Crypto Investing: 8 Blockchain Games you NEED to Check Out!

We all have that one big regret about the one that got away. No, I’m not talking about the love of our lives, I mean that one big investment that we missed out on back in the day and wish we would have gotten into it. For me, my biggest investment regret was that I turned down Bitcoin not just once, but again and again throughout the years… “D’oh!”

I first heard about Bitcoin from a friend of mine back in 2009 when Bitcoin was brand new, and I could have purchased a handful of them for mere dollars and been a multi-millionaire by now.  I thought Bitcoin sounded dumb and that the concept was ridiculous. Fast forward to 2014 when I was a Financial Advisor and Bitcoin was under 1k, it kept popping up on my radar and in my social circles and I still thought it sounded dumb and couldn’t understand why someone would spend nearly a grand on digital money with “no purpose.” I thought it was something that couldn’t possibly increase any higher in value, nor ever compete with banks who would inevitably crush Bitcoin if it ever became a threat. How young and naïve I was, brainwashed by the banking system and thinking the 0.2% interest I was earning from my bank was a pretty good deal.

Fast forward another few years and here I am all-in, writing for The Coin Bureau, believing that Bitcoin and decentralization are the keys to a better future, and most likely being irresponsibly overexposed to crypto and DeFi, juggling more altcoins than I can count with my Bitcoin sats packed and ready for the moon and loving every minute of it.

Whether it is wishing we would have purchased Bitcoin, Apple or Amazon stock, or hoarding packs of Pokémon cards back when people were essentially passing them around for free, most of us not only have that regret but also want to keep an eye out for the next big thing and not make the same mistake again. Could blockchain games provide that next opportunity?

Trends in Crypto

First, it was Bitcoin that turned heads when it posted a 3,200% gain within 3 months back in 2011, leaving traditional investors stunned as they had gotten used to the 7-12% ROI per year they were receiving (and that’s considered a good year). Then in 2017, it was Ethereum’s time to shine, putting those Bitcoin gains to shame, increasing a whopping 10,000% for the year. And unless you’ve been living in a cave, you’ve no doubt noticed the massively explosive trend with 2021 being undoubtedly the year of NFTs. According to a Reuters report, the NFT market surged from pretty much nothing in late 2020 as nobody even knew what the heck NFTs were, then reached an astonishing $10.7 billion (yes billion with a “B”) by Q3.

NFTs have reached a level of mainstream adoption faster than any other asset class in history with famous celebrities and athletes such as Tom Brady,  Jay-Z, Tony Hawk, Eminem, and Paris Hilton getting involved along with Snoop Dog who has not only had his own NFTs drop on Crypto.com but revealed that he himself is actually a massive NFT whale with his own collection reported to be worth over $17 million. NFTs are even being discussed in traditional financial publication articles and have been featured on Saturday Night Live all in less than a year, and it looks as if 2022 might be the year of blockchain gaming and metaverses as they are already taking off late in 2021.

Blockchain Games Already Showing Us What They can do

We have already had a taste of the power and potential that blockchain gaming projects have. Look no further than the likes of Axie Infinity who’s token AXS has soared a mind-blowing 71,900% in one year. Axie Infinity has turned many first-time crypto dabblers into millionaires in less than a year as they were able to turn a few hundred dollars into an absolute fortune.

And those cute little loveable Axies aren’t the only game that is making huge returns, this isn’t just a fluke or a “one-off,” as we see similar returns with the likes of Cryptoblades, another massively popular blockchain game whose price action enjoyed the parabolic launch going from under $1 to $160 dollars in less than a month before price abruptly crashed back down, with fortunes being quickly made and quickly lost.

Blockchain gaming is still a very new industry with many of these massively popular games being adopted at an unimaginably fast rate and revolutionizing the world with their play-to-earn gaming model. The majority of blockchain games that utilize the play to earn gaming model and NFTs were conceived in 2021 and this industry is less than a year old. That means that this industry still has a lot of growing, maturing, and developing to do, with many analysts believing that blockchain gaming is a trend that is here to stay and will fundamentally change the future of the gaming and the metaverse industry. What this means for gamers and investors alike is that there is still massive upside potential and a lot of opportunities to be found in this budding industry, as the gaming industry itself is showing no signs of slowing down, nor is the growth rate of blockchain adoption or NFTs.

