Will gaming token ‘owl’ reverse this crypto bull run? Web3 player

Is this bull run coming back for game signals “enthusiasm”?

Bitcoin has hit several new all-time highs since Donald Trump was elected President of the United States, and crypto analysts are now predicting a $100,000 Bitcoin price without delay.

With a big bull run maybe how will the game tokens be this time?

Gaming experts say that despite some surprising token launches earlier this year, studios are starting to find a better balance between token launches and game development.

DeLabs Games head of strategy Quinn Kuhn told Web3 Gamer that Web3 adventure game Pixel “did a commendable job balancing and managing Web3 elements like tokens and NFTs.” Pixel's native token PIXEL is up 32% in the past seven days at the time of publication, according to CoinMarketCap data.

“It provides a smooth onboarding flow that's critical to Web3, and the genre fits the platform very well,” says Kwon, who says she also enjoys playing the game.

Pixel is an adventure game where one can farm, explore, own land and exchange NFTs in the community. Popular Web3 content creator Cloudwhite recently chose to marry a partner in the Pixels ecosystem.

But picking the winning crypto game tokens can be harder than it seems in this bull market.

In the year Speaking to Web3 content creator Sanjay on Nov. 11, crypto analyst Ran Nunner found the top three gaming tokens difficult to identify because “none of them have gotten to anything big yet.”

However, Neuner noted that Immutable's IMX token and BEAM are “a big catch.”

At the time of publication, IMX has increased 20% in the last seven days, while BEAM has jumped 31%, following Trump's victory and a broad rally in the crypto market.

According to Kwon, While 2024 got off to a positive start with Web3 gaming moving in a promising direction, “enthusiasm has waned after a series of poor simulations.

“The main issue is that many tokens seem to have been launched prematurely without a strong product base,” she explained.

“Even with a compelling and engaging narrative, a token startup will fail without a solid product with users, revenue and a dedicated audience,” Kwon added.

Kwon reiterated that these setbacks “reinforced the importance of prioritizing production and consumption and provided valuable lessons for the Web3 gaming industry.”

If you can't handle “14 hours a day” in a boring game, full-time gaming isn't for you.

Playing games full time sounds like fun, right? But if you're no better than the average gamer and aren't ready to grind out at least 70 hours a week, you might want to look at other opportunities in Web3 Gaming, says Web3 Gaming Investor.

“If you're only playing free-to-play games, trying to get as much out as you can before moving on to the next game, it's going to be a tough road,” explained Josep Rust in a November 11 X post. 53,400 X followers

If you want a successful career in web3 gaming and aren't a “highly skilled gamer” or a “grinder who can handle 14 hours a day on a boring game,” Rust might not be the full-time game for you.

In addition to winning game tournaments, there are various ways to earn money in games, from earning in-game rewards for completing tasks to flipping NFTs, collecting and producing farms, and investing in virtual real estate.

But don't worry too much — there are plenty of other ways to get involved without being a player, like the sports industry, Rust points out.

“Web3 games need investors, and content creation projects can help them reach more users and educate people about the game,” said “Web3 game designer, advocate, moderator, community manager or developer.”

NPC Labs co-founder Sean Jing points out that the demand for good game designers in the space is getting stronger.

“Why hire PhD economists to fix broken economies? First, hire badass game designers and UX experts to make your games fun as hell,” Geng commented in a November 8 X post.

“Game is an explosion in itself, and you don't need an economist to force a sustainable economy,” Geng added.

Fresh Take: Hit the Chili Farm

Tap to Get Mobile Game Chili's Farm Tap says, “I'm ready to be a real farmer,” which couldn't be further from the truth for someone like me who spends most of his time typing for work.

However, I thought it might be worth giving it a shot.

Honestly, this didn't teach me much about farming, but some of the mini-games are definitely fun. Nothing groundbreaking, though – not what you'd expect from a touch-and-go game.

Tapping the screen to collect peppers is the first task, and it probably entertains you for a few seconds at best. But if you're into arcade games, the mini-games on the Telegram app might grab your attention a bit.

Chili Shooter game and Chili Flap game where you shoot hot air balloons from the sky, which is probably one of the most annoying. You have to touch the chili in the chili flap obstacles, and as a regular gamer it took me 10 tries to score more than 2.

Match 3 is basically like a Rubik's Cube, where you just have to match the same chilies together. Honestly, the other two games are more addictive than this one.

If you enjoy some nostalgic, simple, mindless games while collecting coins that may (or may not) be worth something later, then tap Chili Farm.

Other news

— Virtual NFT horse racing Metaver zkRace has integrated the base network into the zkRace ecosystem. Players can use ZERC on Base for all in-game activities, such as racing and racing, as well as buying, renting and breeding horses.

– Immutable says it will “stand up and fight to protect digital ownership for players” after receiving a Wells notice from the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

— Mythical Games has partnered with Pudgy Penguin to release Pudgy Party to enter the mobile gaming space, available on iOS and Android in 2025.

— Multiplayer battle platformer Moonray has announced a working title Moonray Autobattler and a mobile game to be released in 2025.

Ciaran Lyon

Ciaran Lyons is an Australian crypto journalist. He is also a freelance comedian and has been a radio and TV presenter on Triple J, SBS and The Project.