Blockchain technology is going to revolutionize the gaming industry for two main reasons. First of all, developers can now create completely transparent in-game currencies that have real-world value. And secondly, players can now have true ownership of their in-game items, with the ability to freely trade them on open markets.
While these innovations are groundbreaking, it will take some time for people to adapt to the new technology. I think one of the best ways to demonstrate the merit of blockchain-based games to friends and family is to have them actually try one. And I think Bitcoin Holder is a great starting point.
Bitcoin Hodler is a 2D game where you can experience the fear and greed of the crypto space from the comfort of your smartphone. The game mechanics are based on live market data, so it serves not only as an introduction to blockchain gaming, but crypto in general.
In the game you will uncover the most well-known crypto projects while chasing after hard-forks and avoiding the tax man. Play with meme-like avatars such as Sir Hodlelot, Mr. Banks, or Hide-The-Pain Harold. Along the way, you will collect blockchain items including Cans Of Hopium, Hide-The-Pain Shades, and Magic Crystal Balls.
Bitcoin Hodler created their items using the Enjin framework, which is a set of software developer kits that handle the blockchain details so programmers can focus on optimizing the gaming experience.
In order to enable blockchain functionality within the game, users must link it to the Enjin Wallet, an app that allows players to buy and sell items on the EnjinX marketplace, as well as store them securely on their devices. Both Bitcoin Hodler and the Enjin Wallet can be downloaded from the Google Play store.
All in-game items are backed by a small amount of Enjincoin (ENJ), an ERC-20 token that's actively traded on exchanges. If the player wants to, they can try to sell an item to someone else on the EnjinX Marketplace, or "melt" it and collect the ENJ that was backing it.
You can view the EnjinX Marketplace from a web browser on your desktop computer. In order to buy an item, all you have to do is scan its QR code and confirm the transaction on your phone. The item usually appears in your wallet within seconds.
One of the more interesting items available on the marketplace is the Bitcoin Hodler MFT, which stands for "Multiverse Founders Token". In cooperation with the Enjin team, these tokens were distributed to the early adopters of the game. Only 781 of them will ever exist, and they entitle the owners to special drops from the developers.
Several months ago the developers dropped a "Hunter's Badge" to the MFT holders, and they are currently available on the marketplace for about 100 ENJ. Players who have this badge in their wallet can participate in "Drop Hunts", meaning they will occasionally come across golden piggiebanks that contain ENJ backed blockchain items.
Right now the developers have a treasure hunt going on where the first hunter to collect 21 orange balloons will win "Secret Glow", a unique item backed by 10,000 ENJ (about $1700 USD).
Bitcoin Hodler is but one of many games leveraging the Enjin platform to bring blockchain gaming to the masses. For newcomers who would like to start out with something simple, I think Bitcoin Hodler is a good option.
If you're interested in the game, be sure to check out their website and join their Telegram channel. The leader developer is quite active there and frequently interacts with the community.
Sources:
https://mzkz.xyz/asset-category/games/bitcoin-hodler/
https://www.bitcoin-hodler.info/
https://enjinx.io/
The more games based on blockchain technology the better, though I think it's also going to take some time for blockchain technology to fully adapt to games. Strides are being taken in that direction, but too many games still rely on tokens that require a transfer fee to write to the blockchain or to trade.
In order for blockchain gaming to really go mainstream it needs to be completely slick and transparent. Right now the average gamer would say, "Wait, I have to pay 20 cents to save and use that new legendary item my character just found?" which would only serve to discourage them from participating in blockchain games.
When blockchain gaming has built a large and robust infrastructure free of transaction fees using technologies like Hive is when mainstream games and players can really start to adopt the technology.
Yes, I agree, the transaction fees are certainly a turn-off for many players. But some would argue that they're necessary to ensure the blockchain is secure. Others think fee-free dPOS chains like Hive, EOS, WAX, and Ultra are the way to go. We still don't know how things will play out, but hardcare blockchain gamers will likely stay with Ethereum. When it comes to attracting the mass gaming market though, Hive and other EOSIO chains could very well win out.
Awesome post! Enjin is certainly the leader in recognizing and trying to unlock the value of blockchain gaming. I'm hopeful that HIVE leaders will get on board with creating an SDK so we can attract and facilitate the on-boarding of more indie game developers. 👊
Thanks! Maybe someone will submit a funding proposal for SDK development 🤔