Axie Infinity 聯合創始人 Aleksander Larsen 仍然相信區塊鏈遊戲將為數億人創造就業機會

儘管獲得了數百萬美元的風險投資，但大預算 AAA 遊戲的加密版本卻未能實現。

Despite the fanfare surrounding blockchain games and the millions in venture funding poured into the space, crypto versions of big-budget AAA games have failed to materialise.

儘管區塊鏈遊戲大肆宣傳，數百萬風險投資湧入該領域，但大預算 AAA 遊戲的加密版本卻未能實現。

But Aleksander Larsen, co-founder of Axie Infinity creator Sky Mavis, still believes in the potential of crypto games.

但 Axie Infinity 創作者 Sky Mavis 的共同創辦人 Aleksander Larsen 仍然相信加密遊戲的潛力。

In fact, he told DL News in an interview that the best days for crypto games are yet to come.

事實上，他在接受 DL News 採訪時表示，加密遊戲最好的日子尚未到來。

“The potential for blockchain games is actually to be a provider of jobs for hundreds of millions of people around the world,” Larsen said. “It will create GDP for the world in a way that we have never even thought about.”

「區塊鏈遊戲的潛力實際上是為全球數億人提供就業機會，」拉森說。 “它將以我們從未想過的方式為世界創造GDP。”

“That is actually not dystopian to me,” he added.

「這對我來說實際上並不是反烏托邦，」他補充道。

Larsen’s enthusiasm may come as a surprise, especially considering the fate of Axie Infinity, which was once a crypto phenomenon.

拉森的熱情可能會讓人感到驚訝，尤其是考慮到 Axie Infinity 的命運，它曾經是一種加密現象。

In 2021, it was the most popular game in crypto and its token soared to a $10 billion market value as Bitcoin hit all-time highs.

2021 年，它是加密貨幣領域最受歡迎的遊戲，隨著比特幣創下歷史新高，其代幣市值飆升至 100 億美元。

But the game quickly lost its appeal. Many players fled as the game’s AXS token crashed by 96%. Some critics even likened the way the game functioned to a pyramid scheme.

但這款遊戲很快就失去了吸引力。由於遊戲的 AXS 代幣暴跌 96%，許多玩家紛紛逃離。一些評論家甚至將遊戲的運作方式比喻為傳銷。

Many players, however, are still nostalgic for the days when they could make thousands of dollars a month playing the game, Larsen said.

然而，許多玩家仍然懷念玩遊戲每月可以賺數千美元的日子，拉森說。

“They love the connection that they had with their guild mates,” he said.

「他們喜歡與公會夥伴之間的聯繫，」他說。

It’s this camaraderie and community building, Larsen said, that could propel crypto games to new heights.

拉森說，正是這種友誼和社區建設可以將加密遊戲推向新的高度。

But there’s also a darker side to the hyper financial world of crypto gaming that the industry may find difficult to reconcile.

但加密貨幣遊戲的超級金融世界也有其陰暗面，業界可能會發現難以調和。

Defining ‘Fun’

定義“樂趣”

One common criticism of blockchain games is that they aren’t fun in the same way more conventional games are.

對區塊鏈遊戲的常見批評是，它們不像傳統遊戲那麼有趣。

Players have described Axie Infinity as boring and stressful, and admitted they only played it because they could make money doing so.

玩家們將《Axie Infinity》形容為無聊且壓力很大，並承認他們玩這款遊戲只是因為這樣可以賺錢。

Larsen argues that the definition of fun is broader.

拉森認為，樂趣的定義更為廣泛。

“I think games are entertaining,” he said. “I’m a competitive gamer. When I play games, I want to win. I want to crush someone. I’m not smiling when I’m playing a game. To me, it’s not necessarily fun — It’s entertaining.”

「我認為遊戲很有趣，」他說。 「我是競技遊戲玩家。當我玩遊戲時，我想贏。我想壓垮一個人。我玩遊戲的時候不會笑。對我來說，這不一定很有趣——而是很有趣。

But in Axie Infinity, winning or losing isn’t just about one’s prestige in the game — it determines how much money players make.

但在《Axie Infinity》中，輸贏不僅關係到玩家在遊戲中的聲望，也決定了玩家能賺多少錢。

Axie isn’t the first time video games and finance have intersected.

