The growing popularity of Web3, the alternative and decentralized realm of the internet, is having a transformative impact on the way people interact with the digital world. Web3’s focus on its users empowers them in many ways, and one of the most interesting ways it’s doing that is through its use of gamified mechanics to encourage participation.
Web3 protocols have embraced the idea of gamification, and are pioneering elements from video games and traditional competitions to enhance and reward user engagement. Web3 is uniquely able to do so because it’s built atop of blockchain networks, where cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens act as the lifeblood of digital ecosystems.
The Pull Of Incentives
Digital assets serve as a medium of exchange in Web3 communities, facilitating the transfer of value and also acting as an incentive for users to increase their engagement. They make it possible for decentralized applications and projects to leverage gamification and reward users financially, and also with a sense of achievement.
Gamification in Web3 takes the form of challenges, quests, and leaderboards. These mechanics can be used to make previously mundane tasks such as learning, collecting, and building a more engaging experience. They reward users for exploring, collaborating, competing, and helping others, and can be a powerful tool to captivate individuals and keep them coming back for more.
The ability to unlock new perks and earn rewards pushes users to keep exploring digital ecosystems and expand their knowledge and reputation on the platform.
Empowering Users
Gamification is uniquely able to empower users within communities, providing an alternative to traditional, centralized power structures. Because Web3 is decentralized, users have full control of their digital identities and financial assets. As individuals explore digital ecosystems they not only gain value but also influence, as digital assets are the key to the governance of such platforms.
By rewarding users, Web3 projects give them more economic agency and sometimes even the opportunity to benefit from their success. Users can participate fully in the decision-making, and expand their influence by increasing their participation.
The power of gamification is clear for all to see, so let’s take a look at some examples of it in action.
Gamified Education
Open Campus is pioneering the adoption of gamified strategies through an open ecosystem that uniquely rewards everyone involved, including educators, publishers, and learners. Created by a company called TinyTap, the protocol is powered by a content tokenization engine that publishes educational materials on the blockchain. The rights to this content are minted as NFTs, with the revenue in EDU tokens shared between the authors and the publishers.
With Open Campus, companies can obtain funding to create gamified educational content such as interactive lessons and courses for their platforms. Educators submit their ideas and if the community decides to back them, they can create the content and offer promotional rights to publishers who are willing to distribute it. Philanthropists can also participate through donations and track how those funds are put to use.
The publishing rights are tokenized with Publisher NFTs which are then sold to publishers. Half of the proceeds of the sale go to the author of the content, and they will also receive 10% of any ongoing revenue their content generates. In return for promoting and marketing the courses, the NFT buyers get to keep the rest of the revenue they generate.
Gamified Experiences
A great example of gamification in action is Chingari, the Indian social media network that became one of the country’s most popular apps after TikTok was banned in the country. It’s often referred to as a TikTok clone because, just like that platform, it involves creating and sharing short video content with background music and various different filters available.
Where Chingari sets itself apart is its native integration of crypto. The GARI token was launched in 2022 and has become a key element in driving engagement, rewarding for interacting with the app each day. Users can earn GARI tokens for doing various tasks, such as sharing, liking, and watching videos, and also for creating content. The more their content is viewed, shared, and liked, the more those GARI rewards go up. So it creates a big incentive for people to create more compelling content and engage with others. Chingari further encourages participation by extending the utility of GARI, which can be used to buy the rights to the creator’s popular videos, pay for in-app merchandise, and more.
For another cool example of gamification, look no further than the Web3 browser Layer3, which aims to onboard users to the wonderful world of the decentralized internet with crypto incentives. Layer3 offers users various assorted quests, which act as an introductory gateway to various Web3 experiences, ranging from DeFi to Web3 social. It helps introduce new users to Web3 concepts in a fun and rewarding way. For instance, it will encourage someone new to DeFi to log in to a dApp and start trading for the first time, giving away crypto rewards and NFT drops when they complete certain actions, such as trading tokens or providing liquidity. The quests effectively reward users for improving their knowledge of how Web3 works, providing a strong incentive to keep learning new things.
Rewards Grow User Adoption
Web3’s decentralized nature provides it with an unrivaled opportunity to grow through the use of strong financial incentives. By combining fun, gamified mechanics with the opportunity to improve both your reputation and financial standing, it can create an immersive ecosystem where everyone wants to participate.
Projects that want to succeed in Web3 simply cannot ignore the principle of gamified mechanics, which is fast becoming an essential growth strategy that users not only appreciate but have also come to expect.
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2023-08-25 04:54:25
