Onchain gaming has always faced challenges with sustainable economic models. To address this, I’m excited to introduce a new approach I’ve been developing on Berachain called PoL Games.
What are PoL Games?
PoL Games are onchain games that are integrated into Berachain’s Proof of Liquidity (PoL) system. Unlike traditional PoL integrations, PoL Games do not depend on liquidity pool (LP) tokens. Instead, they utilize player-generated onchain actions as the source of value and incentive. In short, users can perform an onchain action to earn BGT as opposed to depositing an LP token to earn BGT. This approach shifts the focus from incentivizing DeFi to incentivizing gaming and onchain activity.
How do PoL Games Work?
PoL Games consist of custom smart contracts paired with a Berachain Reward Vault, enabling users to perform onchain actions and earn BGT. These smart contracts control when users start and stop earning BGT rewards based on their onchain activities.
Onchain Action
Players perform actions within the game, such as spanking a bear, placing pixels, creating memes, or taking an IQ test. These actions must occur fully onchain and players typically have to pay to perform them. For example, in Bull Ish you must pay BERA to spank the Bera and in BentoBera you must pay BERA to place a pixel on the grid.
Start Earning
The game’s smart contract will now reward the user by minting a dummy ERC-20 token (a placeholder token) and depositing it for the user in the game's Berachain Reward Vault. Now, the user is earning BGT and will continue to do so until the game removes their balance in the reward vault. Only the game smart contract has the authority to mint or burn these dummy ERC-20 tokens and make deposits in the vault. Consequently, the game logic determines which users earn BGT based on their onchain actions. You can think of these dummy tokens as analogous to LP tokens deposited in a standard Berachain reward vault to earn BGT, but in this case, only the game contract can initiate deposits/withdrawals, and only through coded onchain actions.
Stop Earning
The game’s logic must specify when users cease earning from their onchain actions. This is managed by the smart contract, which unstakes the user's dummy ERC-20 token from the Berachain Reward Vault and burns it. Each game handles this process differently. For example, in Bull Ish, users' staking balances are removed, and they stop earning BGT once they are booted from the spanking queue. In BentoBera, users begin earning immediately after placing a pixel on the grid but stop once their pixel is replaced by someone else. Each game determines its own method, and the game logic dictates how this process is executed.
Incentive Flow
In most games, users pay to perform onchain activities, and this revenue is used to bribe validators to vote for the game’s Berachain Reward Vault, which then sends BGT to the game. This process is governed by the game’s smart contract. You might wonder where the BGT comes from and how it keeps flowing to the game. Typically, about 80% of the game’s revenue is allocated for BGT emissions as incentives from validators, while the remaining 20% is profit for the game’s team. These percentages are adjustable, so it’s up to the team to select favorable parameters to keep the incentives sustainable.
Examples of PoL Games
Here are some PoL Games I've created so that you know wtf I’m talking about:
Bull Ish
This idle game, inspired by Cookie Clicker, centers around spanking a bear to earn MOOLA. Players enter a queue by spanking the bear. While in the queue, they earn BGT. You can buy weapons and upgrades to increase MOOLA per second and boost spank power, which improves both MOOLA production and BGT earnings. Getting bumped out of the queue stops your rewards, so timing is key. Players must manage when to re-enter the queue to keep earning.
BentoBera
BentoBera is an onchain pixel battle inspired by r/place. Players pay BERA to place pixels on a shared grid and start earning BGT. If another player replaces your pixel, you stop earning. This creates a dynamic game where users must defend territory or collaborate to control space. It merges creativity with competition, and rewards players through Berachain’s PoL system.
BTT Tech
BTT Tech is an onchain meme engine that incentivizes users to create dank memes. Players pay BERA to enroll original memes into the first onchain college, which has a limited class size. Once enrolled, a meme earns BGT. Others can plagiarize memes by paying a premium, which raises the meme’s tuition and transfers ownership. The original creator earns royalties, and the new owner starts earning BGT. Memes that reach high tuition or survive long enough can graduate, earning permanent BGT rewards. It’s a game of taste, timing, and meme curation.
PastaFlow
PastaFlow is an onchain pasta engine that incentivizes users to create viral text. Users pay BERA to submit original pastas to the Pasta Queue. Once added, the pasta earns BGT. Others can copy the pasta by paying a flat fee, half goes to the creator. Each copy extends the pasta’s lifespan in the queue. When full, new pastas push out the oldest ones, ending their BGT earnings. Players earn by writing good pasta or recognizing and copying it good pasta early.
IQ Test
IQ Test is a humorous onchain game where players pay BERA to take a single-question IQ test. A Pyth oracle generates a score based on a normal distribution. Any score earns BGT, but the catch is this: if someone else gets the same score later, they replace you and you stop earning BGT and they start earning it. Because mid-range scores are common, they tend to be replaced quickly. Rare low or high scores stick longer and earn more BGT. It’s a tale as old as time in crypto: the mid-curves never make it.
PoL Slots
PoL Slots is an onchain slot machine game where every spin contributes to a growing BGT prize pool. Players pay BERA to spin, and a portion of that revenue fuels validator incentives through Berachain’s Reward Vault. The more people play, the more BGT the game accumulates, and the bigger the prize becomes. Winners receive a percentage of the BGT pool, which continues growing over time. When the prize grows large, the game naturally draws more attention, creating a feedback loop that accelerates both play and emissions. All spins use verifiable randomness through Pyth oracles, and the game runs fully onchain. PoL Slots takes a familiar mechanic and ties it to real rewards, turning player speculation into sustainable yield.
Why PoL Games?
PoL Games introduce a new and sustainable economic model to onchain gaming. They address the fundamental issue of token inflation seen in traditional onchain games by directly tying player incentives to genuine economic activities and using Berachain’s BGT incentive system as rewards for gamers rather than a game’s own inflationary token.
Berachain as the Only Home for PoL Games
PoL Games rely on Berachain’s unique PoL consensus. I continue to develop on Berachain because I’m eager to explore this design space for onchain gaming. Join me in this exploration, and let's create new onchain applications together; these possibilities are made feasible only by Berachain.
Disclaimer: This article is informational and not financial advice. Always conduct your own research before participating in onchain activities.