In the early 2020s, web3 technologies (including blockchain, cryptocurrencies, and NFTs) began to intersect with games.

Reactions among gamers and journalists have been mixed: fuelling both pessimism about scams and exploitation, and optimism around fairer creator economies and the longevity of service-based games.

With several lane-pushing games now dipping into these technologies, it seems appropriate to share some thoughts on how the genre may be influenced, and offer transparency about how these games will be presented here on Lane-Pushing Games.

Funding Game Development

Raising funds to make commercial lane-pushing games is notoriously difficult. Many publishers have been burned in the past, having seen even premium IP (Lord of the Rings, DC Comics) with proven development teams unable to find a foothold in the market.

Consequently, the last 5 years have seen almost no new releases for PC. There are games being developed, many as volunteer efforts or having enjoyed a significant boost from the Paragon Assets Pack.

While I was delighted to celebrate last year the diverse funding achieved in our space, the volume of funds has often fallen short of supporting teams with livelihoods.

Enter web3...

More recently, several studios have received funding from the web3 space. I see this as a positive.

The experience of shipping a lane-pushing game has been a rare privilege over the past decade. Whether or not pay-to-earn or other blockchain-adjacent models will sustain themselves, this is an opportunity for a new generation of talent to emerge in lane-pushing game design.

Creators who are looked after with a salary, are afforded the opportunity to work with seasoned professionals, and are given creative freedom in their work, are much more likely to produce innovative experiences — and hopefully stick with the genre and go on to achieve great things.

I think this is exciting and something to celebrate. We need more game designers, sound designers, narrative designers, community managers, and countless other roles getting experience with the formative stages of these games.

Editorial Policy

Lane-Pushing Games aims to be comprehensive in covering the genre and its history. That's true regardless of business model — several listed games are pay-to-win, most use loot boxes, and Dota 2 has had a peer-to-peer economy since its inception.

As long as a lane-pushing game is contributing something to the genre, it has a place here. To make life easier for folks who wish to discern business models, 'free-to-play' and 'play-to-earn' are now included as tags.

This should not be taken as an indication of how consumer-friendly a game is! It's a good habit to assess predatory pricing, dark patterns, and a developer's reputation for any game you play.

League of Legends pioneered the free-to-play business model for PC in 2009, while Dota 2 pioneered what is now known as the battle pass. The highly invested and discerning users of this genre have been a catalyst for innovation in revenue models, and I hope to see lane-pushing games inspire models for web3 which are similarly far-reaching and add lasting value for users.

I encourage readers to check out any game with a design that interests them. Finding great creators and helping them build a following is a stepping stone towards a brighter future for our genre, and for the development of talent within it.

If you have any questions, I'll do my best to answer in the comments.