Game review: Olympic Games Jam Beijing 2022

The International Olympics Committee wants to connect with the Winter Games via blockchain, by trading NFT pins and playing a P2E mobile game.

Olympic Games Jam: Beijing 2022 is the Winter Olympic’s official play-to-earn multiplayer mobile game, created in collaboration between Animoca Brands-owned nWayPlay game studio and the International Olympics Committee. The app is currently only available on the Google Play store for Android phones, with no official release date for iOS devices yet. In the Olympian spirit, Cointelegraph played the newly launched game and reviewed the experience.

Olympic Games Jam: Beijing 2022 Unveiled! Learn more about the new Play-To-Earn game here: https://t.co/q7dRTFCkmk #NFT #WinterOlympics pic.twitter.com/93rUDpmMj4

— Olympics Games Jam (@OlympicGamesJam) February 3, 2022

The game flow aims to mimic the real-life olympics: players compete in real-time with up to 20 other gamers around the world in winter sport mini games until a champion is awarded. The sports are snowboard – slalom, snowboard – slopestyle, freestyle skiing and skeleton. Players have to earn their way through elimination rounds.

The game was developed to get fans to earn and buy Olympic NFT digital pins. Although no initial purchase is necessary to play, there are tiers of gameplay and difficulty that require earning certain amount of tickets, the green icons below, and gems, the purple icons below, to continue playing. According to nWayPlay, Olympic NFT pins generate tickets to be used in matches rewarding gems. A player’s gem balance is connected to an nWayPlay account, and the more gems the more pins can be acquired to play in more advanced matches. 

The first step is to customize and name an avatar. Initially there are only four male avatars available to choose from. Outfits, headwear, accessories and gear changes unlock as players advance in the competition. Country/region must also be selected. 

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The first elimination round is Snowboard – slalom. There is a brief waiting period while the app looks for a certain number of other players to join in order to start. Competing against bots as well, a player must finish within the top 10 to qualify for the next race.

While going down the slopes, players control avatars with just a finger. When snowboarding slalom, the idea is to pass near flags and gain a speed boost. The second round is skiing and players where players can perform jumps. Then during slopestyle snowboarding, players can perform tricks off of rails and ramps to score points. In round 4, skeleton racers must stay within their lane to maximize speed. There are also power-ups that make the player go faster and resist hazards. If you place within the top three, then you can continue to play.

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Overall it is a an enjoyable and entertaining way to pass time and participate in a small way to the Olympics. I question, however, how effective Olympic Games Jam will be in the long run as a blockchain game. Without pins, a player must spend a lot of time on the app in order to unlock levels tiers of play.