Top 10 Blockchain Games to Play Right Now [MMORPG, MOBA, TCG]
Cryptocurrency and blockchain technology in general have already improved the lives of lots of people around the world, and the possibility that such a trend continued is enormous. The new technology might positively influence such branches as medicine, education, public administration, economy of the country, etc. No one even thought that blockchain could be a platform for games; however, it happened.
The blockchain-based games are not well known and used so far, as the blockchain technology is in principle not so common.
Blockchain games: How did it all start?
The first games on the blockchain were not distinguished by technical factors; they gained popularity thanks to their instant auto-payments. For example, there was such a lottery game as Satoshi Bones.
Its essence was that the player should guess or choose a number and it should coincide with the randomly thought-out number of the machine. If you guess correctly, a reward appears on your wallet.
The crypto industry does not stand still, and during the HYIP of 2017, smart contact games appeared. All of them had the same functionality: buying and selling goods; however, only now everything is done within the blockchain. One of the most famous games was the legendary CryptoKitties, which have turned the attention of the entire gaming blockchain industry.
In general, blockchain has contributed to the rapid development of the gaming field, securing its place among the most promising and progressive industries.
Without exaggeration, one can say that the introduction of blockchain into the gaming industry has become one of the most effective methods of promoting cryptocurrency to the masses. If we discard the absurdity of the CryptoKitties idea, then we can see behind this game a good way to quickly and efficiently evaluate the capabilities of the Ethereum blockchain.
Variety of Blockchain games
At the moment, a large number of blockchain games using the Ethereum blockchain are on the cryptocurrency market, but are they interesting to play, and does blockchain technology need them?
All existing blockchain games can be divided into two categories:
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Crypto Collectibles
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Crypto-games
Let's start with crypto collectibles games. The problem with this field is that there is no real gameplay.
Users buy tokens with some visual design and hope to make a profit by selling them later.
In several crypto collectibles games, a function such as crossing heroes (breeding) is implemented, but collecting tokens (albeit unique ones) without any possibility for their interaction is far from what the gamer wants to get from the game.
Nevertheless, crypto collection games use the unique features of the blockchain:
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Transparency (ability to check the history of any gaming asset).
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Security (no one can steal your gaming assets if you keep your private keys safe).
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Immutability (no one can change transaction history).
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One player can transfer tokens without the participation of any third party to another player.
Games without a server – A new trend in Blockchain gaming
Games without a server is another innovation in the industry – a sort of browser-based application on a smart contract. All the initial information is in the blockchain, and the gameplay is displayed in the player’s browser. All you need to have is MetaMask (browser resolution), and gas.
In such games, two players take turns choosing one or another profitable or non-profit platform. After a certain number of platforms, the winner is determined by the total number of bets won, and the game bank is divided accordingly.
Games on the blockchain are straightforward to implement in practice and are popular due to the withdrawal of funds in cryptocurrency. In addition, one of their advantages is the guaranteed encouragement of developers, which serves as a motivation to improve the game further.
Unfortunately, there are few such games at the moment, however, if we take as a basis several advantages which such content is endowed with, it can be predicted that soon they will gain a vast audience of users who want to deal with digital assets.
Besides advantages, there are also disadvantages in blockchain-based games:
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Blockchain is used simply for HYIP.
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Slow transaction processing. At present, the blockchain is slow, and interaction with it is quite expensive. Any game that uses the server, not the blockchain, is cheaper, faster, and more convenient for the end user.
Therefore, the use of blockchain in games should be very well justified. And this validity should not be connected to the word “blockchain” for promotional purposes.
Blockchain-based games
Let’s take a look at the 10 most popular blockchain games in 2019 that can attract your attention.
Huntercoin
Huntercoin is an MMORPG game created on the blockchain. Several players take part in such types of games simultaneously from all corners of the world, just on different servers). 2D game players have two simple tasks:
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Collect coins and carry them to the bank
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Kill other competing players
All tasks require a small amount of cryptocurrency. If a player is eliminated, his coins are placed on the map so that other users can find them. Huntercoin (HUC) is a token that players receive. It is not a very well-known and used crypto but it can be sold on the Poloniex exchange for BTC.
Worldopo
Worldopo is a world-building simulator, a kind of Minecraft, based on a real-world map. WPT cryptocurrency along with BTC and ETH are awards received in the game. This is one of the few technologically advanced cryptocurrency games.
It deals with virtual reality, blockchain technology and DAG (directed acyclic graph). Users can purchase real roads throughout the world thanks to the use of maps, either Google or Open Street, in the game.
Comparing Worldopo to similar platforms, it is most related to Pokèmon Go-meet-Monopoly, a game where users can collaborate in building and developing the global economy.
Worldopo provides users with access to mining farms, as well as the opportunity to earn Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), or Worldopo (WPT).
Beyond the Void
Beyond the Void is a new free MOBA strategy. Players should fight against each other in the vastness of space. Developers initially bet on the fact that gamers can play the game even in e-sport tournaments.
