created by @themikesteez

Issue #1 | September 8, 2021

Welcome to the first edition of Crypto GameBites! 

Before we jump in, I need to address those of you who are still new to blockchain technology or crypto in general.

You are in the WRONG f*cking pla— JUST KIDDING 😅

You are most certainly welcome here and I am your friend.

You can get up to speed by reading these short guides (don’t worry, I’ll be right here when you're done):

• What is blockchain and what is it used for?
• What is crypto?
• Non-fungible tokens (NFT): Beginner’s Guide

If you'd rather read those later, then just think of blockchain as a new type of computer with unique characteristics no other computer system has.

Now buckle up and enjoy issue #1 (which I may turn into an NFT one day…)

🔥This week’s lineup:

• An intro to blockchain gaming & GameFi: you can make money playing games?
• Best free play-to-earn (P2E) games for noobz
• EA Sports: It’s in the Blockchain
• $GME to NFTs? 
• MicroBites: Top P2E game opportunities in September...Crypto Kombat launches P2E model...Illuvium hits new highs…P2E projects get funding…Decentraland launches free P2E poker...LMAO Logan Paul...
• The Stupid Shit
• Found on Twitter

– Michael

💸 Blockchain Gaming 101: WTF is this all about (feel free to skip if you already know wassup)

“Blockchain will disrupt and change gaming in a very similar way to the internet. It might cause even bigger changes because the internet helped interconnect players…but blockchain isn’t just interconnecting people, it's changing the business model of games and creating the potential for better game economies that align players and developers and work much better for both of them.”

— Josh Williams, CEO & Founder of Forte

Alright GameBiters (😑 nope, I’m definitely never calling you that again), let’s cover some basics.

There are only 2 main reasons anyone would want to play a blockchain game:

1. The game looks fun as f*ck to play
2. You can earn money playing it

You read that right — you can earn money playing blockchain games.

But before I expand on that, let’s take a step back for those of us still catching up.

Blockchain games (which I may also refer to as “crypto games” or “NFT games”) are pretty much like any other video game, except they use blockchain technology for one or more aspects of their game experience.

This technology allows blockchain games to award crypto to players for completing various activities or milestones within a game. 

This can be in the form of an in-game currency, an item, or a character.

Here’s where the magic happens: 

• That in-game currency can be exchanged for a mainstream cryptocurrency and then converted into real US dollars or any other fiat money
• Those items and characters can be sold in a marketplace for real US dollars or any other fiat money

This concept is called “play-to-earn” (aka P2E) and is central to the GameFi model (gaming + finance) that I’ll be covering in this newsletter.

You might be thinking, “This sounds like a scam. Is this a scam??”

*clears throat and puts on bad French accent*

No, mon amí, eet ees not a scam. Play-ers all over ze werld are making mon-ey wiz crypto games.

“First of all, I had a seizure trying to read that, so don’t do that again. Second, if these games are paying players, how do the games make money?”

*returns to neutral accent*

Excellent question.

Blockchain games make money in several ways:

• Players must buy some kind of character or starter pack to begin playing (there are free games, which I’ll cover in the next story)
• Players can buy items, characters, or other assets inside the game
• Every time players buy, sell, and trade their items with each other, the game can take a transaction fee

“Okay so it’s not a scam and I can actually earn money playing these games. Do I have to pay anything to play or is it free?”

It depends on the game. 

All games are free to download, but many of them require you to buy starter items to play (e.g. a certain character, deck of cards, weapons, etc).

The next story in this newsletter covers how to get started playing these games, along with a list of the top free P2E blockchain games for beginners.

“Cool! That all makes sense. But I have one last question: can I LOSE money playing these games?”

Actually, yes, you can.

The exact amount depends on the type of game you play, its unique mechanics, and the value of the crypto or NFTs you have.

For example, you might spend $10 on a game character to start playing the game. Then you win some crypto worth $20. If for some reason the market decides to be a cunt one day, that crypto could be worth just $5 (less than your initial investment).

Same goes for any NFTs (digital assets) you buy. One day it may be worth a fortune, the next it’s not worth 💩.

Crypto and NFTs are speculative and their value can change at any given moment. 