Blockchain Gaming Projects with Potential

With blockchain gaming just getting started, what are some projects that I feel are worth keeping an eye on? Of course, it should go without saying that this is not investment advice, and you should do your own research instead of listening to some stranger who writes articles on the internet, but in my opinion, these are some of the games and projects that I am keeping a close eye on to bolster up my portfolio.

Axie Infinity

I know, I know, you are probably tired of hearing about this game as it has been all over the headlines with its massive surge in popularity and adoption, with people already making life-changing wealth from it. And as a shrewd investor, you may also be thinking that I must be crazy for suggesting something that has already posted over 70,000% of returns this year alone but hear me out. While it is true that I will be taking a pass on Axie Infinity for this bull run, it is definitely something I am going to take a look at getting involved in during the next market correction.

The reason I am looking to get involved with this project is that Axie Infinity has some really exciting things in the pipeline, with their roadmap looking enticing. With the project’s astonishing meteoric rise, the team have raised plenty of capital to support further development and innovation to expand the Axie Infinity ecosystem, not to mention they also have first-mover advantage in the space. You can find Guy’s Axie Infinity review here.

To start off on why I am bullish on Axie is that the team are going to introduce AXS staking which could lead to a surge in demand for the token as players and investors will be able to earn passive income. The team are also looking to add an entire social network, further develop the marketplace, release a breeding game, introduce PvP with ladder and tournaments, introduce PvE Adventure mode, and in my opinion, the most exciting development will be in the introduction of Lunacia, which will be the Axie homeland. Lunacia will be divided into tokenized plots of land which will act as homes and bases for Axies, which will be able to be upgraded over time. We have already seen the explosion of adoption and popularity of virtual worlds needing to look no further than Decentraland and the Sandbox, so think of Lunacia being like that…but you know, with Axies instead.

Star Atlas

Star Atlas is a blockchain game that makes me feel like a kid on Christmas Eve. The only problem is that Christmas is many years away as we may need to wait nearly a decade before this game is fully released. Just as Rome wasn’t built in a day, I guess the entire Star Atlas Universe cannot be built in this decade which is fair as this is one seriously complex game containing its own society and economic system, complete with cinematic-like gameplay graphics.

Though the full, main game launch itself is years away, the game is launching in stages with mini-game releases already underway that allows players to get a taste of what to expect as they can already set up their profiles, choose a faction, purchase and sell ships and equipment NFTs on the marketplace, and a “light version” of Star Atlas will be released sometime in Q4 where players will be able to take their ships out for a spin and do some exploring.

With the Star Atlas in-game token ATLAS recently being launched for public sale and the Star Atlas marketplace selling in-game items such as ships and equipment as NFTs which can be utilized in the game, both players and investors can get in early and scoop up items that will be highly valuable to players upon the successful release and adoption of what many are considering the biggest and most ambitious gaming and metaverse project of all time. A deeper review of Star Atlas can be found here.

Atari Chain

Yes, you read that right, Atari as in the iconic gaming icon that has been a Goliath in the gaming space since the 1970s. Atari has adapted with the times and have made their entrance into blockchain gaming in a big way. Atari has already broken into the two biggest metaverses in the blockchain world, Decentraland and the Sandbox and their ambitions are nowhere near slowing down. The developers at Atari have 50 years of experience knowing what it takes to make successful video games and now that they have fully immersed themselves in NFTs, Blockchain gaming and metaverses, expect these guys to have the Midas touch of the blockchain gaming world with anything they release likely to be golden for early investors and adopters. Investors and gamers can gain exposure to Atari’s upside potential by purchasing Atari Token (ATRI) and keeping an eye on future launch dates for projects. Check out our recent in-depth review on Atari Chain.