Each player has a "main ship" in case of loss of which he loses the match. Ships can capture planets and other celestial bodies within the galaxy to extract the resources necessary for the construction of a new space fleet. The ultimate goal is to crush your rival. Thanks to different sets of special skills and random event cards, battles are different from each other, and each time you have to adjust to the situation and style of play of your opponent.
At the same time, this game has a trading platform where players can buy special individual items for the Ethereum token Nexium (NxC):
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Different skins (appearance) for your main ship.
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Holographic tags (you can place your coat of arms on the battlefield).
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Non-standard avatars for the player profile.
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Titles (for example, “Asshole 3000” or “Captain hopelessness”).
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Maps of random events that can significantly influence the situation on the battle map (for example, asteroid rain).
The game has a unique economy, thanks to which any buyer of game items actually purchases them since all transactions are recorded in the blockchain and are made exclusively for Nexium.
Alien Run
Alien Run is a classic arcade game. The gameplay is easy: you are an alien who must reach a safe place, jumping and dodging all the obstacles that are encountered before him.
As you keep improving through different levels, the character gains new skills. What is crucial, you get rewards for each level passed. The complexity increases with each level; the number of Bitcoins that can be obtained also increases.
Games on the blockchain are already common, but more can be expected from this technology. The imagination of the developers is the only limitation on platforms offering many programming possibilities.
CryptoKitties
If you got a chance to play Tamagotchi, then it will be easy for you to understand what CryptoKitties is: the equivalent of an old game, but using blockchain technologies.
CryptoKitties was released in 2017 by Axiom Zen. It became so popular in the community that increased the amount of transactions on the Ethereum network to a new ATH. CryptoKitties has become a unique game that has raised around $14 mln from different venture capital firms and investors.
The goal of the game is to gather a unique collection of digital cats. You can buy them on the marketplace of the game for cryptocurrency (ETH), while the system gives players one cat at the start.
Players can interact with other members and ask for a kitten from their cats for a certain amount of ETH. All cats have specific features generated randomly and connected with previous parent cats.
The price of a cat is not fixed, but determined by market demand. For example, Genesis, the very first crypto cat, was sold for more than $100,000. To start playing the game, gamers need to install a MetaMask account.
Privateers.Life: The Island
This game is made in the pirate style. The action takes place 4 centuries ago in the so-called era of pirates. The overall point is to keep one’s character alive by fulfilling a series of game tasks.
Privateers.Life offers exciting gameplay that makes this game unlike any other. You need to find various items, collect them, and process. That is the part where cryptocurrencies enter the game: if a character is done with the production process, it can sell his item for Ludum (LDM). Ludum is a game's native cryptocurrency. It can be used for purchasing goods and services on the platform or exchange LDM on EtherDelta.
Spells of Genesis
The game has an attractive approach, features from arcade games and card strategies. The most interesting peculiarity is that it operates on a Bitcoin network, not Ethereum blockchain. Players should collect, combine and trade balls, which can be used in combat against competitors.
While playing the game, cards increase in their price, setting a form of a structured market. Both Android and iOS users can play this game.
TRONGoo
TRONGoo is the reincarnation of the popular Ethereum game called EtherGoo. The goal of the players is to collect Goo (mucus), which you can get by yourself, or steal it from another player. The game has a reward system for those users who have collected the most Goo.
At the beginning of the game, everyone has one cute kitten at his disposal, which is engaged in the production of mucus – it produces a small amount of Goo in a second.
EtherGoo was a popular blockchain based game. Shortly after launch, it bypassed CryptoKitties and became the most popular decentralized application with the largest number of active users and the most significant volume of processed transactions.
Ether Quest
Ether Quest is a fantasy-style game on Ethereum blockchain where players should assemble and train different warriors. To start the game, players need access to the game's marketplace, a certain amount of ETH and a hero that you can buy.
Warriors act in a form of team players and can be sent to the Arena or the tournament. As a reward, winners get Ethereum. As the warrior becomes more skillful, his value in the market increases. If he turns out to be an unsuccessful investment, players are able to sell it and partially compensate for the loss. You need to have a MetaMask account to participate in the game.
HyperDragons
If you are fond of battles, then HyperDragons is your choice. In the game, all players have equal chances to win. At the Arena, participants and spectators can predict the winner (for accurate predictions, bonuses and awards are given).
Players on the platform buy and sell HyperDragons, using ETH to pay. Prices may vary depending on the creature's uniqueness, physical characteristics, and other aspects. Dragons can be trained to take on specific traits. Players taking part in battles, increase the number of points, skills, and levels of "honor".
Blockchain Games: Is there a future?
So far, the games industry on the blockchain is only taking its first steps. The developers are preparing the ground, platforms that will allow talented teams to realize their ideas. When this happens, a new era of transparency may begin in the gaming industry.
The developers will no longer own the players' savings – as long as your money is stored on foreign servers and not in the blockchain, you can do whatever you want with it.
In general, everything that happens in the game will not be hidden from your eyes, because the entries in the blockchain are open to everyone. Technology can unleash confidence between players and developers, which will benefit everyone who considers himself part of the gaming industry.