Our GAM3 Awards, a key event in the web3 gaming landscape, is set to make a return in 2023. The event's jury lineup, a blend of familiar faces from 2022 and new representatives from various sectors of web3 gaming, has been unveiled. Notable additions include figures from web3 gaming venture capital firms, blockchain and ecosystem experts, infrastructure partners, and content creators, alongside established gaming leaders and tech giants like Amazon and Google.

Among the jury members is Phylicia Koh, a Partner at Play Ventures. Phylicia has a background steeped in marketing and growth, having worked with esteemed companies such as Mighty Bear Games, Voice Labs, Homage, Ethnicraft Online, and the Singapore Economic Development Board. Her role at Play Ventures involves leading new investments into game studios and exploring the intersection of gaming and lifestyle, making her a perfect addition to the GAM3 Awards jury.

1. What is the most enjoyable part of your role? 

"The most enjoyable part of being an investor is being able to work with founders closely, on the cutting edge of tech and business. Founders are crazy enough to dream, and I have a huge amount of respect for that, and love being a part of helping them take their ideas from being that to being reality."

2. How do you see the progress made in web3 gaming since last year? 

"Let’s not sugarcoat how tough it’s been for web3 gaming companies. These are the brutal years of growing pains and lots of teams didn’t make it.  There will probably be more that won’t in 2024. Although web3 folks are used to an insane, compressed pace of change and development, in general, nothing is built in a day — not Rome, not web2 gaming, and certainly not web3. I think it’s important to remember this."

3. What is the most valuable addition web3 brings into gaming, from your perspective, if any? 

"My unpopular personal opinion is that not every game needs a token, and interoperability is interesting but still more of an academic discussion than practicable in the coming years. The more near-term (perhaps 3-5 year horizon) viable value-add web3 brings to a fundamentally good game is the possibility for long-term incentive and reward alignment between players and developers, how we can use web3 to enable and enforce protection of player’s ownership rights of an asset or even username or account and enable scalability of secondary trading."

Regarding her outlook on 2024 and beyond for web3 gaming, Phylicia is candid about the industry's challenges. She acknowledges that these are the "brutal years of growing pains" for web3 gaming companies, and many may not make it through 2024. She emphasizes the importance of remembering that meaningful progress takes time, even in the fast-paced world of web3.

 4. What is your outlook on 2024 and beyond for web3 gaming? 

"Good and lucky teams (too many people discount luck in my opinion) still have their heads-down building and are taking their lessons. Many of the teams who have been building are now getting ready to share their games with players and I’m excited to see what this new generation of game-makers have created.  Hopefully, when the markets are on a more certain path to recovery, they will be in a good position to expand the web3 player base. For now, games that are launching with the idea of converting web2 players to web3 face an unenviable uphill task overcoming obstacles as basic as wallet usability to negative public perception and discourse about web3."

The return of our GAM3 Awards in 2023 promises to be a celebration of the web3 gaming industry's growth and innovation. With industry figures like Phylicia Koh on the jury, the event is set to recognize excellence in the ever-evolving world of web3 gaming.