Opportunities and Barriers to the Adoption of Blockchain-Based Games in an Online Gaming Company in Thailand

Abstract

This research aims to explore potential opportunities and barriers related to the adoption of blockchain-based games in an online gaming company in Thailand. The identified opportunities are classified under the benefits framework proposed by Shang and Seddon [1], and the identified barriers are classified under the Technology-Organisation-Environment (TOE) framework. Based on the knowledge and experience of experts in the case company, all the opportunities and barriers are then assessed using the concept of Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA), which is further improved using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) by assigning a relative weight to each element of the FMEA before being used to find the priority number (PN). Next, the Pareto principle is applied to reveal the critical opportunities and barriers. As a result, a total of 21 critical opportunities are revealed and categorised into 5 dimensions: 4 operational opportunities; 3 managerial opportunities; 7 strategic opportunities; 4 infrastructure opportunities; and 3 organisational opportunities, and a total of 19 critical barriers are revealed and categorised into 3 dimensions: 7 technological barriers; 6 organisational barriers; and 6 environmental barriers. The TOWS matrix is then used to formulate possible strategies for the case company to exploit the opportunities and address the barriers to the adoption of blockchain-based games. As a result, a total of 7 SO, 12 ST, 5 WO, and 1 WT strategies are proposed. Based on the PNs and the interview with experts, a roadmap including short-, medium-, and long-term action plans is also developed to facilitate the adoption of blockchain-based games.