CS2 accessories pump against the market: Can the NFT market usher in summer again when "Dragon Sniper" goes online?


Original text: msfew

Translation: Yuliya, PANews

Recently, the price of CS2 accessories has risen sharply, while the US stock and cryptocurrency markets have experienced a decline. In contrast, games not only bring fun, but also create profit opportunities, while cryptocurrency trading can be exhausting and prone to losses.

This article will delve into the characteristics of the CS2 accessory market and analyze its potential opportunities for integration with blockchain technology from the perspective of a senior CS2 player. As a mature digital asset market that has existed for many years, the CS2 accessory trading system may provide beneficial reference for the blockchain industry.

![CS2 jewelry counter-trend pump: Can the NFT market welcome summer again when “Dragon Sniper” goes online? ])https://img.gateio.im/social/moments-bcfef68368b67cbeb5a0efa722320682(

) CS2 Accessories

CS2 accessories have many similarities with Non-fungible Tokens. Each weapon model has different skin styles and is classified based on wear (similar to the rarity of Non-fungible Tokens) and specific random patterns (e.g., the all-blue “Case Hardened” AK-47 can be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars).

![CS2 accessories pump against the market: Can the NFT market usher in summer again when “Dragon Sniper” goes live? ]###https://img.gateio.im/social/moments-ec1245d4dd4448b636642322e544edf0(

Accessories are mainly divided into the following categories:

• Weapon Skins: Most common, prices vary depending on weapon model and style.
• Knife Skin: Rare drop, significant visual difference between default knife and skin knife, high price, considered as a “blue chip” asset.
• Glove skins: rarer and more expensive than knife skins, they are high-end collectibles with poor liquidity.
• Stickers: Highly speculative, some limited edition stickers (such as Titan Holo) can reach prices of $60,000.

The main uses of these accessories include:

• Beautiful Decoration: Players can obtain ornaments through randomly dropped boxes (keys need to be unlocked at an additional cost), and most players will quickly equip skins for commonly used weapons to avoid using the default appearance.
• Investment value: Due to scarcity (such as knife skins), prices pump with demand. The market has low liquidity and is easily manipulated (e.g. “pulling the plate” for unpopular stickers). Compared to the cryptocurrency market, CS2 players generally lack investment experience and are more likely to be targeted for harvesting.
• Trading Medium: Prizes or collateral used on gambling platforms.

)# Trading Mode

CS2 accessories trading is similar to Non-fungible Token, using an order book mechanism. Common trading strategies include hoarding, speculation, pumping, and dumping. The price trend chart is even similar to the candlestick chart on TradingView. The market relies on continuous influx of new players and new funds, essentially forming a Ponzi scheme with a gaming theme.

Market participants mainly include:

• Players : Purchase accessories for in-game use.
• Investors: Speculate based on market fluctuations.
• Trading platform: Provides trading services (Steam official market restricts withdrawals, leading to insufficient liquidity).
• Anchor/Professional Player: As a KOL promoting specific accessories, for example, professional player donk buys opponent stickers in the game to create a market hot spot.

( CS2 Accessories + the potential of blockchain

)# 1### CS2 Accessories AMM (Automated Market Maker)

Interestingly, the original inspiration for AMM came from Minecraft HyperConomy in 2012. Currently, CS2 accessory trading adopts an order book mode, similar to the Non-fungible Token market, with apparent liquidity issues. Many accessories remain unsold for days and are eventually sold below the market price, leading to a downward price spiral.

To improve the trading experience, the AMM (Automated Market Maker) mechanism can be introduced:

• Pure off-chain mode: It requires the development of aggregator protocols, integrating buying and selling orders from multiple platforms to improve trading efficiency, or the establishment of independent liquidity pools by market makers (similar to Sudoswap). However, this method relies on centralized market makers, and user experience is still limited.
• On-chain Mapping Mode: Can refer to the practice of tokenizing RWA, mapping the accessories to the chain, providing price data through oracles, and then building liquidity pools. However, this approach only optimizes the trading experience and does not truly promote the actual circulation of accessories.

