Bryce Johnson, who is also known as Brycent, is a prominent figure in the world of Web3 gaming. With a strong background in both gaming and software engineering, he first encountered NFTs when he heard about Axie Infinity, a blockchain-based game similar to Pokémon, on a podcast in early 2021.
At the time, Brycent had just experienced a failed startup venture and was looking for a nine-to-five job that would allow him to play games in his free time. However, his interest in NFTs and Web3 gaming soon led him on an unexpected journey, where he has become a significant player in the emerging field.
Brycent was recently recognized as a 2023 NFT100 honoree, and in a recent interview with nft now, he discussed his journey to gaming success and his vision for the future of the industry.
Discovering Axie Infinity
Bryce Johnson, aka Brycent, is a prominent figure in the Web3 gaming industry. He first discovered NFTs while listening to a podcast about Axie Infinity, which he found to be a perfect fit as he is a lifelong gamer and a software engineer. After a startup venture failed, he returned to a traditional job and began playing games in his free time.
However, when he found out that no one was streaming Axie Infinity on Twitch in April 2021, he began streaming the game on the side, which eventually led him to become well-known in the game’s community and the wider NFT space. He became frustrated with Axie Infinity by the end of 2021 due to their tokenomics and other issues, believing that success in Web3 gaming requires both entertaining content and education on the value of blockchain technology. Brycent continues to make his own path after signing with Gary Vaynerchuk’s VaynerSports in 2021.
Building a Web3 gaming brand
Bryce Johnson, also known as Brycent, is an important figure in the Web3 gaming community. A longtime gamer, he first learned about NFTs when he heard about Axie Infinity, a game that has been called “Pokémon on the blockchain,” on a podcast in early 2021. When he checked Twitch, the largest game streaming platform, he was surprised to find that no one was streaming Axie Infinity.
Seeing an opportunity, Brycent began streaming Axie Infinity on the side and quickly became a well-known figure in the game’s community and the wider NFT space. However, by the end of 2021, he had grown frustrated with Axie Infinity’s tokenomics and other issues. Brycent believed that developers could not create a sustainable reward token and that success in Web3 gaming required entertaining content and education on blockchain technology.
Throughout 2022, Brycent focused on building his community across Twitter, YouTube, and Twitch, and he now has over 300,000 combined followers. He won the Gam3r’s Choice Content Creator of the Year Award and co-founded Loot Squad, an NFT Gaming Guild. Brycent works with a team of editors, community managers, and others, many of whom he met during his Axie Infinity days as part of the game’s scholar program. He continues to strive for leadership across web2, Web3, and entertainment at large.
Brycent on TikTok, YouTube, and what’s next
Bryce Johnson, also known as Brycent, is a prominent voice in Web3 gaming, having made a name for himself after streaming Axie Infinity on Twitch in April 2021, when no one else was broadcasting the game. Despite Axie Infinity’s growth in popularity, Brycent became disillusioned with the game’s tokenomics and eventually moved on to found Loot Squad, an NFT Gaming Guild. He also won the Gam3r’s Choice Content Creator of the Year Award in 2022.
Brycent believes that the focus on short-form content, such as 15-second videos, is overvalued, as it may produce good metrics, but it lacks memorability and long-term impact. Therefore, he plans to invest more time in creating long-form content on YouTube to build a sustainable ecosystem in Web3, focusing on educational content and broader gaming commentary. Brycent’s Twitch channel remains his lifeline, but he plans to expand his streaming hours to YouTube, concentrating on creating fewer high-quality, impactful videos.
Embracing the future of Web3 gaming
Brycent believes that Web3 gaming presents a significant opportunity for content creators to enter and welcomes the competition, noting that challengers will push him and others to improve. He believes that there is a lack of people who want to be tastemakers in the right way in Web3, and he wants to entertain and educate without being solely predicated on making money.
Although Brycent has a playful attitude, he is realistic about the challenges facing Web3 gaming and anticipates that mainstream adoption will take time due to its niche nature. He believes that some games, such as Dr DisRespect’s Deadrop, may gain mass adoption this year despite the broader market being flooded with “pixelated garbage” and Ponzi schemes. Brycent positions himself as a voice that gaming studios can turn to when the market takes off, with an audience of open-minded gamers eager to explore and push boundaries in something new.
He aims to create meaningful, educational, and entertaining content that will still be impactful and relevant in 10 years, comparing good content to good music that never loses its relevance. Brycent is planning to invest more time in long-form YouTube content to build a sustainable ecosystem in Web3, with a focus on educational content and broader gaming commentary.
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