CryptoKittties

CryptoKitties launched in November 2017 sparking a blockchain-based gaming craze. For the first time users could make thousands of dollars worth of Ethereum by simply playing a browser based game. I was fortunate enough to be part of the beta test and bought a handful of digital kitties for just 0.03 ETH apiece (about $10 at the time), and each buyer of the first 1000 cats purchased received an additional cat for free the next day. These were all gen 0 kitties although we didn't know the importance of that at the time. I was lucky enough to pick up up the 9th cat ever sold (Sales started with #1001).

https://www.cryptokitties.co/kitty/1009

Over the course of the next two weeks, CryptoKitties exploded in popularity and even backlogged the Ethereum blockchain to the point that we couldn't buy or sell anything with MetaMask, the Chrome addon for interacting with Ethereum contracts. The price of my gen 0 kitties skyrocketed and I was able to sell a few for over 5 ETH (now worth $5,000) and held on the rest. As time passed and people realized that gen 0 kitties would be created every 15 minutes for an entire year, the craze died down and prices dropped. It has been three months and new Ethereum-based games are sprouting up with the hopes of matching the popularity that CryptoKitties has attained. Some might be flops, but others offer opportunity to make some serious money while playing an entertaining new game.

New Games

Hot Potato Games

Since CryptoKitties, the latest game type has been where some sort of unique blockchain "asset" such as a famous individual or a country can be purchased for more than the last person that bought it. For example, if I buy the "Donald Trump" asset card for 1 ETH, then the lowest that someone could pay to take it from me is 1.3 ETH. I would be guaranteed to receive 1.15 ETH from the proceeds and the contract creator would receive the rest. The risk is that no one buys the asset from you and you are left holding on to an "asset" that you can't turn back into ETH. Hence the name "Hot Potato" games. These games are also susceptible to bots that snatch up the assets as soon as they are created, leaving very little margin left for normal players. Some games have had massive success with this style of gameplay. Personally, I have stayed away from these games because I don't want to be the last sucker holding onto a worthless asset and the risk just isn't worth the potential reward in my opinion. I believe that hundreds of thousands of dollars will be lost when these games lose popularity and are replaced by more sustainable game mechanics. Hot potato games include:

CryptoCelebrities
CryptoAllStars
CryptoCountries
World You Collect
CryptoArt

CryptoCities.Net

CryptoCities.net is a unique new game type in which you can discover new cities by paying a small fee and waiting for a cooldown period of approximately 16 hours. Cities can then be sold for a profit, or collected and used to discover larger cities. City size starts at 1 and goes up to 50. Larger cities also have features such as commerce and transportation (the features will be given a function after all cities are discovered). The creator estimates that all cities will be discovered within 3 months, at which time a new type of game will start. He hints that it will be similar to Risk and Civilization, but has not yet released the details. If it catches on, this game could be profitable for early adopters (it's still early).

Upcoming Games

Etherbots - Combine parts to build a digital robot that you can use to do battle. Parts are obtained by purchasing crates or parts on the marketplace.

CryptoSpinners - Battle digital fidget spinners in weekly tournaments to win ETH prizes. There will only ever be 20,000 spinners created. Launch date TBD.

CryptoCuddles - Train and battle your CryptoKitties. Train them for free before the launch date (TBD).

Stay in the loop

Most games have Discord channels where they communicate, so one enthusiast created a Discord channel with an up to date list of all new and upcoming games here: https://discord.gg/e8suzf

Build Your Own Game

The Loom Network created an amazing tutorial on how to create Ethereum based games called CryptoZombies If you're interested in game development and have some knowledge of JavaScript, I recommend starting here. You will learn how to create an Ethereum contract with digital assets that have unique characteristics, battle, and even eat CryptoKitties for lunch!

The Future of Blockchain-based Gaming

Right now blockchain based games are all based on Ethereum, which has several limitations including long block discovery times, expensive transaction fees, and the need to already own Ethereum and have Metamask installed. This greatly limits the appeal and the audience. Not to mention all of these games are currently browser based, not mobile. Any widely adopted game will have to be available on a mobile platform. Either Ethereum will have to evolve quickly, or another blockchain will become the leading platform for blockchain game development. I think that platform will be EOS which launches this June. It has everything a game developer needs and will bring about the next generation of blockchain gaming.