Blockchain Games: A Survey Tian Min, Hanyi Wang, Yaoze Guo and Wei Cai School of Science and Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, China Email: ftianmin, hanyiwang,
[email protected],
[email protected] Abstract—With the support of the blockchain systems, the the game operation. Asset Ownership: In traditional online cryptocurrency has changed the world of virtual assets. Digital games, the virtual properties, including credits, items, and games, especially those with massive multi-player scenarios, will avatars, belong to game operators since all data are stored be significantly impacted by this novel technology. However, there are insufficient academic studies on this topic. In this work, in the game operators’ server. In contrast, the blockchain we filled the blank by surveying the state-of-the-art blockchain game player owns their game assets, because all virtual assets games. We discuss the blockchain integration for games and will be bound to the players’ own address, which allows then categorize existing blockchain games from the aspects of the players to control and manage everything. The ownership their genres and technical platforms. Moreover, by analyzing enables the game assets to be independent of specific game the industrial trend with a statistical approach, we envision the future of blockchain games from technological and commercial operators, which allow the players to retain their digital perspectives. properties and in-game relationships, even after the game stops Index Terms—Blockchain, Game, Decentralization, Applica- its operation. Thanks to the ownership feature, virtual assets in tion, Software, Survey. the blockchain ecosystem have tremendous market liquidity.