Yield Guild Games (YGG) Changes Strategy to Focus on Casual Crypto Gamers
After four years of trying to get people interested in Web3 games, Yield Guild Games (YGG) realized something important: most players want fun, easygoing games with a casual, “degen” (playful and risky) vibe—not complicated or serious games.
So instead of trying to get everyone to play, YGG started YGG Play, a new game publishing team that makes games for crypto fans who like light, fun chaos. Their first game is called LOL Land, a browser game made especially for people who are deep into crypto culture.
Gabby Dizon, YGG’s co-founder, said people enjoy playing casual games on their phones when they have free time, like during commutes or breaks. They play for fun and rewards like badges or collectibles—and they often spend real money on these games.
YGG learned a lot since they helped start the “play-to-earn” trend in 2020. Now, they know what kinds of games are fun and what players really want. Instead of just investing in games, they’re now creating games themselves, focusing on crypto users who trade coins, create NFTs, and enjoy the “degen” lifestyle.
LOL Land has four fun themes: YGG City, Beach Day, Carnival, and Ice World Wonderland. The last one features characters from the Pudgy Penguins NFT community, including real community members as playable characters.
The game has two ways to play:
- Free mode: Play as much as you want but no token rewards.
- Premium mode: Buy rolls to earn points that can be exchanged for YGG tokens, which come from a big $10 million prize pool.
Before its launch on the Abstract Chain, LOL Land already had over 100,000 people signed up to play.
In LOL Land, players can earn YGG tokens and use them to get NFTs, which are digital collectibles.
Gabby Dizon has lots of experience making casual games, having worked as a game developer for over 20 years before joining the crypto world and starting YGG.
Instead of trying to attract regular gamers, YGG focuses on “casual degens”—people who trade meme coins, mint NFTs, and enjoy crypto activities. Dizon believes this group is bigger and more interested than the traditional Web3 gaming crowd.
When asked if Web3 games will last, Dizon said it’s all about patience. Making games is hard, and making games with new technology is even harder, but he believes they can have a lasting impact.