2) Shorting and Leveraged Trading

If CS2 accessories can be shorted and support leveraged trading, the market may see more aggressive price fluctuations, while some low-value accessories may also return to reasonable pricing.

CS2 accessory market already has similar mechanisms, such as accessory leasing model, where some players rent accessories for 100 days for short selling. In addition, Steam’s 7-day trading cooldown essentially equates to the 7-day expiration time of European options. Therefore, derivative trading systems can be designed based on traditional short selling mechanisms.

The key challenge lies in the clearing mechanism. Currently, if the market pumps, some users who borrow accessories may directly ‘run away’, causing the platform to bear losses. Drawing on perpetual contracts for cryptocurrencies, perpetual contracts for accessories can be designed based on market prices. For example, using the price of ‘AWP Dragon Lore’ as a benchmark, open leveraged long and short trades, and the platform calculates funding rates at regular intervals to ensure market stability.

3) CS2 accessories index fund

The CS2 accessory market naturally has the conditions for constructing an index fund. For example, the index can be divided by accessory category.

![CS2 accessories pump against the market: when “Dragon Sniper” goes online, can the Non-fungible Token market usher in summer again? ]###https://img.gateio.im/social/moments-07ea449b2089062a7d9d69046cb6ee06)

The design of traditional index funds needs no elaboration. On the blockchain, DAO governance funds can be introduced, allowing users to pledge high-value ornaments in exchange for fund shares, and realize fragmented trading of ornaments. This mechanism can enhance market liquidity while providing new investment opportunities.

(# 4) Infrastructure construction

Opportunities friendly to VCs but with lower income:

• Data Analysis: Similar to gmgn.ai, integrate market trading data, provide real-time quotes, historical trends, market depth, and support the “one-click buy/sell” function to simplify the trading process (avoid frequent login to Steam to confirm trades).
• Market Intelligence: Track accessory holding data, analyze the trading behavior of KOLs and professional players, and assist investment decisions.
• Custody and Security: Establish a professional CS2 accessory custody platform, using multi-signature, cold storage (cold Steam account), etc. to ensure the security of user assets.

Other directions also include API services, insurance platforms, security tools, transaction frontrunning (MEV) mechanisms, social/community platforms, etc. However, the fundamental reason for the current low transaction efficiency lies in the limitations of Steam. Even if on-chain solutions can optimize the experience to a certain extent, they cannot fundamentally change the liquidity issues in the Steam ecosystem.

Other key points (from DeepSeek)

• Centralization risk: Although CS2 accessories are similar to Non-fungible Tokens, their ownership belongs to Steam, and there is a risk of platform bans or rule changes (Steam officially holds a resistant attitude towards Non-fungible Tokens, maintaining its own closed-loop economic system).
• Regulatory arbitrage: Some Chinese players evade foreign exchange controls through the trading of accessories, which is theoretically feasible but practically costly. This path lacks attractiveness unless there is a clear need for fund laundering.
• Liquidity Stratification: High-end accessories (such as Dragon Tiger, Gem Knife) are mainly traded in the OTC market, with a pricing mechanism similar to the cryptocurrency OTC market. The player group of these top accessories is highly concentrated, similar to the holder ecosystem of blue-chip Non-fungible Tokens such as CryptoPunks.
• Wear Economics: The ‘pseudo-metaphysics’ premium phenomenon exists in the wear range of 0.15-0.18, resulting in an additional premium due to scarcity.

) Position management is crucial

The combination of CS2 accessories and blockchain may be the only field where players can proudly say, “I not only defeated my opponents in the game, but also successfully made a profit by shorting in the market!” The delicate balance between gaming and investment is the unique charm of the CS2 accessory market.

However, whether it’s gaming or investing, managing your ‘position’ is crucial. After all, even if you have the coolest skins, you may still have to budget carefully to buy armor in an Economy Round due to tight finances. Real victory is not just about profit on paper, but also the sense of achievement and joy gained in the game.

May every player dominate in the arena and be invincible in the market. Now, it’s time to put aside analysis and return to the battlefield.