I’ve been playing computer games for more than 30 years. From text based adventures to PlayStation open world epics. Games are one of the most value for money entertainment experiences there are – scratch that, games were one of the most value for money entertainment experiences there are.
I really don’t mind paying $50+ for a game like Red Dead Redemption 2 or Fallout 4 because there is weeks worth of gameplay from developers that have a proven track record.
I also don’t mind paying (up to a point) for skins, customisations and upgrades, but I can see value in being able to trade those game items, so the idea of NFT based in-game assets is good one.
But now, in the crazy world of blockchain and NFTs developers are asking players for over $600 (plus Ethereum fees) to buy access to a game that isn’t even playable yet.
Such is the case with Farsite – a ripoff of one of the oldest computer games – Elite.
Credits can be accumulated through a number of means. These include piracy, trade, military missions, bounty hunting and asteroid mining. The money generated by these enterprises allows the player to upgrade their ship with enhancements such as better weapons, increased cargo capacity, an automated docking system, an extra energy bank and more. In the game universe, stars have single planets, each with a space station in its orbit.
Description of Elite (1983)
Of course Elite pre-dated the Internet, so there was no multiplayer element, but for those who want the MMORPG version there is EVE – which offers… space exploration, immense PvP and PvE battles and a thriving player economy in an ever-expanding sandbox. Participate in many in-game professions and activities, including war, politics, piracy, trading, and exploration, across 7,000 star systems with hundreds of thousands of other players…
So Farsite is a blockchain version of EVE with NFTs – and there is interest in it. The early access ‘Crates’ were snapped up quickly, but are now out of reach of most people – at the time of writing a crate costs 0.15 ETH ($US 656). That’s $650+ fees to get access to things to use in a game that you can’t even play yet.
Games like Farsite, Upland and Mobox seem to be more like blockchain experiments than entertainment. There is more geeking out on the token platform than giving a gamer a great experience. The game, is in fact being early to the party so that you can flip your digital assets on a secondary market.
It will be a while before Triple A games have blockchain elements. The economics just don’t make sense.
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