AXIE

INFINITY
Addictive, engaging, and exciting
What are
Hopaxies?
on or hop off?

Axies are small and cute creatures that you can breed and use to battle with
other players. Similar to titles such as Pokémon, it’s a turn-based game that requires
you to build a strong team of Axies and think strategically. During battles, both players
are given cards, which they can choose for the action their Axies will be doing for a
particular turn. Each Axie has four cards that are randomly distributed for every battle
and to play those cards energy must be used.

Hop on or hop off ?

Whether it’s a means to overcome boredom or stress, it’s interesting to know that
there has been a significant surge in gaming in the past year, likely due to the
COVID-19 pandemic that compelled people to stay at home. Since people are spending
most of their waking hours indoors, it’s no surprise that many are passing the time
through new and old hobbies.

Like most people, you may have found yourself immersed in game streaming or
playing a team-based game with a few friends. But these days, games like Axie
Infinity have been taking over social media, with the attention mostly coming from the
youth. But what exactly is Axie Infinity? And what’s this hype all about?

Axie Infinity is classified as a Non-Fungible Token (NFT)-based online game that

rewards players with actual money as they play.

To get on board, you’ll have to download the game from their official website and
sign up for a digital wallet such as MetaMask. Once you’re done, you’ll need to
purchase a cryptocurrency called Ethereum (ETH), which you can easily get from
trading platforms such as Binance. Afterward, the game will require you to download
Ronin Wallet, another online wallet where you can use ETH to purchase Axies from the
game’s marketplace. 
Farming

The most common way to earn money in the Axie Infinity universe is to farm and sell an
in-game item called Smooth Love Potions. As one of the required elements to breed
Axies, SLP has found a great demand in the market. You can farm SLP through three
different methods.

 Battling monsters in Adventure Mode—PVE

 Fighting other players in Arena Mode—PVP
 Completing all daily missions & quests


breeding

One of the unique aspects of Axie Infinity is the breeding mechanism. The game allows
you to breed any two mature magical creatures called Axies to create offspring. The
new baby Axie will inherit the features from both its parents.

staking

The third and final way of earning money through Axie Infinity is AXS staking. AXS
staking is nothing but locking your AXS tokens (another in-game currency) at a
particular interest rate earning various rewards for the locked period. Currently, all the
staked tokens can be recovered over a period of 5.5 years.
Pros of axie infinity

The game can be described best as a fusion between the popular role-playing video
game Pokémon and the digital collectible card game Hearthstone. The gameplay is
considerably straightforward in plain sight: it involves battling and breeding Pokémon-
like playable monster characters called Axies.

However, there are four ways players can play Axie. One is through breeding Axies and
selling them to other players via a marketplace. The other one is by doing in-game
quests and through engaging in PvP or player-versus-player battles against other
players. Players can also put their bred and raised Axies to in-game tests.

Non – fungible tokens

The fact that Axies are non-fungible tokens or NFTs is one of the main highlights and,
thereby, one of the main advantages of Axie Infinity. For starters, an NFT is a digital
asset that can be collected, sold, and traded. A lot of individuals have earned money
from creating, selling, and trading NFT-based digital contents.

Notable examples include the digital artwork “Everydays—The First 5000 Days” by
Michael Joseph Winkelmann, also known as Beeple, which was sold for USD 69.3
million, as well as his 10-second video entitled “Crossroads” was also sold for USD 6.6
million. Artist Kristy Kim sold the 3D-rendered house model “Mars House” for USD
500,000.

Future developments

Sky Mavis explained that the game is structured as an open-ended digital pet universe.
What this means is that the developers would expand further both its gameplay and
functionality in the future. There is an obvious attempt to create an immersive digital
ecosystem based on blockchain tech and cryptocurrency with Axie at the center.
Blockchain economy

Remember that this is an NFT-based play-to-earn video game. Although players do not
earn traditional fiat money directly, they can earn Ethereum-based tokens AXSs and
SLPs, which can be converted into Ether—one of the recognized cryptocurrencies in the
world. They can have their Ether converted further into fiat or use them directly.

Several players have gained a substantial amount of money from playing this game. For
example, in several rural regions in the Philippines, numerous success stories have
been published by the media. These range from a player who was able to sustain the
basic needs of his family during the pandemic to another player who was able to buy a
house and lot.

Another benefit of Axie is that it provides an opportunity for common individuals to

understand how blockchains and cryptocurrencies work, particularly the workings of the
blockchain economy. In addition, because Axies are NFTs, they can be traded for
cryptocurrencies, while sponsored players can earn allowances from NFT owners.

Limitations and issues

Completing in-game quests or other in-game activities will earn a particular player AXSs
or SLPs. However, the developers have limited how much a particular player can earn
from completing daily quests, participating in player-vs-player or Arena events, and
accomplishing certain tasks within the in-game adventures.

Earning cryptocurrencies also requires putting in time and effort. As an example,

earning 50 SLPs per day would require completing the daily check-in requirement,
completing 10 adventure mode levels, and winning 5 PvP matches. Earning more SLPs
requires spending time going through and completing more adventure mode levels.

The aforesaid requirements consume a considerable amount of time. Hence, this is the
reason why moneyed players tend to lend their Axies NFTs to other players. It is also
important to note that it is impossible to make continuous and consistent revenue
streams due to several factors, especially for those with full-time jobs or other
responsibilities.
Issues with nft and blockchain technology

Numerous observers have expressed concerns over the sudden popularity of selling
and trading non-fungible tokens. Some have noted that the current interest surrounding
NFTs might create an economic bubble that will eventually collapse due to market hype,
speculation and herding tendency, and overvaluation of digital NFT assets.

The cryptocurrency market has its own risks as well. Although the value of
cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ether have increased over the years, these digital
assets remain volatile. Historical trends would reveal that the market has experienced
drastic highs and sudden drastic drops both within the short-term and medium-term.

Blockchain technology has also notable drawbacks and criticisms. One of the most
notable disadvantages of blockchain is that the entire technology consumes a
substantial amount of energy. Experts have warned that expanding further its
application, especially through numerous NFT use cases, can negatively impact the
environment.

High cost of starting

It is indeed a play-to-earn game. However, it is not free. One of the biggest

disadvantages of Axis Infinity is that the initial cost can be very expensive. There was a
time when a player would need to invest USD 500 to purchase at least three Axies.
However, the cost has now jumped to more than USD 1000. Note that a player needs to
own at least three Axies to start.

Of course, there has been a workaround. The situation in countries such as the
Philippines has been a testament to this fact. As discussed above, individuals have
found a way to play the game without investing money, particularly by looking for an
existing player who will be willing to lend his or her collection of Axies NFTs.

There are a lot of owners who have built their teams of sponsored players who are
tasked to play their Axies NFTs on their behalf. Of course, looking for these owners can
be challenging. Individuals would need to exert an extra effort not only in looking for
these owners but also in convincing them for inclusion in their teams.
Conclusion: pros and cons of axie infinity

Axie Infinity is a legitimate play-to-earn video game based on NFT and blockchain
technology. The current number of players and the record-breaking sales it has
generated are good indicators that it has a solid digital ecosystem and economy.

To add to the aforementioned advantages, another strength of this game is that the
value of the cryptocurrencies used in-game is based on a fair market price. Future
development plans for this game remain promising. As one of the first NFT-based
games, it is also a game-changer, and can indeed benefit early adopters.

But people should still exercise caution. Axies NFTs are still prone to overvaluation, as
well as hyperinflation. Adding to this is the fact that cryptocurrencies are volatile.
Individuals should evaluate their risk appetite when investing real money in the game.