NFT games See Increase in Funding and Engagement, but Concerns Over Bots Persist Blockchain gaming has exploded in popularity, with millions of players hooked on non-fungible token (NFT) games and mainstream brands racing to capitalize on the trend. However, there are concerns that bots are infiltrating these games to boost utility data.
An anti-fraud protection bot recently audited 60 NFT games and found approximately 20,000 bots among the 60 games. By analyzing wallet ownership, the bot was able to trace various wallets back to their respective projects or services, allowing it to identify multiple wallets associated with each project or service.
Bot infiltration is a major issue in the web3 space, with some NFT games having an alarming 80% or more of their user base made up of bots. Decentralized finance (DeFi) projects are not immune to these malicious actors either, as the bots try to exploit referral schemes to take advantage of users and siphon funds.
Bot Accounts Have Been a Problem for Many Years Bot accounts have long been a problem in online gaming, particularly games with rare items, skins, or competitive rankings. And with value being associated with many NFT games, it seems bot developers are trying to manipulate them.
Where there is value, rogue developers will try to manipulate the system with bots. And with web3 requiring wallets, gamers can set up multiple wallets in an attempt to beat the system.
Omar Ghanem, Head of Gaming at Polkastarter Gaming, stated that the issue will persist as long as there is a “click to earn” culture in NFT games. “As long as we continue to have games that are essentially click to earn by nature, with token farming through task repetition at the core of their gameplay loop – bots will continue to exist,” Ghanem said. “This is why our focus at Polkastarter Gaming has been on supporting high quality, skill-based & competitive games with no entry barriers.”
The crypto gaming industry is aware of this issue, and brands like Polkastarter Gaming are moving away from the play-to-earn model towards a play-and-earn culture, breaking down barriers for non-crypto gamers to get involved. NFT gaming is likely to be one of the biggest sectors of web3, so a bot cleanup will help the industry move forward.
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