One of the flaws in the P2E model is that it opens the door to automated gameplay. Some of the games, such as Pegaxy, do not require skill. And even when skill is part of the game, bots can also perform missions.
Bots are also a big problem when it comes to NFT sales, as they can outbid real persons, or claim more items.
Bots also appear as a factor when trading in-game assets. For instance, exchange bots can sway the price of reward tokens. Bots can pump or sell a token before players can place an order on exchanges.
How Bots Take Over Games
One of the problems with bots taking over games like Pegaxy is they have a clear advantage over human players. For players trying to make it on their own, or for scholars, the gameplay can soon get monotonous, and bots are more efficient.
Without a mechanism to favor human players, almost all games face an inflow of automated casual play. In the case of Pegaxy, bots have been noticed in NFT trading as well, quickly swapping cheap NFT playable characters to raise their floor price. This also puts a barrier to entry for new players trying to start with a cheap character.
How Axie Infinity Tried to Boost Real Competition
Axie Infinity was one of the first games to start dealing with bots. First, the idle PvE game started to give diminished rewards. However, bots can still access PvE and “farm” the idle gameplay for partial Smooth Love Potion (SLP) rewards.
Second, the game team banned multi-accounting and “smurfing”, where several accounts could exchange high-ranked characters and win against most players. Smurfing was one of the exploit tactics where one team played on a lower-ranked side account.
How League of Kingdoms Tried to Deal with Bots
League of Kingdoms has a different tracking system, which bans idle play. However, players have complained that the tools against bot-like activity end up banning players. The game kicks out accounts for what resembles speedy bot-like play. Multiple accounts also come with severe limitations. The game, however, is yet to introduce a truly successful anti-bot system.
How to Avoid Games with Potential Bot Problems
There are some signs to avoid games with a potential bot problem. Super casual gameplay and a high visitor count may be a signal that not all players are real. Games with immediately high visit rates are also suspicious. Bot activity is not a new phenomenon for crypto assets, with many networks and passive earnings hubs showing suspiciously high activity levels.
Which Games can Really Avoid Bots
Games of skill may hope to avoid bot activity. In the play to earn space, games that put skill first and avoid the model of endless grinding have more potential to discourage bots. Games that do not focus on their token market price, but instead of building a product, could turn out to be a fair ground in the long run.
Puzzle games, first-person shooter or brawl games, racer games with real skill or action may be more bot-resistant. Card-based games with simulated battles and no skill requirements, or grind and farm games are more open to bot activity.
