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NFT games went through quite a few highs and lows since their initial conception. They still have a decent following within their specific groups though.
But what are they really and what makes them different from any other game on the market? Time to find out!
The simplest way to explain an NFT (non-fungible token) is to call it a unique digital representation of an asset that grants its owner the rights of ownership.
Well, okay, to make it simpler, it’s basically a digital token that exists in the blockchain, which keeps track of any transactions (purchase/sale) done with said token.
So if you are an owner of an NFT, you are the de facto rightful owner of whatever digital asset it represents. Think of it as owning a painting.
Others can take pictures of it and create copies of it but its ownership is yours until sold to someone else.
Now that you are familiar with the concept of NFTs, think about video games for a moment.
Video games are purely digital, hence every video game has an option to create NFT tokens.
More so, they could be the main focus of the game, or at least have high availability of minting (creating) NFTs out of virtually anything within the game.
Each NFT is unique and every new iteration will be considered as its own.
This allows NFT games to increase overall engagement with the players, since every in-game NFT basically allows the user to own it as an asset personally.
As the technology continues to improve, more and more benefits are coming to life. Currently, the most important one is the ownership of the tokens by the users and ability to monetise them.
Video games have the concepts of “owning a character” within the game. While you do have direct control over ownership of the account itself, it's the owner of the game/server that has the final say.
When it comes to NFTs, no matter what happens with the game itself, you can move your NFTs to your personal wallet and retain ownership as you will.
Unfortunately non-NFT games do not have the same options and the developers don’t have any incentive to start implementing similar solutions now.
While ownership on its own is pretty great, it doesn’t mean that it’s just for collection (but it could be if you wish it to be), ownership of the assets means that you can sell it as well!
The rarity, utility or maybe simple aesthetic of the NFT itself decide its price. Storing your NFTs is usually for free while the transactions can cost a small fee.
This of course means that every user has a chance to capitalise on their NFTs as they see fit, making them more valuable than their non-NFT counterparts.
There’s quite a few already existing NFT games on the market, some of them are quite successful with loyal fanbase and player count.
Made by the Vietnamese studio Sky Mavis. The players raise Axies (Axolotl inspired creatures) to fight other creatures, breed new ones and create new kingdoms.
There is an entry “fee” for the new players to begin their journey. Currently the game no longer considers itself as a play-to-earn model due to the troubles it faced within the last couple of years.
Despite that it still retains a certain level of popularity.
A decently successful trading card game despite a powerful competition already existing on the market. Gods Unchained was created by Immutable Games Studio and is a free to play game that uses NFTs as well as its own cryptocurrency $GODS .
The cards have cool looking artwork and the game itself shouldn’t give new players much trouble learning the basics.
Interesting choice for those who enjoy both NFTs and the TCGs.
The Sandbox is a 3D block-chain based game/platform/game creation system released in 2021 by Pixowl (currently known as TBS Gaming). It’s based on the original 2D version of the Sandbox released in 2012. Despite the name it’s not a “sandbox genre”
Starting in around 2018 it was acquired by Animoca Brands and was rebranded as TBS Gaming.
Around 2020 the company began implementation of the cryptocurrency $SAND as well as selling digital plots of lands.
The Sandbox is currently developing a version of its decentralised metaverse for mobile devices and is expected to launch in 2025.
Another trading card game, this one is developed and published by Steem Monsters Corp.
Each card has a variety of stats/attributes/elements/abilities and more, giving every one of them a unique aspect.
The game uses a play-to-earn system while simultaneously allowing players to participate in a free-to-play mode as well.
New players can test the game for free with a full starter deck before deciding to purchase any cards (each card is an NFT).
The game retains a good following and decent profitability depending on individual skill and deck of each player.
Alien worlds is a play-to-earn, community driven NFT game developed by the Dacoco Gaming Studio.
The players are competing with each other for the extraction of the Trilium(TLM) fungible token through the use of NFT items to assist with its acquisition.
There’s also a limited amount of virtual land NFTs that generate TLM everytime other players mine from them.
The game has a very good following, with constant expansions to turn it into a full on multiverse functionality wise by the developers to attract more players and improve the game economy.
Developed by two Argentinian tech enthusiasts, Ari Meilich and Esteban Ordano.
While initially it was designed as a proof of concept for the functionality that allows personal ownership of virtual plots of land, it became a lot more akin to a social game like second life or what Metaverse is today.
Decentraland allows users to explore locations created by other users and do things like shopping, enjoy unique events etc.
Sorare is a blockchain based fantasy football NFT game made by Nicolas Julia and Adrien Montfort.
Players are participating in various tournaments and football leagues as managers of their own teams consisting of real life football players, each with individual stats.
Your team consists of 5 members which you can switch around as required. To get more cards you can either win in from certain tournaments/leagues or purchase them from other players.
As more and more real world clubs agree to sign up with Sorare, the roster will increase even further, giving more options for players to hand craft their dream Football team.
There are plenty of RPGs that require players to improve their gear or characters in order to progress. NFTs by default are stuck with the form they were originally minted in but there are some solutions to this problem though.
Chainlink is a way of connecting blockchain with non-blockchain entities without sacrificing anything in the process.
Through the use of chainlink technology NFTs become even more useful, especially for people interested in playing games that require RNG (random number generator) or other chance based systems.
Another limitation that NFTs are facing is the lack of interoperability between blockchains and applications that are based on each individual blockchain.
Individual blockchains allow communication between applications only on said blockchain but don’t extend this onto other blockchain nor the applications that are native to that blockchain.
The cross-chain interoperability protocol allows designers to create interconnectable apps, removing the serious problem that NFTs can face due to the limitation of communication between blockchains.
The previously mentioned function that allows NFTs to generate a randomised outcome. Originally the NFTs do not have a function to generate the number without it being transparent to anyone who wishes to find out the outcome beforehand.
With the use of VRF (verifiable random function), the information can be obscured before the outcome is revealed, allowing the random chance of success/failure instead of a predetermined and visible one.
Other than regular monetisation, NFT games have an opportunity to participate in additional revenue from releasing new/unique NFTs for the players to own.
Non-fungible token, basically each token is unique and they cannot be “replaced” with a copy as by default, creating a token immediately makes them their own thing.
Since the slow replacement of physical mediums like CDs or DVDs, ownership becomes less tangible, NFTs give the users a chance of owning in-game assets in digital form.
Giving a sense of ownership over the items/characters they possess within the NFT game.
