What is wrong with me?
So yesterday after seeing all these gaming posts that have been popping up on Steemit in the past few weeks, I asked myself if any Steemit games existed. After a quick search I came up empty. I did stumble on an interesting find: CryptoKitties.
CryptoKitties
CryptoKitties is a a game where you can adopt, collect (a.k.a. cryptocollect) and breed unique Kitties. Not 2 are the same, each one is unique. The games was launched at the end of November 2017 and it's platform is based on the Ethereum blockchain. It is one of the first blockchain games to hit the market. CryptoKitties was created by a Canadian based company: Axiom Zen. They seem to be doing well, as over 180 000 players have joined and spent over 20 million in Ether.
There is a limited quantity of CryptoKitties available. One is created every 15 minutes, and the last one is scheduled to be "born" on November 2018. The Kitties can be bought and sold on the market, but there is no set value. There are currently, at the time of writing this post, 98,956 Kitties available for sale, with prices ranging from 0.0031 to 100000, depending on the Kitties attributes.
Meet 2 CryptoKitties I selected at different price ranges, ranging from the cheapest to the most expensive:
CryptoKitties that were not breed by users, but generated by the network are called "Gen O" CryptoKitties. Their value starts at 50% + the price of the last 5 last "Gen 0" kitties. You can also choose to purchase 2 CryptoKitties and breed your own, whatever floats your boat!
While it is on the Ethereum network, CryptoKitties do emphasize on their website that these are "cryptocollectables" and not cryptocurrency. That being said, once purchased, your Kitty can be resold in the internal market, based on the value set by the seller. The ease of purchase does not seem to be available yet (like for example by credit card) as the platform is still in Beta mode. Nonetheless, it seems to be a success.
While I was surprised people are investing in such a thing as CryptoKitties, looking back, collecting has existed for a long time, so why would't we see a boom in the market of these type of products? No need to dust these collectable in a few years, right?
Steemit
I tagged this post under Steemit because my main question while searching the internets was if any Steemit games existed on the blockchain. Didn't come up with anything.
Any experts here know what the potential is for Steemit to incorporate games on the platform, in the same style as Facebook does?
Furthermore, I am no developper but having a background in Communication studies, I immediatly wondered how the future gaming "boom" of Crypto Games could benefit Steemit to bring new users. For example, people who purchased CryptoKitties seem like an audience that would most likely enjoy and interact on Steemit, what do you think? Cross-promotion potential? This is also got me thinking, does Steemit have any legit advertising plan, extending beyond meetups and ear to ear?
My expertise in Cryptocurrencies
Close to none compared to many on here. I registered on Steemit for that reason, by luck in November 2016. I was at the Bitcoin Embassy in Montreal trying to but Ripples, knowing nothing about cryptos. They couldn't sell me any but I took note of the teller's comment on Steemit, so I wrote it down then Googled it later. Too bad I never got his username, but I remember him believing in it. Created my profile right away later that day once I realized this is the place where I can find other Crypto enthusiast, not really realizing all the platform has to offer. I ended up posting for the first time months later, in June 2017. As excited as I was, and life being what it is, I haven't been able to dedicate myself to this platform as much as I would have liked to. During my time here, which I spent mainly trying to get to know users on the Steemit Chat (thanks more specifically to one user I will not mention here) and more recently on Discord, I was lucky enough to become more knowledgeable in cryptocurrencies and also figure which direction I want to take my blog. I certainly did not think I would be posting about Kitties, hope you enjoyed!
After much thought I have decided that I will soon start my first ever VBlog here on Steemit, don't be shy to join in on the fun if you are curious, it should start soon!
For those who have yet to know me, here is my 7 month old introduction post here: @yassine/when-you-only-have-3-followers
Would you invest in CryptoKitties?
I can already imagine the Crypto version of the stereotypical "Cat Person."
Sources
https://www.cryptokitties.co
http://www.businessinsider.com/ethereum-cryptokitties-collectible-2018-1
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/28/style/cryptokitties-want-a-blockchain-snuggle.html?_r=0
https://qz.com/1144169/the-ethereum-world-is-now-obsessed-with-breeding-cartoon-cats/