The Next 100M Web3 Users Will Come from Games, Not Crypto

The Quest for Mass Adoption: Why Crypto’s Front Door is Closed to Most

For years, the Web3 space has been obsessed with a single question: How do we achieve mass adoption? The prevailing answer has often revolved around decentralized finance (DeFi), NFTs as digital art, or the promise of a new, open financial system. While these innovations are revolutionary, they share a common problem: they are built by and for the crypto-native.

The current onboarding process into Web3 feels less like an invitation and more like an entrance exam. Users are immediately confronted with a barrage of complex concepts: private keys, seed phrases, gas fees, wallet extensions, and the ever-present risk of scams. This finance-first approach, focused on investment and speculation, creates a high barrier to entry that alienates the vast majority of the global population. It asks people to learn a new financial system before they’ve even had a chance to experience the benefits.

But what if there was another way? A Trojan horse, of sorts, that could seamlessly introduce hundreds of millions of people to the power of Web3 without them even realizing it. That Trojan horse is gaming.

Gaming: The Ultimate On-Ramp for Web3

The argument is simple: The Next <100M Web3 Users Will Come from Games>, Not Crypto. Why? Because gaming bypasses the complex financial jargon and focuses on something universally understood: fun.

Globally, there are over 3 billion gamers. This is a digitally-native audience already comfortable with virtual economies, in-game currencies, and digital items. For them, the concept of a rare digital sword or a unique character skin isn’t foreign; it’s a part of their daily lives. Web3 doesn’t need to sell them on the idea of digital value; it just needs to upgrade the experience.

From Rented Items to True Digital Ownership

In the traditional gaming world (Web2), you never truly own your in-game assets. When you buy a skin in Fortnite or a weapon in Call of Duty, you are essentially renting a license to use that item within the game’s walled garden. If the company shuts down the game or bans your account, your items disappear with it.

Web3 gaming flips this model on its head with the concept of “Play-and-Own.” By representing in-game assets as NFTs on a blockchain, players gain several groundbreaking advantages:

• True Ownership: Your items are stored in your personal crypto wallet, not on a company’s server. They are verifiably yours, and no one can take them away from you.
• Open Marketplaces: Players can freely buy, sell, and trade their assets on open marketplaces, creating real-world value from their time and skill.
• Interoperability: The holy grail of Web3 gaming is the ability to use an asset from one game in another, creating a persistent digital identity and inventory that travels with you across the metaverse.

Evolving Beyond the Flaws of “Play-to-Earn”

The first wave of Web3 games, dominated by the “Play-to-Earn” (P2E) model, showed both the promise and the pitfalls of this new frontier. Games like Axie Infinity attracted millions but were often criticized for prioritizing earning over engaging gameplay. Their economies proved unsustainable, as they relied on a constant influx of new players to pay out the old ones, feeling more like a job than a game.

The industry has learned from these mistakes. The new generation of Web3 games focuses on a “game-first” philosophy. The primary goal is to create a high-quality, fun, and immersive experience that can compete with top-tier Web2 titles. The blockchain elements—the ownership, the economy, the NFTs—are a powerful layer built on top, not the entire foundation. This approach ensures that players come for the game and stay for the economy, not the other way around.

Why Your Web3 Identity Matters More Than Your Tokens

As gaming becomes the primary gateway to Web3, our understanding of a “wallet” will evolve. It will no longer be seen as just a bank account for holding cryptocurrency. Instead, it will become the foundation of our digital identity.

Think about it: your gaming profile is a rich tapestry of your achievements, your rare items, your rank, and your history. In Web3, all of this can be recorded on-chain. Your wallet becomes a digital passport, a verifiable resume of your skills and accomplishments across multiple virtual worlds. This on-chain identity is far more powerful and personal than simply holding a certain number of tokens. It represents your reputation, your social capital, and your unique story within the digital realm.

The Path Forward

The journey to onboarding the next 100 million Web3 users won’t be paved with yield farming protocols or complex derivatives. It will be built on the back of epic boss fights, rare loot drops, and vibrant player-driven communities. By abstracting the technical complexity and leading with fun, Web3 games can introduce core blockchain concepts like self-custody and digital ownership to a global audience in a way that feels natural and empowering. The future of Web3 isn’t just financial; it’s fun.