In the dynamic realm of crypto gaming, momentum surges as the daily activity of wallets reaches a staggering one million. DappRadar’s insights unveil the escalating vibrancy in blockchain gaming, coinciding with a rising trend among developers who divulge their strategies in combatting the persistent threat of automated bots.
In the recent month, crypto-fueled gaming experienced persistent expansion, achieving a daily influx of one million distinctive active wallets (DUAWs) on multiple occasions throughout October, as outlined in a publication from DappRadar on Thursday.
During September, blockchain games collectively amassed over one million DUAWs for three days. In October, this figure increased to four days, depicting a gradual rise in the overall daily average over the month, according to a graph provided by the crypto data entity.
While the increment is moderate compared to the preceding month, the report from DappRadar surfaces amidst attempts by major crypto games to combat a surge in automated bots.
The phenomenon of a substantial number of users connecting their crypto wallets to blockchain games daily is not unprecedented. Instances occurred in late 2021 and early 2022 when games like Splinterlands, Alien Worlds, and Axie Infinity surpassed the one million daily active user (DAU) milestone. Similar peaks were observed in April of the current year, according to data from DappRadar.
However, games like Alien Worlds have grappled with the persistent issue of bot accounts over the years, casting doubt on the authenticity of their user counts.
Unscrupulous entities deploy bots in blockchain games to automatically amplify their token rewards without engaging in extensive gameplay. This challenge has been longstanding in blockchain gaming, with even Axie Infinity facing the issue of “bot farms” in 2021.
In the preceding month, Alien Worlds’ official Twitter account disclosed that at least 1.6 million accounts utilizing their game were bot-driven, potentially contributing to the inflated totals for October. Decrypt’s request for comment from Alien Worlds remains unanswered at present.
In the recent month, titles like Alien Worlds, Sweat Economy, SecondLive, Splinterlands, and Battle Left Center Right (BLCR) registered the highest numbers of daily unique active wallets, as reported by DappRadar.
While some of Alien Worlds’ approximately 133,000 daily UAWs may be attributed to bot accounts, Oleg Fomenko, the Cofounder of Sweat Economy, which secured the second-highest spot with around 73,000 DAUWs, conveyed in an October email to Decrypt that the “move-to-earn” title is highly unlikely to have many bots or users attempting to deceive the game.
Fomenko stated, “Given that we have spent nine years working on the movement verification, we are confident that the number of bots earning SWEAT is close to zero.” He emphasized that their models effectively detect inauthentic walking/running data, monitoring various activities from automated walking to cradles, shaking, dogs, metronomes, fans, and even dishwashers.
In recent weeks, Pixels, a casual pixelated MMORPG and farming game, experienced a surge in activity. While DappRadar data for October indicated virtually zero users, the game’s transition to Axie Infinity’s Ethereum sidechain, Ronin, on October 30 saw nearly 6,000 UAWs connecting to the game.
From November 6 to 10, Pixels observed approximately 50,000 unique active wallets, although this peak has since declined, according to DappRadar data.
Axie Infinity’s co-founder Jeffrey “Jiho” Zirlin presented a chart asserting that Pixels has surpassed 100,000 daily active users. Zirlin explained to Decrypt that an issue occurred with the game’s on-chain tracker, possibly causing DappRadar’s chart to underrepresent player numbers. DappRadar has yet to respond to Decrypt’s request for clarification.
Despite the discrepancy, reports from Pixels players and the game’s founder, Luke Barwikowski, suggest that botting or automated account creation is inflating the numbers to some extent. Barwikowski noted that the Pixels team has “silently caught” numerous bot accounts and is actively implementing countermeasures to curb their proliferation.
A comprehensive blog post from gaming research and consulting firm Naavik last year posited that unique wallet figures are susceptible to bots, advocating for a cautious interpretation of DUAW numbers. The analyst, Karan Gaikward, contended that transaction volume serves as a more reliable metric for authentic user activity.
The release of DappRadar’s report coincided with widespread social media discourse on the validity of such figures in reflecting the demand for blockchain games. While gaming constituted 33% of decentralized app (Dapp) activity last month according to DappRadar, determining the proportion of genuine human users amid potential bot presence on the blockchain remains an intricate challenge.
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Conclusion
In conclusion, the realm of crypto gaming is witnessing a significant upswing, marked by the attainment of one million daily active wallets (DAWs). The data, as presented in the reimagined article based on DappRadar’s insights, underscores the industry’s dynamism and growing user engagement.
Despite the moderate month-to-month increase in DAWs, the landscape is not without challenges. The persistent issue of automated bots infiltrating games like Alien Worlds and Pixels raises concerns about the accuracy of user counts, highlighting the ongoing struggle to ensure genuine player participation.
The prominence of discussions on social media regarding the validity of these metrics reflects the industry’s introspection on the reliability of such figures. Naavik’s perspective introduces an additional layer of caution, advocating for a nuanced interpretation of unique wallet figures and emphasizing transaction volume as a more reliable metric for gauging authentic user activity.
As the crypto gaming sector continues to navigate these complexities, the commitment to addressing bot-related challenges through the implementation of countermeasures, as seen in the case of Pixels, underscores the industry’s dedication to fostering transparency and credibility. In essence, the surge in daily active wallets signifies not only the momentum gained by crypto gaming but also the need for ongoing vigilance and innovation to ensure a thriving and trustworthy gaming ecosystem.