Big Time

Big Time is another blockchain gaming NFT project that has not been released yet but I am putting it on your radar early so you can consider getting involved as an early investor. I’m looking to get into this project big time and hopefully make some money because if I keep making corny puns like that the editor is probably going to fire me. Big Time has an all-star team of gaming industry veterans with experience from companies such as Epic Games, Blizzard, EA, and Riot on board who have worked on some of the biggest games in the industry such as Fortnite, God of War, Call of Duty and Overwatch, so these guys definitely know how to make a killer game.

To me, it sounds like Big Time has all the ingredients needed to make an epic game that could see massive popularity and adoption. It is a multiplayer RPG where players can team up with friends to adventure across time and space. Yes, that is right, this game includes a time machine that players can use to span timelines while collecting valuable NFTs from different centuries as they explore ancient mysteries and futuristic civilizations with their friends. Sounds pretty fun to me!

Players will also be able to create their own little slice of personalized paradise in the Big Time universe as they will be able to personalize their own space with unique NFT decorations and items found while adventuring. Though the game is yet to be launched, the project is going to be releasing a public sale for SPACE NFTs in early December, which players can use to access new rooms, specialize crafting stations and more.  SPACE is going to be limited, making it potentially highly valuable as players will be able to use this to expand their personal universes and there will also be in-game tokens that players can collect to purchase NFTs as well as recharge items and more.

NovaX

Have you ever wanted to own your own planet? Well, NovaX provides just that capability. The team behind NovaX created a universe consisting of 8,888 planets minted as NFTs which have already sold during the initial launch but are now available on secondary NFT marketplaces. Tiny digital plots of land smaller than my first apartment are already selling for astronomical amounts of money in many metaverses, imagine how much an entire planet could be worth? Simple economics of supply and demand is causing the increase in demand for scarce digital land, therefore increasing their value as many investors and speculators are looking to get involved in the growing digital real estate market. NovaX is looking to give people the opportunity to capitalize on that concept by selling a limited supply of entire planets.

NovaX is a massive multiplayer online (MMO) play to earn game built on the Avalanche network. Planets are the key asset in the NovaX universe, with players needing to own one to play the game and there can only ever be 8,888 planets minted. Once a planet is owned, players can construct and level up buildings on their plants, each building having a different function, with new buildings and constructs being added in the future. This game has massive earning potential as not only can players capitalize on the capital appreciation of the planet itself, but also build solar plants, metal mines and crystal laboratories on their planets that all generate crypto tokens passively with in-game and real-world value so the planet can literally make money while you sleep. The tokens that get generated are also burned as they are used in the game ensuring they remain scarce and valuable.

Aside from just constructing buildings on the planet, players can go on space missions and into battle, provide an education for their soldiers so they can be better equipped for those missions, players can build up an intelligence agency to gain valuable information about missions and manage their troops in warzones. The game also supports guilds and PvP battles, so players don’t need to hang out all alone on a planet like Thanos did after defeating the avengers.

NovaX is an evolving ecosystem, and the team will be consistently adding new features and content to ensure that players will remain engaged, entertained and interested. Investors and speculators can get involved by purchasing the resource tokens for the game: NovaXSolar (XSLR), NovaXMetal (XMTL) NovaXCrystal (XCRS) as well as purchase the planets from peer-to-peer NFT marketplaces. Next time you need a mortgage or a loan from your bank and they need to know about your net worth and assets, just tell them that you own an entire planet and that collateral should be of no concern.

Phantom Galaxies

For fans of Transformers, MechAssault, and Gundam Wing, this one is for you. Phantom Galaxies is an open-world space sim with fast-paced mech shooter action and an enticing storyline. This game has everything: Giant robot battles, giant robot battles in space, creator based and collectable NFTs, space exploration, and guilds so you don’t need to nerd-out alone. The guilds will allow for the governing of the galaxy as well as the creation of organizations and corporations for those who are looking for a side of capitalist economic gameplay with their order of giant mech robot space battles.

