Can I make money playing metaverse games? Insiders: Be wary of hidden scams in the game

At a time when people still can't figure out what a metaverse is, some blockchain games have been equipped with the concept of metaversity to reaptake users. During the interview, the reporter learned that the "meta-universe blockchain game" (hereinafter referred to as "chain game") was promoted by some merchants as a game that could "lie and earn", and the monthly income even reached 100%. Industry insiders said that such games not only hide Ponzi schemes, but also may have been suspected of illegal fundraising or financial fraud due to the use of virtual currency settlement.

The game is tied to making money with the metaverse concept

"Chain game" claims to be able to "lie and earn"

Recently, the metacosm has been invaded like a strong tornado, which has not only swept the entire technology circle, but also deeply affected the capital market. Some game companies have relied on the concept of meta-universe to soar in stock prices.

As far as the current situation is concerned, the game can be said to be a prototype of the metaverse, and the metacosm has also brought more innovations and surprises to the content creation of the game, just like the movie "Ready Player One", which can greatly meet the user's sense of experience, and major manufacturers have also laid out the concept of the metaverse.

When many people have not yet figured out what is the "meta-universe", a type of "chain game" that claims to be able to "lie and earn" has entered the public eye, and there are many promotion and teaching videos on the Internet that advocate playing such games to get rich, of which "3 days can return the cost", "70,000 per day lying down", "customers have doubled their assets", "new ways to force wealth" and other blunt advertising slogans, so that the game and making money are hooked.

The reporter noted that most of the servers of these "chain games" are overseas, and many forums and social media have teaching and software on how such "chain games" can be played in China, and some people have specially taken playing such games as a business. There are also "intermediaries" who claim to be able to help customers manage funds and play games on behalf of customers, packaging themselves as "meta-universe investment teachers", and their circle of friends is often the successful case of their "generation investment". Some people claim to have invested 300,000 yuan and made 140,000 yuan in two weeks, and some even claim that their monthly investment income can reach 100%.

Of course, these "gains" are not in vain. Taking the game "Farmer ××" as an example, the intermediary first charges a service fee of 6,000 yuan to open an account for the user, and then the user has to pay the other party the principal to help exchange virtual currency for the purchase of game currency. In addition, the revenue generated by the game, the intermediary has to raise 20% of the fee.

The reporter noted that the so-called meta-universe chain game is the same as ordinary games, most of which are web games, and many structures are like the early classic simulation business game "Virtual Life". The operation of the game is also simple, according to the intermediary is to "buy related tools", click the button to put the game for a period of time, you can get "income".

Claim to control the proceeds

Virtual currency is issued in the name of the game

Suspected of illegal fund-raising and financial fraud

Can this game really make money? Ms. Zhang of Zhejiang said in an interview with the media that she once played a blockchain game called "Lucky Stone Zodiac", claiming to invest 5,000 yuan and gain 12% in 6 days. After playing the game for 4 months, she couldn't log in and lost her money. Mr. Mo of Jiangsu is a player of a blockchain pet cultivation game "Dragon Phoenix Chengxiang", and the platform was shut down after only 3 days of playing, and he was defrauded of more than 5,000 yuan.

In fact, the construction of such games is not complicated. The reporter contacted a game construction company in Hebei as a buyer, and the other party said that there are many templates for "chain games", and some can directly "imitate" several overseas "chain games" that are currently popular. The other side sent a "chain game" that has been equipped to the reporter, and the game has only a few simple pages for drawing cards, collecting characters and fighting. The construction of such a "chain game" requires hundreds of thousands of yuan to hundreds of thousands of yuan. The game construction company said that the game can set the additional issuance of game currency in the background and change the ratio of virtual currency to game currency in real time, "that is, you can control the income."

The reporter noted that not only can the game data itself be "faked", but some so-called meta-universe game development companies are "issuing" their own virtual currency in the name of the game.

Previously, a virtual currency called "ME" in Shanghai was exposed. The issuing company said that the future metaverse will use it as currency. The company says the "ME" coin is limited in number, with only 21 million coins issued worldwide, and if invested now, it could double 18 times in 40 days. However Chinese Min min bank has issued an announcement as early as 2017 that the so-called virtual currency is essentially unapproved illegal public financing, which is suspected of illegal fundraising and financial fraud.

Players are at risk

Some "chain games" are suspected of being Ponzi schemes

It could be lost overnight

A person engaged in blockchain research said that at present, the logic of making money in chain games is very simple: users convert the real currency into a designated virtual currency, and then purchase the game currency issued by the game through the virtual currency, and use the game currency to buy the equipment and land in the game. Game companies use data to add value to items or items in the game, and then the players in the game buy and sell each other to form a value added.

The person said that for users, there are two major risks, the most obvious of which is that they do not know whether the game company is really bound to a certain subject matter, or "NFT" (non-homogeneous token), and rely on the data formed by the subject matter to add value. "Simply put, it's like you thought you bought a piece of jade that could appreciate, but in the end you found out that you actually bought a piece of glass." Therefore, some chain games are like Ponzi schemes, using the money invested by the latecomers to make up profits for the people in front, and the game company makes almost all the money, and it rolls up money and runs away.

Even if the game company does bind a certain subject matter, there are still many links that will cause problems, such as the game currency issued by the game company or the virtual currency itself, must only rise or fall?

"Chain game" players need to buy virtual coins such as "Ethereum", "AXS", "WAXP" to buy expensive props, in order to make money through the game. Previously, Dogecoin had increased by 1,000 times overnight, but just because one of Musk's tweets fell directly to the altar, then this virtual currency followed Musk's remarks or rose or fell, extremely unstable. In addition, virtual currency has no legal identity in China, and it is difficult to protect rights when problems arise.

Not only that, many "chain game" servers are overseas, and some countries have also stepped up their crackdown on these games. Some games may not be logged in overnight, and investors will lose their money directly.

Source: Beijing Youth Daily