before ever getting a chance to enjoy the game.

Developers of P2E games are then forced to introduce ever more elaborate balancing tricks designed to keep the token-based economy afloat rather than build engaging systems for the player.