While it is still very early days for this project and not a lot is known just yet other than NFT collectables and game utility NFTs are expected to launch sometime in Q4 of 2021, I recommend checking out their site for an action-packed game trailer that is sure to awaken your inner giant robot suit fantasies and keep an eye on their NFT releases as they are likely to sell out very quickly and be quite valuable as there is already a lot of excitement and anticipation behind this launch.

Cradles: Origin of Species

We have had robots, aliens, axies, mechs, space exploration, spaceships, time travel, what next? How about dinosaurs? That’s right, I gotta tip my hat to the team who came up with this concept as so many games are based on dueling, shooting, looting, and resource pooling, that it is nice to see a team come up with an original concept, and this metaverse is going to be mind-blowing. Cradles: Origin of Species is a game that begins in prehistoric times (hence the dinosaurs), where a player must first get familiar with the landscape and gameplay, hunting and protecting a village. This is sort of like an interactive tutorial, and once completed the game takes a seriously evolutionary turn.

While the game starts out as an ancient human trying to survive in the Triassic period, they will eventually come across or purchase crystals with the DRepublic Coin (DRPC) that they can use to make props or use TimeSpaceSand to travel through time and space, entering different worlds and visiting the past or future. The in-game DRepublic (DRPC) token has not launched to the public yet so you may want to keep an eye on it for possible early investor gains.

The world will offer a main city and adventure area, in which players can find creatures that have long been extinct, with players being able to gather resources, create and trade items and even enter the body of a dinosaur to see how difficult it must have been to go through life as a T-Rex with those tiny arms.

Now, one really interesting concept of this game is that it will be the first blockchain game to utilize life-like entropy, meaning that as time goes by, buildings will decay, landscapes will change, and creatures will die, players will need to update and perform maintenance to prevent the deteriorating world. To accomplish this, the team behind this blockchain metaverse needed to implement a new standard of NFT known as ERC-3664 which is the first NFT token type ever created that can change, evolve and decay over time to give this world the first gameplay features of this kind

This game has many different gameplay styles available. Players can create their own worlds, introducing different species, landscapes, cities and building constructs to see how long their ecosystem can last, with the longer the world existing, the more the players earn which is an interesting concept. There will be survival and adventure type modes for players who like to explore, adventure and fight dinosaurs while finding hidden treasures and items,  though this game goes much deeper than that as Origins is also a true metaverse where players can essentially do anything, third parties can interact with the world, players can introduce new features and concepts in the world and vote on future development proposals.

According to the whitepaper, Cradles creates open worlds that lacks in mainline and background stories which sounds strange at first. It is up to the player to develop the mainline and background stories, with players choosing the origin of their civilization and their decisions will result in the evolution of their world with many scenarios that will lead to the end of their civilization. Playing God must be difficult after all.  In Cradles worlds, the player community or development team can also develop their own mods which can focus on gameplay features such as survival in the wilderness and adventure modes, create plot experiences similar to games like Zelda, or even create revenue-generating gambling mods. Before a mod can be introduced into the game it must be recognized and accepted by the community.

What all that means is that this is an open-world game that is going to develop the way that players want it to develop, it is going to be the combined actions of the Cradles community that is going to dictate and conceptualize much of the gameplay.

While it is still too early to get involved at the time of writing, this is one project I am very intrigued by and will be looking to get involved as soon as more becomes known about the project. If you feel like you missed the boat on Decentraland and the Sandbox already, this could be your shot to get involved early in what could be the biggest metaverse yet. In the words of the Origin’s team, “This project is a salute to all life and civilization that has ever existed on Earth.” “This is the World’s Game”

Enjinstarter Launchpad

If you are feeling overwhelmed by the massive number of blockchain game releases out there and don’t know which ones to pick, I have got you covered. It is hard to know what projects to invest in, which are good, which are rug pulls and goodness knows you can’t research them all and I’ve barely scratched the surface here. Launchpads are a fantastic option for investors looking to get into projects early and Enjinstarter launchpad gives investors early access to the next big projects gaming and metaverse projects.

