Fair Play: Native Game Structures | Dylan Kugler - Starknet Foundation

[Music] perfect hi everyone I'm Dylan krugler from the saret foundation and today I'm excited to talk with you about a bold New Vision for gaming one where games aren't just built but truly live on chain in this presentation we'll explore how native game structures on Stark net are setting the stage for a future of transparent and Community Driven gaming now is the best time to build a crypto game the gaming industry is at a turning point technology market trends and player expectations are aligning in a way we've never seen before the shift isn't just about better graphics or new gameplay mechanics it's about fundamentally rethinking how games are owned played and sustained looking back gaming has always evolved in different ways we've seen the rise of arcade gaming home consoles online multiplayer and mobile games each phase has unlocked new possibilities and expanded the gaming Frontier today we stand on the verge of the next major shift fully onchain games so the evolution of blockchain particularly rollups and scalability solutions like Sark net have unlocked possibilities that were previously not possible uh these advancements are not just incremental improvements they represent a fundamental shift in how games are built played and sustained but Innovation isn't just about technology it's about people right now we see an unmatched level of enthusiasm in the fully onchain game Community uh Builders developers and players who believe in this Vision are actively shaping the future of gaming and before jumping into my vision for fully onchain games and where gaming fits into the broader crypto environment it's important to highlight what makes starnet the ideal environment for them rollups emerge to provide scalability but this can mean many different things they exist to address non-functional requirements such as high transaction throughput minimal congestion and low transaction fees that many applications and specifically games desire this is where starna and Cairo Excel let's take a little step back though blockchain environments can operate on both a global and a local scale with regionality becoming a crucial design consideration this decision involves trade-offs That Vary based on the application specific cont context and user requirements in Def applications Global context is typically preferred all users should interact with the same price feeds it would be counterproductive for users in Korea to trade an asset at a different rate than someone in the United States this Regional deployment Factor introduces additional complexity for game developers on Stark net Solutions like Madara and Katana provide the flexibility to support both Global and localized EXP experiences in practice a regional deployment just refers to which data center hosts a game instance ensuring that players connect to the closest server for Optimal Performance each of these deployments functions as an independent Game World players will seamlessly connect to the world nearest to them however these worlds can still share Global game State when needed for example a dungeon run or a battle royale instance May operate within a local instance but can can but can share its results globally once the event concludes so here is the interesting part multiple game instances can create block space markets that are optimized for regional needs these block space markets would all be isomorphic to each other and can then share an aggregation layer to create the global context necessary to meet other end user requirements like a global in-game asset trading layer here's uh one of my favorite games of the past uh RuneScape is a very good example of a game that balances Regional and Global gaming needs players choose local servers for better performance but can access a shared global economy this mirrors how modern app chains on saret can work multiple Regional block space markets optimized for local use with a shared layer for Global features users can benefit from a complex system without seeing the intricacies behind it okay so for the rest of the presentation I don't have the screen up in front of me um so I'm continuing to look back to make sure the side goes through but anyway for the rest of the presentation I'll focus a little bit on why I think gaming is the ideal environment to push this forward my thesis is that Crypt native games will be at the Forefront of application design the gaming industry has historically been an early adopter and Proving Ground for new technologies often catalyzing broader technical uh technical advancements this trend will continue for several reasons the first one is low stakes Innovation gaming provides a Sandbox for Rapid iteration and experimentation without severe real world consequences this allows developers to push boundaries freely the second one is technical demands games require cuttingedge hardware and software and they continuously have driven advancements in both for example gaming demands have propelled GPU development which has benefited Fields like Ai and Computing and then finally early adoption gamer are often willing to embrace new technologies which accelerates broader adoption of that Tech we've seen this with virtual reality and motion controls which found their first home in gaming before spreading to other applications so as we push the boundaries of crypto in gaming we're not just creating new entertainment experiences we're potentially shaping how people will interact with each other across all domains most importantly the intuitive interfaces and engaging experiences developed for fully onchain games games will be the key to driving wider acceptance across other verticals as well which compounds over time this makes gaming a critical and necessary Frontier that will likely yield innovations that will influence the entire crypto ecosystem okay fully onchain games unlock numerous possibilities native to blockchain technology one of the most compelling use cases is the creation of permanent worlds that exists entirely on chain and ensure that game State and assets persist regardless of server issues or company decisions additionally censorship resistance means that no Central Authority can arbitrarily shut down or alter the game the open nature of blockchain ensures that transparent and verifiable mechanics create an unprecedented level of trust and gaming for players this brings a radical shift to their relationship with the game true asset ownership is the Cornerstone here players aren't just renting or borrowing in-game items they truly own them as tokens or nfts so this ownership is obviously inherently financial and extends beyond the game itself but it gives players a real stake and impact in the world so their actions both positive and negative have genuine consequences which lead to deeper and more immersive relationships with the game world and then finally we have permissionless extension which I think is the most exciting aspect for fully onchain games we'll talk about it a little bit more but basically this just creates an open system for user generated content that far surpasses traditional gaming capabilities players can freely build upon existing game logic and assets that create evolving digital ecosystems um yeah so when you combine these unlocks you create a self-reinforcing feedback loop enhanced player engagement leads to longer game lifespans and a more dedicated community in turn this community helps Drive innovation in continuous growth in a cycle it's a cycle once that sets in motion it can sustain and Propel the game's Evolution further than what's possible in traditional gaming that is the definition of true retention so the transition from web 2 to web 3 gaming isn't just about adding blockchain features it's a complete reimagining of the player developer relationship