Our eagerly awaited GAM3 Awards, a significant event in the world of web3 gaming, is set to make a triumphant return this December 2023. We are excited to present our distinguished and diverse panel of judges, which includes both familiar faces from 2022 and new voices who represent various facets of the web3 gaming landscape. The latest additions are especially remarkable, as they include prominent figures from web3 gaming venture capital firms, blockchain and ecosystem experts, infrastructure partners, content creators, as well as respected leaders in the gaming industry and technology giants like Amazon and Google.

We are proud to introduce one of our jury members Karel Vuong. Karel is a Co-Founder of Treasure, a decentralized game publisher bringing indie games and players together through the magic of play. Treasure is building an interconnected network of games linked through a shared and common token called $MAGIC, gameplay, and IP.

Some of Treasure's games include The Beacon, Kaiju Cards, Mighty Action Heroes, Zeeverse, Kuroro Beasts, and Knights of the Ether. Before Treasure, Karel was a VC, founding member of several exited startups, and a Computer Science dropout. He's a self proclaimed "pro-gamer" of The Beacon known for his no damage runs in the breakout indie action RPG roguelike title.

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

“There are so many enjoyable parts to list but if I had to narrow it down to just one - working with a smorgasbord of insanely smart, creative, ambitious people from across the core team that we've assembled at Treasure, all of the game studios we have the pleasure of building with within the ecosystem, and our community within the DAO.”

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

“It's been a tough year to say the least and, while the market isn't quite as "hot" as it once was, teams are still furiously building away. While some teams sadly didn't make it, there are many more who are surviving and others who are thriving. Fortunately, gaming in web3 as a whole is still so early and barely in its first act. 2023 has been a good year for us all to take stock, build the foundation, and arm ourselves for better years to come.”

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

“Loads of things! I wouldn't be building here if I didn't think web3 brought anything to gaming. That said, there's no silver bullet, not everything applies across the board, and some of it can be seen as a double-edged sword. Ownership and alignment between players and studios, teams, projects can lead to crazy network effects that support growth but they can also set unrealistic expectations that can get out of hand if not managed correctly. Game assets as NFTs and financialization can support the emergence of real player-driven economies... but that too needs to be managed carefully with sustainability in mind. At Treasure, we've always been big believers in interoperability and composability as a way to build collaboratively with our studios and creators so we can one day create something – a game or a network – that can outlive us all. To ground everybody though, so much is still theoretical and further out in the distance as arguably no studio or team in web3 gaming has found enduring product-market fit and adoption that is anywhere close to traditional gaming standards and scale. It's just a matter of time until one does though.”

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

“Cautiously bullish and optimistic. We've seen cycles come and go and while this year has likely aged us all with numerous black swans and not-so-great news, gaming is primed to be what will bring about the next bull market. After all, we (the web3 games industry as a collective) have been prepping for some time with seasoned studios moving into the space to build great and fun games, blockchain gaming infrastructure getting closer to what traditional players are accustomed to in terms of UX, much more adoption of L2s that can scale blockchain usage and bring more games on-chain, the major platforms becoming increasingly open to web3 gaming (Google Play, Apple App Store, Epic Games), and experienced teams who have been there and done that emerging in the space. All great ingredients for 2024 to be the year of web3 gaming.”

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 Karel Vuong on the jury, the event is set to recognize excellence in the ever-evolving world of web3 gaming.