The Fun of Flexibility

Well, it’s certainly been a few months in the gaming world, hasn’t it?

I’m always quick to note that everything written here (inclusive of sadly misplaced jokes or glaringly obvious insights) are wholly my own, and completely independent from work on the behalf of my current/future/past/sidespace employer or others. Even as such, a certain degree of prudence is required towards determining what, or even when, to continue this project. And oh my, if the last few months and weeks have yielded just a few needles to thread in both the timing and content of words here.

This is all a way to beg forgiveness for a rather large break in what is described as a biweekly project, and also a level-set as to why I’m ignoring some of the more glaringly obvious stories in gaming news. 

So what’s left? The NFT/crytpo/P2E trend is still going hot, but it is a discussion that has been rightly described as stale (aside from some of the more visible pro-NFT sects unwisely doubling down on an untenable position). It’s not all bad - I would argue that a bunch of nerds cyber-bullying a successful musician has actually served as a pretty decent warning shot for some of the sillier takes around applications of this technology in gaming. I’d also argue that there is a long overdue realization beginning to pop-up in some of the better NFT/crytpo/P2E conversations: Believe it or not, it has a lot to do with Wordle.

Yes, Wordle, the new craze which is setting Twitter blocked-word list for green-square emoji ablaze and reminds of a simpler time when social game requests clogged our Facebook notifications. Wordle is a game that appears hard but is really pretty easy, making it an accessible social media flex. It’s bite sized to the point that it can be fit into any given moment of the day. The underlying mechanics crib from known conventions of similar games like Scrabble or crossword puzzles. In other words, it has all the most potent growth aspects of a casual game. 

And yet, despite a pretty clear blueprint as to why this game has seemingly popped up everywhere, the pure virality of the game has caused any number of marketers and technologists to try to dissect the “secret” to its success. Ultimately, Ian Bohgost eloquently outlines there is no real secret here - it's a game, and a fun one at that. Sometimes, that is enough.

The virtue and value of fun is, perhaps, the most glaring disconnect in the crypto gaming craze. There is a notable undercurrent of the grind/hustle-life that seemingly ignores, or at times even denigrates, the simple joy of gaming. Regardless of how clever the economics or technology surrounding a game happen to be, the problem with crypto projects isn’t just that many of them lean towards gamified jobs with thinly plastered-over mechanisms of economic exploitation…that technology also requires some seriously onerous technical and logistical overhead bolted on. So, now we’re looking at what might be a bad game that also requires a mortgage application and two-fac. 

Be it cloud, mobile (and mobile PCs), Easy Mode, quick resume, or otherwise, the traditional gaming world is on an arc towards flexibility - that gaming can be fit into the lives of consumers when/where convenient. It’s a powerful shift, and a good lens to view even the most far-fetched topics in gaming, such as the m-word. One can imagine some fantastical opportunities where literally traversing information would be interesting, but decades of technological innovation have already left me with a shard of glass that fits in my pocket and provides access to just about anything in the world, within seconds. This isn’t going to be an “or'' debate; it’s an “and,” we just need to align on what the additive scenarios will be. 

So, let’s review the basics: Gaming is the biggest entertainment sector because it uniquely provides joy. It’s growing, in part, because the design and technology of the experiences are increasingly inclusive and flexible. Swimming upstream on these trends is a losing proposition.

We managed to tip-toe right through the minefield. Sure it’s fun to chat about massive deals but crytpo-flavored tautological pillow fights aren’t bad either, so long as they don’t wash over important trends from the broader picture. 

On that note, there is probably a rule regarding the first post of the year and predictions - you can read some of mine here, or my take on the state of marketing in web3 here.