created by @themikesteez

Issue #2 | September 15, 2021

What’s up gangstas?

Guess what?

I went on a small NFT buying spree last week…

And bought my first 2 gaming NFTS for a game called Crypto Raiders, which I’m featuring in the lead story.

(Shoutout to @AESTHTK for sharing the blog post that provided source material for the story and put me onto this game, and shoutout to the RECESS fam for all the NFT alpha they put me on🙌)

For the investors, devs and other Big Brains, I dug up a killer report on the state of the blockchain gaming industry from renowned gaming academic Joost van Dreunen.

We’ll also take a look at ALL THE F*CKING MONEY flowing into the blockchain gaming space as investors dump cash into what they (rightfully) believe to be the future of gaming.

If you’re still getting caught up, the Verge explains NFTs in this beginner-friendly piece.

So without any further ado, here’s Crypto GameBites Issue #2 (hehe, that rhymed).

🔥This week’s lineup:

• Game Spotlight: Crypto Raiders announces integration with Loot
• LootHack: there’s still time to join the hackathon
• PODCAST: Gaming industry vets talk Loot and blockchain games
• REPORT: State of the Industry of Blockchain gaming 
• VIDEO: Gary Vee and CryptoStrikers Co-founder Gianni Settino chat NFTS
• MicroBites: Polygon partners with Decentral Games...Popular digital horse racing game partners with NASCAR...La Liga launches NFT fantasy futbol cards for its players...VCs pour millions into Crypto Gaming United and Zebedee...Xbox and PC game devs partner with Enjin for in-game NFTs...Floki Uni reveals on-chain NFT gaming metaverse...DeFi Land raises money to launch game on Solana...Mobile game company joins blockchain gaming incubator...Huobi Eco Chain launches gaming hackathon...
• The Stupid Shit
• Found on Twitter

– Michael

ICYMI: WTF is Blockchain Gaming? | Crypto GameBites Issue #1

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💸 Crypto Raiders integrates with Loot to bring separate blockchain projects into one game

To help me tell this story, I’d like to introduce you to two characters…

These are my two NFTs for the RPG dungeon-crawler game Crypto Raiders (the NFTs live on the Ethereum mainnet as ERC-1155 tokens, while the game itself lives on L2 Polygon / MATIC).

Cute huh?

No, NOT cute.

These little fuckers are cold-blooded, bonafide killers, ya dig?

I’ve played 6 missions each, and so far, they’re still alive, which means I can keep playing.

In Crypto Raiders, if your NFT character gets killed, it experiences permadeath and ends up like this:

Dead Raiders can’t be used anymore, which means:

• You lose your initial investment in that NFT (I see some of these dead Raiders listed for sale, but I doubt anyone’s buying them)
• You can’t play the game unless you buy a new character (which is why I got 2)

This element of potentially losing my character (along with the money + time I’ve invested) adds an extra dimension to my gaming experience.

Whenever my little guy or gal explores the game’s dungeons, you’ll find me with muscles tensed and jaw clenched because I never know when something might pop up and kill them.

It’s similar to the feeling of watching a thriller, but more intense because I actually have something at stake.

I discovered this game when I saw the dev team’s blog post about integrating Crypto Raiders with the Loot project to offer Loot items as dungeon rewards.

While the details “are still in the works”, the simple version is this (subject to change):

• When players decide to raid a special LOOT Dungeon, loot will be randomly dropped and awarded to a player
• Whenever a piece of loot drops, the holder of the Loot bag from which it came gets paid a reward in $AURUM (Crypto Raiders’ in-game currency)

If you’re unfamiliar with Loot, it’s an NFT project of “randomized adventurer gear” created by Vine co-founder Dom Hoffman.

But instead of 3D renders or cartoon sketches of this “adventurer gear”, Loot is simply a text description of the gear.

This is what a Loot NFT looks like:

Yup, that’s literally it. 

And before you roll your eyes, keep in mind that Loot generated $46 million in sales.

Here’s the thing – the visual representation of this NFT (text descriptions of items) isn’t what matters.

What matters is the potential these Loot items represent.

It basically sets the foundation for people to build on top of...which is exactly what Crypto Raiders is doing by integrating Loot into the game.

It’s an example of one blockchain project integrating elements of a separate blockchain project to create a totally new experience.

Here’s what the Crypto Raiders head of growth tweeted about it:

While I'm not a Loot holder, I'm pretty freaking excited to see where both projects go.

To learn more about Loot and see some of the derivative projects that have already popped up, tap here.

To learn more about Crypto Raiders, tap here.

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👨‍💻 Loot launches hackathon

Has this whole Loot thing caught your attention? 

You can contribute to building the future of the project by participating in the Loot Hackathon, which is running now until Sep. 19.

