整理 & 编译：深潮TechFlow

Ryan Wyatt is the former Head of Gaming at YouTube and President of Polygon Labs, as well as a master in business development, strategy, and product.

In this episode, Ryan explains why crypto gaming will continue to exist, his experiences at YouTube, the path to Web3, and the content unlocked by cryptocurrency for gaming.

Host: Mert & Garrett

Speaker: Ryan Wyatt, former Head of Gaming at YouTube and President of Polygon Labs

Podcast Source: Lightspeed

Original Title: "Web3 Gaming: A False Hope or Crypto's Path to Mass Adoption?"

Show: Link

Release Date: September 21

Ryan's Early Gaming Career

• Ryan's career began at Major League Gaming (MLG), where he was primarily responsible for organizing tournaments and refereeing. He later chose to join Machinima, a company dedicated to building the first gaming video network on YouTube, providing online video content for gamers.

• During Ryan's tenure, Machinima received investment from Google Ventures, which established a close connection between Ryan and Google. His experiences at Machinima and MLG gave him deep insights into the gaming video industry. He often sent lengthy emails to YouTube and Google, pointing out their shortcomings and how these deficiencies negatively impacted companies like Machinima.

• After Susan Wojcicki became CEO of YouTube, she noticed the emails Ryan had sent. Susan believed that YouTube needed someone who understood video games, and after several interviews, Ryan was successfully selected as the head of YouTube's gaming division.

• Ryan mentioned that although he was very familiar with YouTube's products and had deep friendships with many creators, he was relatively young within the YouTube team. He needed to learn from the senior members of the team how to become a better leader, how to lead the team, and how to think from a broader strategic perspective.

• Ryan initially collaborated with Polygon as a consultant, primarily responsible for providing guidance and advice from a gaming perspective. Through conversations with Polygon co-founder Sandeep Nailwal, Ryan developed a deeper interest and passion for Polygon and the entire crypto space.

• Ryan felt that missing the opportunity to join Polygon and explore the crypto space deeply was akin to missing the early opportunities in YouTube and the gaming video space. This feeling prompted him to seriously consider fully committing to the cryptocurrency field. After careful consideration, Ryan decided to join Polygon full-time. He believed it was a field full of infinite possibilities and opportunities worth investing his time and energy to explore and develop.

• Ryan joined Polygon as the CEO of Polygon Studios, responsible for hiring and building the Polygon Studios team. This department focuses on NFTs, gaming, and the metaverse. He began to build his own team, hiring the current CEO of Polygon Labs to work together to drive the development of Polygon.

The Potential and Challenges of Cryptocurrency and Blockchain in Gaming

• Ryan believes that virtual worlds and metaverse-type games are ideal candidates for integrating cryptocurrency. These games provide an immersive, continuously evolving virtual environment where players can interact, trade, and build communities. In these virtual worlds, cryptocurrency can be used to purchase, trade, and manage digital assets.

• Ryan expressed his desire to understand the history of his game items, including who previously owned them and whether they were used in specific game events, as this information could enhance the value and appeal of the items. He mentioned third-party websites like Skinport and CS:GO Float, which act as intermediaries for digital items, allowing players to trade items outside of the game. However, these systems are still imperfect as they are centralized and controlled by game developers.

• Ryan believes that blockchain and cryptocurrency can provide better ownership and control of digital assets. He hopes to see a system where players can store their items from all games in one wallet, allowing these items to circulate between games.

• He emphasized that the current system is controlled by game developers, who are reluctant to share data and control. Blockchain and cryptocurrency can change this dynamic, balancing power between players and developers. Through blockchain technology, players can truly own their digital assets, which developers cannot arbitrarily alter, thereby increasing the value of the assets and enhancing players' control over their assets.

• Ryan acknowledged that there are currently no high-quality Web3 games, and to get players to accept these new technologies, engaging games need to be developed. He mentioned that a significant amount of capital is being invested in the development of Web3 games, but many games may revert to Web2 because they first need to ensure the quality of the games.

How Cryptographic Technology Enhances Game Development and Player Experience

• As high-quality games increase in the market, attracting players to switch from their currently favored games to new ones becomes increasingly difficult. Ryan emphasized that people's time is limited, so the quality and appeal of the game are crucial to attracting their time and energy.

• User experience (UX) plays a key role in attracting and retaining players. Ryan believes that even if there are some issues and inconveniences with the current UX, if the game itself is outstanding, these problems can be overcome. Creating an excellent game is key, and the quality and gameplay of the game will determine whether it can attract and retain players.

• Ryan believes that generative AI will become a powerful tool to help create richer and more complex content. Humans will continue to enter other professional fields, using AI as a tool to enhance their capabilities. He does not believe AI will completely replace humans but envisions a future where humans and AI work together to drive innovation and development.

• The host mentioned that the Unity game engine is facing issues due to its inability to effectively track and collect usage fees for its engine. This challenge involves how to accurately and fairly calculate and charge fees for developing games using the Unity engine.

• Ryan believes that cryptocurrency and blockchain technology may provide solutions to this problem. Through blockchain, game usage and circulation can be tracked more accurately and transparently, helping Unity and other game developers streamline payments and usage tracking.

• With cryptocurrency and blockchain, payments and transactions can become simpler and faster. This not only helps address Unity's usage fee issues but also provides game developers and players with more convenient payment and transaction methods.

Reasons for Gamers' Resistance to NFTs and Solutions

• Ryan mentioned that players' resistance to NFTs mainly stems from a lack of understanding and trust in this new technology. Many players lack knowledge about how NFTs and blockchain technology work, their security, and reliability. Negative news and information about NFTs in the media have also influenced players' perceptions, along with some irresponsible behaviors and scams leading players to be skeptical of NFTs.

• Some people believe that NFTs may lead to a "pay-to-win" situation, affecting the competitiveness and enjoyment of games. Players worry that NFTs will impact the balance and fairness of games. Because NFTs introduce new economic models that change how players acquire and trade game items, some players feel uncomfortable and dissatisfied with this change.

• Ryan believes that to address players' resistance to NFTs, education and communication are needed to increase players' understanding and trust in this new technology. Game developers and NFT project teams need to consider players' concerns, ensuring that NFTs do not affect the balance and fairness of games while also protecting players' interests and rights.

• He emphasized that NFTs and blockchain technology have enormous potential to transform the gaming industry, providing players with more ownership and control, but this requires time and effort to achieve. Game developers, NFT project teams, and players need to work together to explore and establish a fair, transparent, and sustainable NFT and gaming ecosystem.

Future Outlook for the Crypto Space and Gaming

• Ryan believes that the crypto industry is at an interesting stage of development. He sees the enormous potential of this industry and future development opportunities, despite some challenges and uncertainties. He believes that the crypto space and blockchain technology will take years to fully realize their potential.

• Ryan believes that gaming can be the savior of cryptocurrency. He sees a close connection between gaming and cryptocurrency and believes that gaming will be a key factor in driving the mainstream adoption of cryptocurrency. Games can not only make cryptocurrency more appealing but also provide players with practical use cases and value.

• Ryan emphasized the importance of DeFi in gaming, stating that liquidity is crucial for the success of games, and DeFi can provide the necessary liquidity and financial tools for games.

• Ryan predicts that in the coming years, the crypto industry and gaming will undergo a series of transformations. Technological advancements and increased capital investment will be key factors driving the development of this field.