A new trend emerging in the worlds of cryptocurrency trading and video gaming involves what is known as "play to earn." In essence, players are encouraged to be active in specific games so that they can earn non-fungible tokens. Since NFTs generally hold value, they can be traded on online exchange platforms for fiat currency, and this is something that Japanese executives at Sega Corporation have concerns about.

Video game giants such as Ubisoft have jumped headlong into the NFT craze, and they do not have reservations about players making money on the side through "play to earn" activity. Sega executives are a bit hesitant about players getting into "grinding" through games just that they can make some cash. Grinding is a practice whereby players go through the motions of a game with the sole motivation of making enough money to pay the bills; this is different from gambling or playing on a professional eSports league.

What Sega executives are worried about is the potential of grinding taking place on game titles that are supposed to be fun and enjoyable. When you grind for small profits, the fun of gaming quickly dissipates.

What if there is some kind of exploit or bug in a game title that allows players to earn money on the side through grinding? What if a game developer allows players to earn a small profit every day through "play to earn?" This could be a problem if it turns out to be a popular trend; a video game company might have to come up with a plan of action to deal with it.

As the NFT craze continues to grow, many in the industry are looking for ways to capitalize on it. In a recent interview, Patrick Miller of the crypto firm TokenPay spoke about "play to earn" and how it can be an effective marketing strategy for games that involve NFTs. While the concept might seem controversial to traditional game publishers and game developers, they might find it worthwhile to look into what Miller has to say, which includes opinions about the potential of attracting new players through the prospect of earning a bit of cash while discovering new games.