Get all the details here: https://loothack.xyz/

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🎙️Listen to game industry vets talk about Loot

If you want to hear people WAY smarter and more experienced talk about Loot and blockchain gaming, then check out The Metacast #14.

It features Metacast host Nico Vereecke, Jayne Peressini (VP, Growth at DapperLabs), David Amor (games industry OG) and Chong Ang (VP of Product at Mythical Games).

Talk about some Big Brains 🧠

I really love Jayne’s skeptical and contrarian attitude toward Loot because it makes for an interesting conversation.

It’s little over an hour long but it’s a really engaging and insightful conversation, so I suggest you check it out.

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🔬A deep dive into the blockchain gaming industry

This one’s for the investors, game devs, and anyone with a SERIOUS interest in the blockchain gaming space.

Top video game academic Joost Van Dreunen has blessed us with an extremely insightful look at the state of the blockchain gaming industry.

Highlights:

• Blockchain games are the literal playground on which new and old game companies experiment, socialize, and discover the design rules of this novel technology.
• Talent — not capital or technology — will be the primary bottleneck 
• Blockchain gaming companies are more likely to find success by catering to the existing games audience.
• Sustainable user acquisition centers on education and the removal of friction. 
• Gamers are among the earliest adopters in gaming and tend to be disproportionately tech-savvy
• The popularization of crypto gaming depends on how it fares on mobile, which, in turn, means that unless the incumbent mobile game publishers embrace crypto any newcomers will face an uphill battle in terms of user acquisition and market access.
• For NFT-based crowdfunding to reach its potential it will need to attract non-endemic, generalist investors and mainstream consumers
• Overall, incumbent digital store fronts and platforms are likely to be slow adopters…[which] leaves the field open to innovators that seek to push the limits on specific platforms, pricing, or content.
• Barriers to entry remain high: users confront a clumsy multi-step process to create a game account, set up a specific wallet to buy crypto, and return to a game to start playing.

Read the full report here.

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🎥 Gary Vee talks NFTs with co-founder of digital sports card game

Co-founder of CryptoStrikers and fellow member of the RECESS community, Gianni Settino, chats with Gary Vee about his NFT journey and how he founded the first NFT sports card project on Ethereum in 2018.

==>Tap here to watch (31 mins)

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🍬MicroBites

Decentral Games partners with Polygon to enhance the play-to-earn gaming experience in the metaverse.

Off to the races: Players of ZED Run, a digital horse racing game built on Ethereum, can now run NASCAR-branded horses thanks to a new partnership.

Spain’s top soccer league, La Liga, partners with Sorare to launch NFT fantasy futbol cards for all its players.

Put ya money where ya mouth is: Venture Capital clearly sees a future in blockchain games, as investors funded rounds for Crypto Gaming United and Zebedee at $5 million and $11.5 million, respectively.

Enjin partners with upcoming PC and Xbox title, Stormrite, to explore NFT integration.

Meme-averse: Floki Inu, a token inspired by an Elon Musk tweet, announces NFT gaming metaverse called Valhalla.

Alameda Research and Animoca Brands participated in a $4.1 million round to fund DeFi Land’s upcoming Solana game.

Blockchain babies: MegaFans, a San Diego-based mobile gaming company, joins the Launchpool Labs incubator program to “structure and build the world's first mobile esports community of gamers and collectors using blockchain technology within the metaverse."

The EVM-compatible Huobi Eco Chain (HECO) announced the HECO Gaming Hackathon for open-source developers and blockchain gaming projects, with 102,000 USDT in total prizes.

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Random Tweet:

Read the full thread here.

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The Stupid Shit (Crypto Slang of the Week)

FUD: fear, uncertainty, and doubt

“Don't listen to all those haters saying NFTs are a bubble. They're just trying to spread FUD."

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Just the Tip

Have an insider tip, a story lead, or something you’d like to see covered? Send a message with the subject line “just the tip” to michael@cryptogamebites.com.

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😅

That was a long one, wasn't it? (I'm not gonna say it...)

Thanks for sticking with me, and please be ruthless with your feedback by replying to this email or DMing me on Twitter.

– Michael, editor of Crypto GameBites

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Disclosure: From time-to-time I might add links in this newsletter to products I use and I may receive commission if you make a purchase through one of these links. Also, I hold crypto assets (shocking right?). See my investment disclosures here.

Disclaimer to protect my a$$: All investment strategies and investments involve risk of loss. Nothing contained in this magical newsletter should be construed as financial or investment advice. We’re just two brains connecting through cyberspace and shooting the shit about the wild world of blockchain gaming, where buzzwords like “crypto” and “NFTs” roam freely. Any reference to an investment's past or potential performance is not, and should not be construed as, a recommendation or as a guarantee of any specific outcome or profit. Remember to do your own damn research and don’t just ape into things like I did with all those shitcoins from the Spring 2021 bull run.