Blockchain games are video games that use blockchain technology in some or all parts of themselves to create real-world value and reward for the players. They are truly the new ‘dark horse’ of the gaming industry. Ranging from MMORPG to turn-based Pokemon-inspired games, these are the titles that represent the best of the genre.
Decentraland
Decentraland is a blockchain game of the highest ambition, it is a huge virtual world boasting 90,000 plots of land that users can customize with trees, animals, houses, buildings, humans… This will remind many of The Sims series, although because none of the things in The Sims have real value, they are ultimately unimportant and ‘unreal’.
In contrast, everything in Decentraland has tangible value, sold and bought with actual money. Therefore, the Decentraland virtual universe feels incredibly real—the number is not that far from the physical world either as in June 2021, a real estate plot in the game was sold for almost $1 million.
Even Atari, the company behind Pacman, Asteroids and Pong, has opened a crypto casino in the ‘Vegas City’ on Decentraland. Another casino called Tominoya hires real people to work as employees in the game because they believe a personal touch with human feeling is better than empty NPCs. Releases like Decentraland blur the line between the real and the digital more and more.
Ember Sword
Ember Sword is a cross-platform, fantasy MMORPG that, unlike many blockchain games, is actually free to play. The game’s developers heavily focus on gameplay, with stimulating end game PvE, PvP and graphics just as eye-catching as any video games.
It only takes one look at the Ember Sword’s mechanics to know that the game has a high strategic ceiling which will ensure players don’t get bored. Each weapon falls into either Melle, Ranged or Energy type and has its own associated skill and crafting elements.
Furthermore, all cosmetics items like weapons and armors are represented by NFTs, which proves true ownership for players. They will also be marked with a number (140 out of 500) which means developers cannot make more than 500 versions of that particular item. This transparency in rarity leads to transparency in value on the marketplace.
The world of Ember Sword is divided into four nations, each one having 3 types of territories: Kingship, Wilderness and Outlaw, that will challenge players to adapt to their own characteristics. You can also buy land in the game. As a landowner, you will receive a portion of the revenue, in real-life currency, generated by the estates your plot belongs to.
Axie Infinity
At first, Axie Infinity will remind some people of the famous CryptoKitties, which also feature unique, cute creatures that can breed with each other to create new offspring. But Axie Infinity is much more than just a collection game, these cute creatures are actually fearless in battles and have their own combat abilities.
The main attraction that draws people to the game is its economy. Not only can you breed new Axies and sell them on the marketplace for ETH, you can also collect what’s called Small Love Potions (SLPs) by winning battles and tournaments. SLPs are needed to breed new Axies, but players can simply trade them for real-world money.
Axie Infinity comes with a big initial cost as you need to buy 3 Axies to start the game, each one being 0.1 ETH at the lowest. But the potential earning does compensate for it: an Axie called Angel was sold in late 2020 for 300 ETH!
You can also buy land plots in the game although land gameplay is still in its early stage. Besides, Axie Infinity has its own governance tokens (AXS) which is used to buy in-game NFTs as well as participating in the game’s governance.
The Six Dragons
The Six Dragons was the first open-world RPG game to be powered by blockchain technology. Players are free to explore all 64 km2 terrain full of fights, weapons, and items. It utilizes the Enjin platform, which is one of the leading software for integrating blockchain into games. The Enjin coin is also the first gaming cryptocurrency whitelisted for use in Japan.
The world-building in The Six Dragons is incredibly detailed and interactive. You will come across all kinds of landscapes: forest, mountain, volcano, lake… The weather is ever changing, rotating through the seasons and teleports are possible, which greatly pushes the pace of the game as players don’t have to waste time travelling long distances.
Blankos Block Party
If you’re tired of adventure, fantasy games taking themselves too seriously, Blankos Block Party might just be the right choice for you. The game is an open-world, party-style game with extremely colorful and psychedelic graphics where you play as toy figures.
Players can create their own game in Blankos Block Party, from racing to shooting to games with combined, custom rules. The game is laser-focused on players’ creativity so you can even make your own map.
Finally, this is where blockchain comes in: all items in-game are NFTs and can be traded for real money. The cool thing is that many Blankos are designed by famous artists as limited editions, such as Deadmau5 and Jon-Paul Kaiser.
Jack Spade is a crypto enthusiast who is passionate about sharing his knowledge with people around the world. He’s a writer for https://gamblersarea.com, the leading social gambling site, and in his free time, he usually procrastinates writing his first novel.