The Impact of Web3 on Gaming Security and Anti-Cheat Measures
In recent years, Web3, blockchain, and decentralization have become buzzwords in the tech world and the gaming community. As gaming evolves beyond traditional platforms and centralized systems, there’s an urgent need to understand how Web3 will impact gaming security. Today, we’ll explore the opportunities and challenges that Web3 poses to security and anti-cheat measures. But first, let’s ask the question…
What Is Web3?
Web3 is often described as the future of the internet, aiming to give users more control and freedom than ever before. It’s a significant shift from what we’re used to, focusing on collaboration, transparency, and enhanced security. Understanding Web3 is a new way to develop games that brings with it unique possibilities and challenges.
To understand Web3 better, let’s look at some core features that will be relevant to our later discussion of opportunities and challenges.
Decentralization
Decentralization is a way of managing data and transactions where control isn’t vested in a single central authority or location. Instead, multiple participants have access and control over the network. This method makes the system more resilient to failure and abuse because no single entity controls the entire network. Decentralization enables more secure and private transactions and gives individuals more control over their own data.
Blockchain
Blockchain is a technology that securely stores data across multiple computers. In a blockchain, information is grouped into “blocks,” and each block is connected to the one before it, forming a chain. This makes it difficult to change past information without altering all the blocks after it. As a result, blockchain offers a more secure and efficient way to manage data and transactions online.
Smart Contracts
Smart contracts are automated, self-executing contracts where the terms and conditions are directly written into code. These contracts run on blockchain technology, making them secure and transparent. They automatically enforce the rules in the agreement, eliminating the need for intermediaries like lawyers or notaries. This speeds up transactions and reduces costs while ensuring that the contract terms are carried out as intended.
Opportunities and Challenges for Web3 Gaming Security
Now that we’ve explored some fundamentals of Web3 technologies, let’s look at some opportunities and challenges they present for gaming security and anti-cheat measures.
Large-Scale Attacks
Web3 technology offers an opportunity to bolster security by distributing data across a network rather than centralizing it in a single server. In the context of gaming, this could make it much harder for hackers to compromise the system. Even if they managed to penetrate one node, the decentralized nature of the system would prevent them from gaining control over the entire network.
The decentralized architecture could, therefore, offer games a level of resilience against large-scale attacks such as DDoS attacks. With multiple nodes holding the game’s data, the system’s integrity can still be maintained even if one point is compromised.
That said, it has been pointed out that blockchain networks are not entirely resistant to cyber threats. The robustness of the network can depend on the number of nodes, diversity, and hash rate in the network. Regular audits, security scans, and application testing are necessary to keep the network safe and uncover potential exposure points.
One of the largest crypto hacks of all time happened in 2022 when hackers targeted the game Axie Infinity. Attackers compromised private keys used to validate transactions on the network. They then used the compromised keys to make fake withdrawals totalling about $625 million worth of Ethereum and USDC cryptocurrency. The takeaway: although Web3 technologies are created with security in mind, they are not entirely resistant to cyberattacks.
Smart Contracts in Web3 Gaming
Smart contracts are another exciting facet of Web3. These are automated contracts that execute themselves when certain conditions are met. In gaming, they can enforce rules, manage transactions, and act as a defense against cheating. Because they automatically execute the rules of the game, they could make the process more secure, accurate, and transparent.
However, smart contracts are not without their challenges. For one, smart contracts cannot stop data tampering, modifications on the client, AI cheats, or synthetic input in real-time, so their utility in stopping cheating in multiplayer games is quite limited.
Also, as discussed in this article, smart contracts can still be exploited if they contain bugs or vulnerabilities. Hackers could potentially steal assets or compromise the game’s integrity. Therefore, game developers should constantly review and audit their smart contracts to ensure they’re secure and efficient. This also involves designing smart contracts to be upgradable so any issues can be addressed without compromising the game or its players.
GameFi and Game Economies
GameFi is a Web3 gaming trend “that leverages blockchain technology’s power to create decentralized games and virtual economies.” Some of the opportunities for GameFi include true asset ownership (players own their in-game assets as NFTs, enabling them to buy, sell, or trade them freely) and play-to-earn (gamers can earn real-world value, such as tokens, through their in-game actions).
While GameFi offers impressive opportunities, it’s not without its challenges. The financial incentives in GameFi make it a lucrative target for hackers and other bad actors. Game developers must constantly update their security protocols, from smart contract audits to robust encryption methods, to protect player assets and the in-game economy. Strong security measures are needed to protect against hacking and theft and safeguard the economic value of the game ecosystem. Check out this article to learn more about specific security challenges and potential attacks related to GameFi.
Can Web3 Gaming Stop Cheating?
With the focus on security using elements like blockchain and smart contracts, you might wonder whether Web3 is the ultimate solution to stop cheating in video games. From the challenges we’ve discussed above, the answer is, unfortunately, no. In fact, the opposite might be the case. As this article points out, Web3 gaming has created “a recipe for rampant cheating.”
Web3 games often have extremely valuable assets up for grabs, tempting cheaters and bad actors to find creative ways to seize the potential profit. Also, Web3 games are generally early in their development cycles. Game developers often haven’t adopted robust anti-cheat systems, and they may be slow to respond to manual reports of cheating. Because the systems and technologies have not been established to identify, punish, and proactively deal with cheating, “profits are high and cost are low…this is a recipe for rampant cheating.”
Web3 has already been the target of many cheating and theft scandals (check out this list of the 13 biggest defi hacks and heists!). The problem extends to Web3 gaming, too. In 2022, the NFT-based, play-to-earn game Axie Infinity — after a thorough investigation — banned 210 accounts for cheating, including match-fixing and win trading. Earlier in 2023, Yuga Labs’ mint-based game Dookey Dash was in the news because of cheating via boosting. Boosters are for-hire players that boost a player’s rank (often using cheats and exploits). Boosters were charging between $330 and $ 420 for their services and bragging they had not been caught.
These stories should come as a caution to Web3 game developers. Web3 features like blockchain and smart contracts have their benefits, but cheating can still be a massive problem, leading to consequences that impact the game and the developer’s reputation.
As we mentioned in our article How Cheating in Video Games Impacts Game Developers, your best move out of the gate is to invest in anti-cheat technology to prevent or combat cheating. Look for an anti-cheat solution that uses AI and machine learning, can help you proactively combat cheating, and is scalable as your player base grows. Anybrain’s cutting-edge technology fits these criteria, and we’d love to work with you on securing your Web3 game.
Keeping Your Game Safe
Web3 technologies like blockchain and smart contracts introduce new opportunities to gaming. In many ways, these features are designed to enhance trust and reduce vulnerabilities. However, they also bring new security challenges that developers need to address, and they do not solve the problem of cheating in video games.
Security remains crucial regardless of whether you’re working on a Web2 or Web3 game. Cheating undermines the integrity of any gaming experience, which is why developers should address it proactively before it becomes a problem. Advanced anti-cheat technologies such as Anybrain offer protection that keeps games fair and enjoyable for all players. We’d love to learn more about your project!
Fill out the form here, and let’s talk about how we can work together to keep your game safe.