NFTs and Video Games
From Pokemon to Axie Infinity
It used to be commonplace for kids and their elder kindred spirits to sit on a couch, turn on their cube shaped television, and completely immerse themselves in the animated world of Pokemon. This show, this culture-defining phenomena, not only served as a 30-minute snack for our hungry brains but acted as a catalyst of imagination that would span an entire 30,000-hour childhood. Today, in 2021 where a cryptocurrency based on a dog meme makes thousand-dollar investors into billionaires, those same kids who yearned so deeply for their Pikachu to zap the school bully, now have the opportunity to truly own their own trusty sidekick.
The development of non-fungible tokens has now veered into the infinitely large sector of Video Games. With the use of blockchain technology, digitally imprinting information into a decentralized and public ledger, Video Games will now have the ability to give their players a power that they have never held before: exclusive proprietorship of their in game assets, with the ability to take said assets with you in your crypto wallet, hopping from game to game, with no confinements to any console, gaming companies, or platform. Just like the beautiful art we post on our Instagram page, the characters, resources, and items in these games are tokenized, turning into digital assets that can be bought, sold, traded, shared, or saved.
Axie Infinity
Buckle your ‘68 Mustang seat belt, cause this case study will have your mind twisting as if you inhaled multiple liters of diesel fumes. The most successful NFT Blockchain game out there right now is titled Axie Infinity, which was created by the Vietnam-based Virtual World building company SKY MAVIS. This “Digital Nation” consists of small digital creatures which can battle one another, purchase land, and be traded. Customization and conglomeration are really the name of the game. You can acquire new features for your “Axie” on the marketplace using the cryptocurrency you own, including weapons, hats, shoes, and tools, while also growing your experience by accumulating plots of land, vegetation, and breeding potions.
I know I just said breeding potions but stick with me just a little longer. This all might sound a little strange to the uninitiated eye, but here's some information for those number lovers, that might make this fantasyland feel a little more real; 2.3 billion dollars in total sales volume in just 3 years, and 152 million in series B funding. Did your ears just perk up like a drug sniffing German Shepherd? Now while the user-design of the game itself has attracted nearly 2 million daily players, what’s truly beautiful and fundamentally transformative is what lies underneath the funny looking spherical creatures. Although the most popular, Axie Infinity is just one of many games that rewards its players for utilizing its ecosystem.
“Play to Earn” Strategy
This virtual world has developed a “Play-to-Earn” strategy, where individuals can get rewarded with in-game currency or tokenized resources due to the fact that they are adding value to the game by creating new NFT items to be collected, traded, and built upon, which actively strengthens the in-game economy. Players work to earn a part of the game itself, technically becoming a part owner in the game. It’s like a marble on a hamster-wheel, both objects proactively and reactively support their counterpart. Around the entire globe, Axie Infinity has given thousands of people who live beneath the poverty line the ability to make a significant amount of money each month just by playing.
Imagine that; A video game now has the potential to assist in the fight against poverty. Instead of paying an incredulous amount of money to giant software companies in return for single use items in games, people will now be buying and selling such items to each other, not throwing away their cash into an endless corporate pit where you never get any true value for what you paid for.
It’s a lot to take in, I know. Imagine showing Apple Pay on an iPhone to the world in 1985. Folks wouldn't believe it. They wouldn't accept it. And above all else, they wouldn't trust it. That’s a huge issue with NFT’s, but out of all the aspects of this newly invented tokenized world, video games might just be that golden egg, simply because 3 billion people around the world play video games. 3 billion; it’s an insane number! But as this world gets more complicated and mind-bending with the start of a new digital revolution, one thing is going to stand out above the rest: authentication.
More Game Options:
Here are some other games that are utilizing all of the strengths of this decentralized blockchain technology.
Gods Unchained
Gods Unchained allows you to create your own collectible cards and compete in challenges against other collections. This is one of their freedom-fighter-esq mottos that definitely gets the point across; IF YOU CAN’T SELL YOUR ITEMS, YOU DON’T OWN THEM.
For those more into Sci-Fi, check out:
Guild of Guardians
Alien Worlds
Both Guild of Guardians and Alien Worlds are awesome experiences where you can battle monsters, craft unique items, or my personal favorite, create guilds of players to go on collaborative missions with. I’ll be able to say “Beam me up Scotty” with a real purpose now, rather than just in my mirror.
And lastly, if you're still looking for a way to cope with your own God Complex, check out:
Decentraland
The Sandbox
For those who dreamed of creating their own unique world, here ya go. This is the clay; your imagination is the tool. Now make some art.
When we grew up it was Power Rangers and Pokemon but looks like Saturday morning cartoons just got a helluva lot more interesting.
Stay Curious!
~NFT Art Source
Written by: Nate Galper