News
To hell with it: Web3 governance can save traditional gaming
Disclosure: The views and opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author and do not represent the views and opinions of the crypto.news editorial.
Traditional gaming is ripe for direct community involvement and web3 governance decentralized autonomous organizations, or DAO, is the way to solve this problem. Consider the controversy surrounding Helldivers 2 and its eventual resolution.
Helldivers 2 is the biggest video game hit of the year so far. The third-person co-op shooter was launched on Steam and Sony PlayStation by ArrowHead Studios, a relatively unknown indie developer. Helldivers 2’s immense popularity took everyone by surprise, presumably even ArrowHead, whose previous success was the Norse mythology-themed action-adventure game Magicka, released in 2011.
Helldivers 2’s February launch was initially plagued by overloaded servers (a sure sign of success); to date the game has sold more than 12 million copies, manufacturing it is the best-selling PlayStation game ever.
One of the main reasons for the game’s success is the excellent execution of familiar gameplay elements: cooperative missions involving teams of four with a well-functioning matchmaking system. Each mission, lasting between 10 and 30 minutes, gives players the feeling that they can achieve something significant in a relatively short period of time.
The game’s graphics, audio, and gunplay are fantastic. Powerful “stratagems” such as orbital rail gun attacks and napalm bombings give players a sense of power and ability to influence moment-to-moment gameplay.
Friendly fire incidents and over-the-top ragdoll physics have proven to be a source of hilarity, spawning an avalanche of 10-second “you have to see this” clips on TikTok and YouTube. However, one element in particular elevates Helldivers 2 above the pack of shooter games: a sense of community and belonging.
The short battles you and your friends take part in are part of a larger fight that SuperEarth humanity is fighting against alien and robot invaders. A single Arrowhead employee known only as “Joel” sits behind the scenes, directing where and when the alien invaders attack, determining what goals humanity must achieve to avert extermination. These larger goals can only be achieved by the ENTIRE player base working together.
This gives Helldivers 2 players a sense of community that you rarely get in traditional games. By providing players with shared goals to work towards, Arrowhead has harnessed a powerful sense of ownership. The Hellidvers forums are full of people playing roles as if they were real Helldivers who are “the tip of the spear in spreading managed democracy” throughout the universe.
The most creative members are creating feature films on specific gaming problems: the infamous “Massacre at Malelevelon Creek” is a good example.
As a result, months after launch, Helldivers 2 attracted up to 500,000 players fighting on alien battlefields at any time of day. That’s impressive staying power for a title like this, and it’s brought Helldivers 2 to the rare approval rating of “overwhelmingly positive” on Steam.
Although Arrowhead is the architect responsible for generating this spirit of camaraderie, it seems that they themselves underestimated how powerful the community feeling had become and how quickly it could turn against the studio.
In early May, Sony and Arrowhead made a surprise announcement that PC players would need to create and link a PlayStation account to continue playing Helldivers 2.
The casualties of this decision would be widespread. Players in more than 170 countries will no longer be able to play, as PlayStation accounts are not supported in their regions. Even in places where PlayStation accounts are available, players have staunchly opposed the move.
Forged in the fight against extraterrestrial invaders, the Helldivers community has turned its disapproval to enemies closer to home: Arrowhead and Sony. A coordinated campaign to “review-bomb” the game changed its rating from “overwhelmingly positive” to “overwhelmingly negative” in a matter of days.
The concerted pressure worked. Arrowhead and Sony reversed the decision, sparking celebration among Helldivers, who commemorated their real-life victory with virtual redesigns of in-game gear, including capes emblazoned with images of red bars, mimicking the slew of negative reviews on Steam.
What does all this have to do with web3 games? In a word, everything.
The conflict of Helldivers 2 is a cautionary tale about the power and danger of player involvement. Gamers are incredibly passionate about their hobby. Capturing this engagement can lead to heady sales and daily user volumes. However, not taking players’ opinions into account, as Arrowhead and Sony have discovered, can turn former creators into targets of coordinated ire.
Enter web3, where the solution to this problem already exists in the form of decentralized governance models through DAO and blockchain technology. DAOs offer a structure where all stakeholders, including players, not just developers or corporate entities, can have real voting power on critical decisions that affect the gaming experience.
Using game tokens as a form of governance power, players could vote on key issues such as game updates and policy changes, and even direct content creation.
Integrating DAOs into mainstream games will revolutionize how community feedback is collected and implemented. Instead of a top-down decision-making process, adopting a DAO approach would create a bottom-up system where the voice of the majority of the community can directly influence game development.
Not only would this avoid the kind of backlash aimed at Arrowhead, but it could also increase players’ long-term loyalty and commitment by making them active stakeholders in the game’s ecosystem.
Blockchain technology can enable transparent and verifiable voting processes, ensuring that each member’s vote is counted and the results are immutable. This would create trust within the community, as players would see that their input truly influences the direction of the game.
For a game like Helldivers 2, where community engagement is already high, leveraging web3 technology could lead to a more dynamic and responsive gaming experience. Players could propose and vote on new mission types, balance of weapons and tactics, strategic decisions in the global war against aliens, or even changes to game mechanics. This level of engagement could set a new standard for player interaction in the gaming industry, making games more than just entertainment but platforms for innovation and collective creativity.
Of course, there are challenges in introducing web3 and DAO into mainstream games, including technical integration and shifting the culture towards corporate governance. However, the effort may be well justified by the potential benefits: greater transparency, player empowerment and a deeper sense of community. By embracing these innovative approaches, the gaming industry can enter a new era of community-driven development and sustainability.
Sicco Naets
Sicco Naets is responsible for ecosystem development at the Raggio di Luna Foundation. An experienced software development leader with over 25 years of experience, Sicco excels at managing technical projects and building high-performance teams. His technical experience includes blockchain, distributed microservices architecture, messaging middleware, and cloud implementations. Beyond work, he has a passion for videos, board games and collectible card games, which informs his approach to teamwork and strategic thinking.