Play-to-earn games are ushering in the next generation of platforms

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Play-to-earn games are ushering in the next generation of platforms

The online gaming industry has been on the rise for the past few years and for a good reason. From a global pandemic pushing an online revolution t



The online gaming industry has been on the rise for the past few years and for a good reason. From a global pandemic pushing an online revolution to the ever-increasing mobile and internet penetration, more people are spending more time online. 

It is no wonder the industry is big money, raking in over $20 billion in revenue for 2020 alone. With an estimated 1 billion online gamers currently active worldwide, experts forecast growth in numbers reaching a whopping 1.3 billion active gamers by 2025.

The numbers speak for themselves. Gamers are so enthusiastic about their favorite games, that some spend hundreds of dollars just to get an upgrade on their avatar or access a coveted in-game item that will give them a leg up.

Blockchain-based play-to-earn (P2E) games are set to literally change the rules of the game by offering an equal playing field for everyone involved, giving players ownership as well as a source of income and making the time they spend playing worthwhile.

Here is a look at some of the top play-to-earn games that are taking the gaming industry by storm.

Axie Infinity

Axie Infinity is leading the way for play-to-earn games thanks to its growing popularity that has seen a million gamers come onboard to play the game daily. The astronomical success that Axie Infinity enjoys is mostly driven by the fact that players can earn real money while playing.

Axie Infinity is an Ethereum-based game with a player vs environment (PvE) mode as well as a player vs player (PvP) mode. In PvE mode, the player competes against a built-in environment or monsters in the game. A PvP mode is one where the player gets to compete with other players in a metaverse-type scenario.

Players have to acquire “Axies” that come in the form of monsters designed for battle with hordes of other small round monsters.

The game can be played either on desktop or mobile devices and its play-to-earn model is such that each monster and every other piece of gear used in the game comes in the form of a nonfungible token (NFT).

The victors of the skirmishes go home with the spoils of the battle in the form of cryptocurrencies called Smooth Love Potions (SLPs). The goal for players is to build a collection of the most valuable and powerful Axies as value is determined by Ether’s (ETH) price.

Players can make money in the form of SLP tokens that can be traded for fiat currencies or sell their Axies once the value of those Axies appreciates due to won battles.

In November 2020, an Axie was sold for 300 ETH worth over $1.2 million in a wave of excitement that especially captivated gamers in Vietnam and the Philippines who took to the game as a means of generating income amid a global pandemic.

Gods Unchained

Gods Unchained is a free-to-play card battling game where players get to buy and sell cards that range in rarity and value to defeat their enemies in the game.

A close copy of Blizzard’s immensely popular “Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft,“ Gods Unchained offers a crypto edge to the game thus giving players of Blizzard’s game a familiar introduction to crypto and blockchain technology.

Granted, God’s Unchained gameplay by itself isn’t based on blockchain, however, the cards are built on the Ethereum blockchain, thus enabling true ownership where players can trade the cards they own on secondary marketplaces.

This turn-based card battling game became quite popular in 2019 with its player base almost tripling shortly after Blizzard’s infamous Hong Kong fallout. At its peak, one of the in-game cards sold for 137.8 Ether which is currently worth more than half a million U.S. dollars.

To date, Gods Unchained continues to grow with the recent launch of an expansion set called Trial of the Gods.

Plant vs Undead

Plant vs Undead is a free-to-play tower defense game that takes place in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by zombie attackers. Players have to strategically arrange the plants to prepare for an attack from an invading colony of zombies. The play-to-earn model of Plant vs Undead aims to capitalize on this aspect, which has considerable replay value.

Just like Axie Infinity’s growing popularity in the Philippines and Vietnam, Plant vs Undead has gained a lot of traction in Brazil and other places where such P2E games stand to make a significant difference in people’s income.



cointelegraph.com

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