B2Expand offer insight for would-be developers
It’s never easy to develop a game.
That’s the first lesson that B2Expand, the development company behind Beyond the Void learned. During a talk hosted by the company’s CMO, Camille Charteau, she imparted the experiences of B2Expand in building their game.
“Our vision is to empower players and get them involved,” Charteau reiterates, stating that user experience should be brought to the forefront of development.
“The user experience is so important because it shapes the other areas of your game.”
As a means to secure a positive response from players at every step of interacting with the game, Charteau points to two specific attributes, usability and emotion.
“At B2Expand, we decided to enhance the UX, making games feel accessible and good for non-blockchain gamers.”
B2Expand and lessons learned
This mixture of usability and emotion, Charteau argues, is to instill an immediate familiarity with players that otherwise don’t know about blockchain or don’t want to know.
She continues to state that before a player can get to grips with this technology, the game needs to provide a unique, enjoyable experience:
“That’s why we began to develop Beyond the Void; it’s also downloadable on steam because it’s a platform that traditional players know all about. This is important to hook the player before drawing them into and talk to them about blockchain.”
One of the ways Beyond the Void manages to instill a greater scope of usability and promote positive emotions in its players is through its all-in-one platform they refer to as the Nexarium platform.
And while this removes a number of the complexities in dealing with features of blockchain, it remains a challenging balancing act, not just for B2Expand, but for other developers hoping for mass-adoption.
The challenges
The wallet and tokens
Blockchain games, unlike their mainstream counterparts, have a greater emphasis on the purchase and ownership of digital assets.
This is compounded by the fact that the process of buying, storing and using tokens can be arduous and counterintuitive for the average gamer, as Charteau describes:
“The Nexium is the platform’s token, but it can be difficult for new users to buy them. So the player gives his identity to an exchange, and after a few days, he’s verified to buy the crypto, to then go to another exchange to buy the token, and then come back to the site.”
While this is an accepted fact for experienced users, the average mainstream gamer, Charteau highlights, may feel perturbed by how it comes to the forefront.
“This represents the first significant change as it is the first indication that the player will be exchanging real value…” Charteau states, but believes that it’s a challenge that, if handled correctly, can empower the playing community as opposed to concern them.
“The idea is to simplify the process for the player, making the creation of a digital wallet a positive experience…”
The Nexarium system, for example, removes the need for any external applications, meaning that any requirements for a digital wallet or tokens are fulfilled by the platform.
Offering players a unique experience
One way that B2Expand aims to offer players an experience beyond mainstream gaming is through the interoperability of its digital assets, with Charteau giving a clear example:
“We offer one universe between all games with one coherent storyline, allowing gamers to use their favorite ship in each of the games… You can fly your ship in Beyond the Void, then go on to use it as a racer in another of our games.”
B2Expand will be hosting the Blockchain Game Summit in Lyon from September 25th – 26th, find out more here.
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