Enjinstarter is a blockchain gaming launchpad that focuses on the growth of the hugely successful and widely adopted Enjin Ecosystem. Built on Enjin’s JumpNet, Enjinstarter is a place where creators and game developers can run capital raising campaigns for their projects and connect with investors looking to invest in new and promising-looking projects.

This launchpad platform gives investors a chance to get into brand new ICO, IDO and IGO token offerings from new projects, allowing for early access before the tokens are available to the general public. Often the biggest gains in crypto are had by investors who were able to get into projects early and enjoy the parabolic growth of the token’s price once it launches to the public, and Enjinstarter provides a place that allows for just that. Instead of taking grueling hours out of your day to research and sift through articles and whitepapers trying to find the next big project, why not let the Enjinstarter team do it for you as they already research the projects and only bring on board the ones that they feel have potential and are legitimate. Enjinstarter is still undergoing their Token Genesis Event, but much of the Enjinstarter token (EJS) supply is currently available on Uniswap.

Notable Mentions (Bonus Content)

Narrowing down all the amazing blockchain gaming projects launching in one article was a really difficult task as there are so many that caught my eye. At the risk of this article becoming the length of a textbook, I want to make some short but notable mentions here that you may also want to check out. If the idea of Axie Infinity home world of Lunacia interests you, you might want to check out Ember Sword. Land is already sold out from the initial offering but can be purchased on secondary NFT markets. You will also notice an appalling lack of first-person adventure shooting games in the blockchain industry, if those are more your thing, you may want to check out the dark sci-fi action-adventure game where you can explore abandoned space stations, caverns and ruins and of course, shoot things in the face while collecting blockchain assets in Age of Rust.

For fans of 2D games and hand-drawn artwork, Aurory is a beautifully designed adventure game with a play to earn model where players are plunged into a rich and diverse universe where they will discover several non-playable characters (NPCs) and mystical creatures who they can eventually own and battle with, looking similar to Axie Infinity but nicer artwork and a more immersive adventure-style gameplay.

Conclusion

We are at a very interesting point in time where advancements in technology that have the ability to radically change our future are increasing and being adopted at an astonishing rate. We are also at the crux of where three massively accelerating, disruptive technologies that exist in separate ecosystems for different reasons with separate original use cases are all merging together and creating innovations and shaping the world in ways that we could not even imagine just twenty years ago.

Gaming, blockchain technology and NFTs are all technological innovations that are accelerating on their own separate trajectories with many different purposes but are now coming together at a crossroads where these three titans are being integrated to create some of the most ambitious metaverses and gaming projects which are going to shape our lives and the future in ways we can’t even fully conceive yet. If you think that is an exaggeration, I am not the only one who thinks that metaverse and blockchain advancements will shape the future as Facebook, Microsoft, Sony, and Amazon are all pouring billions of dollars into metaverse development in the race to metaverse supremacy.

Another fascinating result of blockchain gaming is how the play to earn gaming model is revolutionizing economies as we have already seen thousands of people who struggled in poverty now being able to earn a living wage by playing games, and people quitting their full-time jobs to earn higher salaries in virtual worlds that pay them in cryptocurrencies that can be sold for real-world monetary value. If I had to choose between earning money zipping around the galaxy and fighting space robots or being a slave to a 9-5 job that I hated, I know which one I would choose.

This is all a part of a bigger picture and to what many are referring to as the fourth revolution and the next stage in technological evolution. With this new revolution being widely available to anyone in the world with internet access, levelling the playing field more than at any other stage in history, fortunes are being made and lost quicker than ever before. Many analysts and crypto enthusiasts are referring to this revolution as the largest transfer of wealth in human history. Opportunities for investment and wealth generation of this scale is something that comes along once a century or less, whether it was the tulip mania phenomenon in 1636, the gold rush in the 1800s, or the dot com boom in the 1990s, the question is: Are you going to be one of the fortunate ones who is going to make life-transforming wealth during this once in a lifetime opportunity, or be on the side-lines kicking yourself as it passes by?

Disclaimer: These are the writer’s opinions and should not be considered investment advice. Readers should do their own research.

Source: https://www.coinbureau.com/analysis/blockchain-games-investing/