web two games operate under centralized control developers own all assets dictate game rules and players have no real stake in the ecosystem in contrast fully onchain games enable true asset ownership persistent open economies community-driven government governance where players have a real say in shaping game mechanics economies and rules so again this isn't just an upgrade it's a fundamental shift in digital economies and transforms games into self-sustaining digit uh decentralized worlds in this landscape your community becomes the most important Force driving user acquisition and fueling engagement it creates a self-sustaining ecosystem where Community contributions create form continuous expansion and Innovation the beauty of the cycle is that every phase reinforces the next creating a robust and self-sustaining environment where Innovation can flourish continuously this is just a uh playful reminder that a self-sustaining digital ecosystem grows organically from its Community when players are given the power to contribute and innovate the entire system becomes more Dynamic and engaging yeah so I was talking a little bit about this in terms of permissionless exension but I want to dive deeper into it onchain game logic unlocks unlimited potential for modifications and expansions permissionless extension is the heart of onchain gaming it means that any player or developer can extend and modify the game without needing a central Authority's permission unlike traditional games where mod remain confined to local environments player created content on blockchain games become an integral part of the core Global Experience these games allow extensive customization through smart contracts and actually mirrors the composability we see and defi protocols today this means that modifications are not just cosmetic or limited to individual player experiences they can fundamentally alter the game's mechanics and economy on a global scale so how do we think about this again in traditional games modding happens at the edges it's tolerated to an extent but not truly integrated into the game's core experience fully onchain games mods don't just add features they reshape the game itself imagine a scenario where a guild of players creates a new in-game currency that gets widely adopted or a player design Quest system becomes a central part of a game or a game starts where another game ends forming interconnected worlds these aren't just modifications they're player driven evolutions of the game itself when users can fundamentally alter and expand A Game's mechanics their investment in the game World deepen significantly again they're not just playing a game they're co-creating a living evolving Digital Universe as these systems mature they introduce challenges that extend beyond game design to build a sustainable world we have to consider various different things like economic policies have to manage in-game assets apply to ensure fair play and long-term balance monetization strategies treasury management IP governance we have to think about how we Define how user generated content is actually licensed and protected so again this isn't just about designing a fun experience it's about creating resilient adaptive economies that align the interests of developers players and investors for the long hole and with that you have to realize that it's crucial to understand that the goal of a game economy should not only be about user acquisition but also to retain dedicated and loyal community members this goes for games but goes for every other project in the world too to achieve this and create a sustainable game we need to balance incentives across all the stakeholders developers need Revenue share and token rewards to keep innovating players demand true asset ownership and aay in government governance and investors look for ecosystem growth and token value appreciation if we can align these incentives we'll create a balanced system that encourages long-term participation and success so economic sustainability and growth occur when the value entering a system exceeds the value leaving it this is just basic game design and frankly basic economics one1 as well in game design the balance is Mal this economic balance is managed through mechanisms known as sinks and faucets we can use axi as a good example SNS take Supply from the economy for example SLP is burned through axi breeding fees but breeding is good because players are able to build stronger teams and Achieve higher rewards then we have faucets which are mechanisms that add assets to the economy for example SLP is earned from completing quests or battles if faucets contribute more than sinks the increasing Supply will exert downward pressure on assets over time this is where you really need to start thinking about your tokenomics in your economy I want to take a look beyond the immediate future and consider the full potential of what we are building towards as I've been saying throughout this presentation we're working towards autonomous worlds that function as self-sustaining player-driven ecosystems these aren't just games in the traditional sense but living breathing digital universes that evolve based on the collective actions and decisions of their inhabitants and players in this future we'll see a blurring of lines between what we now consider separate entities Games Social platforms and economic systems will all blur and become one the gameplay and narrative in the narratives that are created in this world will become emergent and will be driven by player interactions rather than prescripted events then we have user generated content which will be an integral part of the ecos systems that are created and key to game longevity and user retention crucially the these digital universes uh will offer real world value and opportunities your actions and achievements in the game world will have tangible benefits beyond the confines of the game itself and then finally these will be persistent evolving digital universes just like in the real world events will unfold cultures will develop and histories will be written all driven by the collective actions of the player base however to reach this end game we have some challenges to overcome we need to pave the way by simplifying onchain interactions making them as seamless and userfriendly as possible we have to reduce onboarding friction to make these worlds accessible to a broader audience we then need to better integrate governance and social structures into core game playay making participation participation in these systems a natural and engaging part of the player experience we should aim to democratize the creative aspects of World building giving players the tools they need to shape their digital environment and then lastly we have to leverage cuttingedge Technologies like zero knowledge proofs and artificial intelligence to enhance onchain capabilities and push beyond the boundaries of what is possible today in these digital worlds this vision of the future is ambitious but it's one we're actively working towards with every advancement in blockchain gaming on saret by addressing these challenges and continuing to innovate we're not just creating games we're building the foundation for the next evolution of digital interaction creativity and Community I want to emphasize that the saret foundation is here to support a diverse range of games and projects oh no it disappeared anyway ah there it is okay um we're not only pushing the boundaries of what is possible but also Gathering Insight that benefits for the entire ecosystem uh whether through technical support Community Building or funding we're committed to accelerating the future of onchain gaming so I invite you to join us whether you're not you're a developer investor or just an enthusiastic gamer thank you and have a great time in Denver SM mid flight