Sustainable P2E: How TON Developers Can Overcome Tokenization Pitfalls

Sustainable play-to-earn (P2E) games offer players the promise of tokens as rewards while playing but, despite the remarkable growth of the P2E sector, it is not without its challenges. From poor game quality and design to fixation on earning mechanisms and crude tokenomics, P2E projects have faced significant backlash from the gaming communities over the years.

This poor introduction of game quality has created token economies that falter at the first hurdle and player bases are wholly disconnected from the games they’re supposed to enjoy. To change this, developers on The Open Network (TON), a thriving blockchain geared towards innovation in the P2E sector, offer hope for players by avoiding past mistakes and focusing on sustainably connecting playability with tokenization.

One example could be CARV, a modular data layer designed to bridge gaming and artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystems, ensuring user ownership of data, reward systems and identity aggregation stay prioritized. As a blueprint for TON developers in the P2E sector, CARV sets an example for game creation that prioritizes economic sustainability for long-term success without sacrificing playability.

P2E Past Mistakes

Through the years, a horde of P2E games have lacked balance between earning potential and actual enjoyment of the game. While some allowed players to have fun as token economies slowly entered death spirals, others were more sustainable at the cost of the game becoming more like a job. 

Players having to grind for tokens and losing the fun element of P2E games is at the heart of the downfall of the P2E sector so far. Without solid governance, tokenomics that aren’t subject to inflation concerns, and real-world utility, P2E games have disillusioned players and oversaw token devaluation year after year.

To overcome these past mistakes, developers on TON have to ensure that player engagement, entertainment, and tokenomic sustainability remain the priority from the start. To do so, the P2E games have to ensure that token rewards don’t become the primary goal, and instead augment the game and make it more fun to play. CARV strikes this balance by emphasizing the creation of a sustainable gaming ecosystem that values data ownership.

CARV’ing a Sustainable Approach

CARV isn’t just a P2E platform; it delivers a combination of data ownership, AI and gaming entertainment that establishes both a sustainable and an equitable digital economy in-game. Taking a decentralized approach to P2E sustainability, the CARV protocol is core to CARV’s ecosystem, enabling players to own, control, and monetize their data, while ensuring they retain data sovereignty while benefiting from the value generated.

In regard to developers on TON, CARV’s methodology provides key insight into how to effectively build games that players can enjoy without risk of tokenomic collapse or job-like grinding requirements. By integrating CARV’s cross-platform credentialing system, TON developers can make sure player achievements and identities are recognized across multiple gaming ecosystems.

Playability-first: Blending AI and Data

One of the most common flaws and issues today in P2E games is the prioritization of tokenized rewards over truly enjoyable and effective gameplay mechanisms. CARV addresses this challenges by utilizing its modular data layer to improve gameplayer through data-driven insights and AI.

For example, CARV AI, an AI-driven personal agent, provides players with personalized game recommendations, reward-based quests, and airdrop eligibility checks. This intuitive and innovative personal agent makes the player experience more tailored to each individual player’s preferences and helps keep them engaged and entertained.

Following this example, developers on TON are able to integrate similar AI-driven tools to improve P2E game playability, entertainment value, and player engagement — even without promising token rewards. By reshifting the focus from token accumulation to personalized experiences and player achievement and progress, developers can make P2E games that players play and love.

$CARV: Tokenization With Purpose

A major component of CARV’s ecosystem is the $CARV token, serving as the native utility token on its platform and to empower its players through data ownership and governance participation. A far cry from tokens of the past, $CARV exceeds mere in-game transactional worth and avoids inflation issues to instead offer players a currency that has forward-thinking implications.

Developers on TON can combine their own ideas with CARV’s approach to tokenomics to ensure that P2E games are designed with sustainability in mind for long-term success and longevity. Through voting escrow governance and reward mechanisms, P2E games can ensure players feel valued and benefit from the gaming experience, even when they aren’t playing.

For example, CARV’s SOUL system, a system that incentivizes players to stake tokens and vote on games that should receive additional rewards, enables players to choose the best designed and most enjoyable P2E games. This process also ensures the sustainability of these games and their ability to thrive in the overall P2E gaming sector.

Through this real-world utility and governance integration, developers on TON can avert inflationary future disaster and maintain player interest through the games success — not just the token rewards.

Data Monetization and Community

One of the exciting aspects of CARV’s ecosystem is its focus on data monetization and its community-driven approach. Players are able to monetize their gaming data in a manner that preserves their privacy, while earning tokens for that data being used for market analytics and research.

On the community side, with over 9.5 million registered gamers and partnerships with major gaming companies like Electronic Arts, Netmarble, and Animoca Brands, CARV has established a home for its players and stakeholders. By creating a sense of belonging and community ownership among its players, CARV is setting the new pace and standard for P2E games.

For developers on TON, the integration of privacy-preserving data monetization and community-driven ecosystems will create enjoyable and sustainable P2E games.