So only spend what you can afford to lose, mmkay?

If you’re still confused, check out the short documentary I linked below. It’s about people who earn money playing a super popular blockchain game called Axie Infinity, which is similar to Pokémon.

🎥 Tap here to watch: PLAY-TO-EARN | NFT Gaming in the Philippines 

🎮 Best Free P2E Crypto Games for Beginners

So, you wanna get started playing blockchain games, do ya?

Well you’re in the right place.

But first, some MORE basics.

In order to play any crypto games, you need the following:

• Get a cryptocurrency wallet (which is free) to store your virtual currency + NFTs and make in-game transactions. Which wallet you need depends on which blockchain the game was built upon.
• Since many games are built on the Ethereum blockchain, the MetaMask wallet will work for most of them
• Add funds to your crypto wallet in order to purchase any necessary starter items required to play (not all games require these, as you’ll see. But many of the top games do).

📺 If you struggle with anything above, YouTube will be your best friend.

Now, onto the list of top free blockchain games:

Gods Unchained

Genre: trading card game (think Hearthstone or Magic: The Gathering)

Platform: PC

Earn crypto: no

Earn NFTs: yes

Crazy Defense Heroes

Genre: tower defense (think Clash of Clans)

Platform: iOS & Android

Earn crypto: yes

Earn NFTs: no

Neon District

Genre: turn-based RPG (think Final Fantasy )

Platform: PC

Earn crypto: no

Earn NFTs: yes

Blankos Block Party

Genre: action adventure (think Roblox but with cool NFTs)

Platform: PC

Earn crypto: no

Earn NFTs: yes

Gamee

Genre: game arcade with various games (think Miniclip.com)

Platform: iOS & Android

Earn crypto: yes

Earn NFTs: no

Tap here to see the full list of top play-to-earn games (the “invest” column tells you if the game is free or if it requires payment to get started)

👀 EA Sports betting on blockchain?

Well, well, well...what have we here?

Looks like one of the OG game publishers has set its sights on blockchain and NFTs.

Take a look at this EA Sports job posting for Senior Director of Competitive Gaming Brand:

Could we see NFTs come to such games as FIFA, Apex Legends, and Madden?

Could I finally make a living as a pro athlete (or playing a pro athlete in a game)?

It remains to be seen.

But I predict it won’t be long before other big game publishers (*cough* Activision, Epic Games *cough*) start incorporating blockchain into their game development. 

🛑 GameStop ain’t stopping at Wall Street

Crypto insider croissant has uncovered evidence that GameStop may be creating an Ethereum-based NFT marketplace. 

Read the whole thread here: https://twitter.com/CroissantEth/status/1433195248348549125

🍬MicroBites

Gamers and investors looking for something fresh should keep an eye out for these 10 games in September.

Crypto Kombat says “get over here” to GameFi as it launches its play-to-earn model.

High F*cking Yields: Illuvium, the Ethereum-based open-world fantasy battle game offering yields ranging between 39.77% to 79.53%, saw its ILV token reach an all time high of $545.26 on August 13, which is a MASSIVE jump from its low of $29.32 in June.

GOOOOAL!: SorareData, an analytics service for players of the blockchain fantasy ⚽ game Sorare, just raised $700k in pre-seed funding.

Mo’ Money...Mo’ Games?: TRON blockchain creates $300m fund to invest in GameFi projects over next 3 years

All In on the Metaverse: Decentraland launches free-to-play, play-to-earn poker

Logan Paul pisses off fans by missing the launch date for his NFT game 

Random Tweet:

The Stupid Shit (Crypto Slang of the Week)

WAGMI: we’re all gonna make it

“Yo did you read the new Crypto GameBites newsletter? There’s some 🔥 content in there. WAGMI”

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 [email protected].

That’s it for Issue #1 of Crypto GameBites.

Tell me, how did I do?

Was it too long? (that's what she said)

Too busy?

Not deep enough? (I hope she didn't say that)

Feel free to tear this to shreds and give me your feedback so I can make it mo’ betta for you next week.

– Michael, editor of Crypto GameBites

PS – Can you forward this email to anyone you think would enjoy it?

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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.