When NFT first hit the industry, everyone was a little doubtful of its worth. Besides, it would not be the first digital blockchain we’ve seen.
However, the token showed more promise than I expected and grew at a surprising pace.
What was more fascinating was that its games became a medium to merge art and finance, offering players an opportunity to earn while playing.
Despite its popularity, many don’t get the entire concept. As a result, we still find people who ask, “what are NFT games?” If you’ve been in this category, you’re in the right place.
Here, I shall define NFT games, using the simplest explanations for better understanding.
What is NFT?
NFT stands for Non-fungible token. It is a digital cryptographic token based on the blockchain and represents a single item. In other words, NFTs are unique, and you cannot find two of the same NFTs.
Let me make this clearer. Suppose you have a piece of artwork that you painted yourself; it is unique because you cannot find that exact artwork somewhere else. That is an NFT.
Thus, an NFT could be anything. It might be a digital asset from a game, a costly piece of crypto art, someone autograph, or even an actual property like real estate.
AN NFT is non-fungible, meaning that you cannot swap it for the exact same thing.
Let’s take your piece of art, for instance. You cannot exchange your art with another exactly like it because there is only one of it in the world.
This is unlike fungible tokens like Bitcoin, which you can exchange for another Bitcoin.
Even if the same piece has duplicates, they cannot have the same metadata making them different and unique items on the database.
With this, NFTs have solved the long-standing problem of establishing decentralized digital ownership. Meaning that multiple people cannot own the same item.
What are NFT games?
Gaming is one of the industries where NFT has made a significant impact. Aside from making each character in a game unique, they provide an easier means for their creators to monetize their works. Players of these games also earn cryptocurrency from playing.
NFT in video games is used to represent avatars, characters, and objects for people to buy and exchange with other players.
NFT games apply standard rules in their operation. For instance, while playing a game, you could contact another NFT character and decide to swap your NFT with the other.
The worth of each character depends on their role in the game. The developers use smart contracts to keep track of every exchange before storing them on the blockchain.
CryptoKitties, which debuted on Ethereum’s blockchain in 2017, was one of the first games to feature NFT characters. Players in CryptoKitties collected, bred, and sold virtual cats.
Each cat was an NFT, and the system used smart contracts to describe their qualities which determines their trading market worth.
Some NFT-earning games are metaverses, where players can earn rewards for playing and improving their skills. Players are rewarded with cryptocurrency tokens that they can use to purchase NFTs.
These players can also own in-game items they can resell, rent to other players or transfer off the NFT platform to make real money.
A good example is tokens from Axie Infinity, an NFT game. These tokens now have value on the crypto platform, attracting investors.
The ability to earn money is one of the factors driving the popularity of NFT play-to-earn games. Players can transfer their tokens into fiat currency during exchanges, making substantial amounts from playing or owning NFT game characters.
Popular NFT Games
NFT games were initially mainly available on Ethereum platforms. However, they have branched out to other blockchains. As a result, many of them have become widely popular.
Below are the top NFT games based on the number of users.
1. AlienWorlds
AlienWorlds is a metaverse where players use the Trilium token to travel, vote in virtual elections, and campaign in a planetary council. The game debuted in December 2020 and became popular on Ethereum, BSC, and WAX blockchains.
A new version of this game also debuted on the BSC platform in October 2021. Here, payers fight for a Trilium token prize and NFT rewards.
2. Splinterlands
Splinterlands is a card-based strategy game that operates on the Hive blockchain. It was released in 2018. Since its debut, it has gathered nearly 300,000 users, making it one of the most popular NFT games.
Players in Splinterland gather cards of numerous monsters with diverse powers, which they then utilize to fight other players.
These cards are valuable on third-party markets like Monster Market, Open Sea, and PeakMonsters.
3. CryptoMines
CryptoMines is a science fiction video game that debuted in September 2021 and has become popular on the BSC blockchain.
The game has an interesting plot. Here, players amass spacecraft and employees and journey through space to pursue the Eternal. Eternal is a mineral that allows them to extend the lives of their characters, mint spaceships, and profit from the game.
The workers and spaceships are ERC-721 NFTs that players can trade on marketplaces or other participants.
Players can also stake their Eternal in liquidity pools to earn more tokens or boost the value of their holdings.
4. Axie Infinity
Axie Infinity follows the Pokemon concept but has all its characters as NFTs. The game is available on the Ethereum blockchain.
It allows users to earn money by selling Axies, Small Love Potions (SLP), and Axie Infinity Shards.
Since its launch in 2018, its unique AXS token has risen to close to $8 billion, making it one of the thirty largest cryptocurrencies in 2021.
Axie Infinity differs from other NFT games because its new members must purchase at least three Axies.
However, players can rent Axies from managers, use them to play, and share their rewards with these managers.
5. Gods Unchained
Gods Unchained is a tradeable non-transferable card game on the Ethereum blockchain, similar to Magic: The Gathering. Gamers construct cards with different abilities to compete against other players.
Players can earn items in the game which they can sell as NFTs. You also earn Flux, which is essential for constructing powerful NFT cards. You can either sell your cards for a profit or reinvest the proceeds into new cards to continue the cycle.
6. Sorare
Sorare is a collectible fantasy football game featuring real soccer players. You can use tokenized or free cards to put together a five-player soccer squad as a beginner. Players earn points for each game they win or other events they accomplish.
7. Farmers World
Farmers World is a farming simulation game that began in June 2021 on the WAX blockchain. As the name implies, it revolves around planting, harvesting, and using the produce.
Players can choose from various equipment and land options to build farms and harvest crops.
Additionally, players mine the game’s native tokens and mint NFT items through farming activities. They can then use their Gold tokens to create their NFT farming tools, which they use to protect their land from wild animals.
Later on, the game introduced membership cards, which provide players with extra opportunities to win rewards.
New players can purchase tools from AtomicHub or use the game’s crafting function to create their own. The game features three primary sources for tools – Fishermen World Wood, Fishermen World Gold, and Fishermen World Food.
Binance NFT Collections
Binance NFT Marketplace brings together digital artworks and NFT games. The NFT Mystery Boxes and collections available on the platform provide an exciting NFT gaming environment.
Every Mystery Box contains a random NFT from a distinct collection, and each Mystery Box contains a different rarity.
You can either open the box to reveal the NFT or sell it without removing it from the packaging.
These collections and mystery boxes focus on a theme. The most popular on the platform are game-sc-fi mysteries. Let’s look at a few of them.
- Alice in My Neighbourhood Collection: This is a virtual building game that integrates NFT items. Though most things are cosmetics, they still have a significant value in the secondary market.
- The MOBOX Collection: MOBOX is a BSC-based gaming platform that uses NFTs. It uses NFT mystery boxes that contain MOMO NFTs with a random hashing power. The more hashing power the NFT has, the more valuable the MOMO becomes in MOBOX’s games.
Conclusion
The concept around NFT games is fascinating. Who knows, they might just be the next big thing.
