# Crypto Gaming's Unexpected Ally? *Author: Bankless* *Published: Apr 14, 2026* *Source: https://www.bankless.com/read/crypto-gamings-unexpected-ally* --- [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e4/b7/e4b77544-5a37-4f0b-8824-8440aa348476/content/images/2026/04/Group_734.webp)](https://brix.money/) Crypto Gaming's Unexpected Ally? Published on April 14, 2026 [ View in Browser ](https://www.bankless.com/metaversal) --- [***Sponsor: Brix***](https://brix.money/)*** ***— Access real-world yield in DeFi. Built on MegaETH.[](https://bankless.ghost.io/ghost/#/editor/post/69580059dbc84d000120d568)[](https://www.bankless.com/portal/content/posts/view?id=8502)[](https://bankless.ghost.io/ghost/#/editor/post/69580059dbc84d000120d568) [Join the Waitlist](https://brix.money/) .  .  . OPINION The Gamer Uprising That Crypto Should Pay Attention To Bankless Author: [ William Peaster ](https://x.com/wmpeaster) [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e4/b7/e4b77544-5a37-4f0b-8824-8440aa348476/content/images/2026/04/image---2026-04-14T135924.026-3.png)](https://www.bankless.com/read/the-gamer-uprising-that-crypto-should-pay-attention-to)A lot of people in the mainstream hate crypto, and by extension, a lot of mainstream gamers hate crypto gaming. There are various understandable reasons for this ire, though I've also seen breakthroughs here. For instance, when [Nouns Esports](https://www.bankless.com/nouns-esports-game-changer) was using ETH to back *Super Smash Bros. Melee* players and tournaments, lots of people in the Melee community rallied to the Nouns, appreciative of the grassroots funding. [Why Nouns Esports Is a Game Changer on BanklessNouns Esports is changing the way the gaming world thinks about funding competitive esports teams.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)BanklessWilliam M. Peaster![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e4/b7/e4b77544-5a37-4f0b-8824-8440aa348476/content/images/thumbnail/why-nouns-esports-is-a-game-changer-1758849726.png)](https://www.bankless.com/nouns-esports-game-changer)It was a revelation for some; you *can *use crypto to back and coordinate things you love, things that mainstream esports funding avenues won't or can't. Where might the next breakthroughs come, then? Nouns Esports and the Melee community were kindred, so where else can crypto gaming and mainstream gaming find these sorts of alignments? I do think one potential crossroads that could lead to more embraces of onchain elements going forward is the [Stop Killing Games movement](https://www.reddit.com/r/StopKillingGames/), a gamer advocacy effort that's been building momentum in recent years. The backdrop, of course, is that when publishers shut down the servers of their games, players who paid for these titles are left with nada. They can't play, and they can't get refunds. Enough's enough, the SKG organizers say, so they're backing legislative efforts around the world to give players more rights in the case of wind downs. Indeed, I personally just learned of this movement this week when I saw that they'd officially [thrown their support behind](https://www.techspot.com/news/112055-stop-killing-games-backs-california-bill-supporting-clearer.html) a California bill proposed by San Diego's Assemblymember Chris Ward, the [AB 1921 Protect Our Games Act](https://ward.asmdc.org/2026-introduced-legislation). If passed, the bill would require live-service publishers to either **1)** patch their games for offline play before shutting servers down, or **2)** issue buyers full refunds. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e4/b7/e4b77544-5a37-4f0b-8824-8440aa348476/content/images/2026/04/image-36.png)](https://ward.asmdc.org/2026-introduced-legislation)I love games in general, but particularly multiplayer online games, so I've certainly been on the wrong side of official support ending before. And broadly the mainstream gaming industry today feels like it squeezes players for every penny possible through lackluster offerings in titles that often get replaced every 1-2 years, so more consumer protections would be great here. I applaud AB 1921 and would support more legislation like it in more places. That said, and returning to my main point about a new potential crossroads between mainstream and crypto gaming, AAA publishers are now starting to face more regulatory heat to provide what indie onchain devs are building by default. That's ironic but also worth considering more deeply. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e4/b7/e4b77544-5a37-4f0b-8824-8440aa348476/content/images/2026/04/tweet-2043796618189615117.png)](https://x.com/Pirat_Nation/status/2043796618189615117)In other words, the properties that onchain gaming advocates have been arguing for and actualizing on philosophical grounds, like player ownership, persistence, censorship resistance, etc., are now being recognized as legit consumer rights by legislators working with no crypto context whatsoever. Maybe the dreamers in the fully onchain gaming scene aren't so crazy after all? As [lethe](https://x.com/0xl3th3), the founder of the FOCG title Kamigotchi, [recently wrote](https://x.com/0xl3th3/status/2038602021222162856): > "[T]he thing that had captivated me was the simple fact that a game built on a blockchain can last forever. Like, as long as human civilization type forever, maybe even beyond that if people can keep nodes running. All you have to do is build the entire game as a system of smart contracts on top of Ethereum. That's it. The back-end of the world, what would be 'the servers' in a normal game, goes completely 100% onchain. Then you make sure the client code is open-source, so people can connect to the world however they like. And at that point, the game can run for as long as the blockchain underneath does. You have an immortal, digital world." Of course, "onchain" isn't a panacea for all the issues in gaming, nor is going fully onchain totally necessary for games. But a few things stick out to me here: - Mainstream gamers increasingly want persistence guarantees, and onchain games are optimized for these sorts of guarantees. There is a kindredness here that could be grounds for growing acceptance of onchain gaming infra, which in turn would inspire the creation of more onchain games in general. Why? To get the structural persistence and player guarantees that companies and laws can't or are slow to achieve. - Mainstream studios could also start using onchain elements to stay on the right side of laws like AB 1921; for example, in addition to ensuring offline singleplayer support, a closing game could store its core files on Arweave so its community can build, mod, and self-host indefinitely, and they could additionally let players opt-out their assets into NFTs so they can be freely exchanged forever. The full design space here is bigger than one piece can cover, and to be sure, SKG advocates likely aren't interested in onchain solutions *today*. Their support will have to be earned through continued building. Yet it's notable that their philosophical pillars, namely that players who pay for something should keep access to it, and that publishers shouldn't be able to totally rug you, are the exact values that onchain gaming is built around. [Why I’m Still Bullish on Crypto Gaming on BanklessCrypto gaming is dead, or so they say. Here’s why I disagree.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)BanklessWilliam M. Peaster![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e4/b7/e4b77544-5a37-4f0b-8824-8440aa348476/content/images/thumbnail/why-i-m-still-bullish-on-crypto-gaming-1774383246.png)](https://www.bankless.com/read/why-im-still-bullish-on-crypto-gaming)That's a potential point of alignment, and maybe the next place where crypto gaming finds an unexpected ally? [Bookmark on Bankless.com](https://www.bankless.com/read/the-gamer-uprising-that-crypto-should-pay-attention-to) ---