Axie 並不是電子遊戲和金融第一次交叉。

Players earning in-game currency and selling it to other players for cash is an enduring phenomenon in popular multiplayer role-playing games, despite the practice usually being against the rules.

在流行的多人角色扮演遊戲中，玩家賺取遊戲內貨幣並將其出售給其他玩家以換取現金是一種持久的現象，儘管這種做法通常違反規則。

However, in those games, participating in their shadow economies is optional. Most players don’t view their in-game items as having an explicit dollar value.

然而，在這些遊戲中，參與影子經濟是可選的。大多數玩家並不認為他們的遊戲內物品具有明確的美元價值。

But in Axie Infinity, the financialisation is ingrained.

但在《Axie Infinity》中，金融化是根深蒂固的。

It’s this feature that has created the most problems, but also potentially allows the game to create jobs and wealth as Larsen envisions.

正是這個功能造成了最多的問題，但也有可能讓遊戲創造就業機會和財富，正如拉森所設想的那樣。

Luring New Players

吸引新玩家

At its peak, Axie Infinity boasted some 2.7 million monthly active users. That’s dropped to just 325,000 over the past 30 days.

在巔峰時期，Axie Infinity 擁有約 270 萬月活躍用戶。過去 30 天內這一數字已降至 325,000。

Sky Mavis is exploring new ways to get more people playing.

Sky Mavis 正在探索讓更多人參與遊戲的新方法。

“We always look for distribution platforms — how can we get users who are not into blockchain through different channels,” Larsen said.

「我們一直在尋找分發平台——如何透過不同的管道吸引那些沒有進入區塊鏈的用戶，」拉森說。

Telegram, and the tap-to-earn games on its associated TON blockchain, are of great interest. These simple mobile games centre around players taping their screens to progress. One game, called Catizen, claims to have over 3.3 million daily players.

Telegram 及其關聯的 TON 區塊鏈上的點擊賺錢遊戲引起了人們的極大興趣。這些簡單的手機遊戲以玩家點擊螢幕來取得進展為中心。一款名為 Catizen 的遊戲聲稱每天有超過 330 萬名玩家。

But there are reasons to be sceptical. Such tap-based games lack depth. Many players are only there because of the promise of a token airdrop.

但我們有理由對此表示懷疑。這種基於點擊的遊戲缺乏深度。許多玩家只是因為代幣空投的承諾而來到這裡。

Larsen wants to make better use of the opportunity.

拉森希望能更好地利用這個機會。

He said Sky Mavis is in the process of launching its first games inside Telegram using its in-house crypto wallet called Ronin.

他表示，Sky Mavis 正在使用其名為 Ronin 的內部加密錢包在 Telegram 內推出首款遊戲。

“It’s actually not about the games themselves,” he said. “It’s about the access to the users on the network.”

「這實際上與遊戲本身無關，」他說。 “這與網路上用戶的訪問有關。”

Saddled With Debt

背負債務

But even with a good distribution network, Axie Infinity needs to be compelling.

但即使擁有良好的分銷網絡，Axie Infinity 也需要引人注目。

At the heart of the game’s previous success was its ability to make players rich.

遊戲之前成功的核心在於它能夠讓玩家致富。

Players earn valuable tokens through the game. But to participate, they need those tokens to create Axies, the cute Pokemon-like creatures key to Axie Infinity’s gameplay.

玩家透過遊戲賺取有價值的代幣。但要參與其中，他們需要這些代幣來創建 Axies，這是 Axie Infinity 遊戲玩法中關鍵的可愛的類似 Pokemon 的生物。

As more people saw the money they could make playing the game, demand for Axies — and the tokens needed to create them — exploded.

隨著越來越多的人看到玩遊戲可以賺錢，對 Axies 以及創建它們所需的代幣的需求激增。

By mid-2021, rich western players, tired of grinding the game themselves, were outsourcing the job to those in developing countries like the Philippines, a practice known as providing scholarships.

到 2021 年中期，富有的西方玩家厭倦了自己磨練遊戲，將這項工作外包給菲律賓等發展中國家的玩家，這種做法被稱為提供獎學金。

Many players in the Philippines profited from

菲律賓不少玩家從中獲利