Axie Infinity is a wonderful play-to-earn game, of similar design to that of Pokémon. The key difference between the two games is that the “Axie” creature is a Non Fungible Token (NFT) which can then allow for buying and selling at a marketplace. In comparison, a Pokémon cannot be bought, sold or swapped.
To facilitate the buying and selling of Axies, an in-house cryptocurrency named Smooth Love Potion (SLP) was developed. Players can therefore use SLP to buy and sell Axies at a market price, alternatively use it to increase the power of their Axies, or buy Axie accessories.
Accordingly, owning and earning SLP can generate real monetary value. SLP is hosted on the Ronin Platform that integrates with the Ethereum protocol. Therefore it allows players the additional benefit of converting SLP into other cryptocurrencies which in turn can convert to fiat.
In other words, Axie Infinity is a game whereby players can earn real money simply by playing the game.
Game Play
There are two main goals of playing Axie Infinity. The first is to create a collection of Axies through breeding, developing and training. Some Axies that are bred turn out to be rare, and therefore become valuable. Others are extremely powerful or have unique abilities. Whilst the majority are more or less common and become the staple composition of most collections.
The second goal is to create a team of three Axies which can fight against other teams in an Arena. Through fighting and winning, Players are rewarded with SLP. As more battles are fought, Axie’s gain more experience which increases their ability to earn more SLP.
In order to store SLP and Axies, Players are required to have a Ronin Crypto Wallet. Ronin is the platform upon which Axie Infinity runs on, and therefore only a Ronin Wallet is compatible with storing SLP and Axies. Each wallet is connected to a Player’s account and integrates seamlessly to keep count of SLP balances and track Axies.
The graphics aren’t overwhelmingly great with blandess similar to that of Angry Birds. Axies are designed with a 2D flatness, with simple coloring effects. Actions are similarly simple coupled with sound effects that overlay as you play. In summary, the graphics are simple and pleasant to the eye, but don’t expect detailed anime that will blow your socks off.
Earning Real Money
Axie Infinity was one of first play-to-earn games to legitimately provide real money earnings to players. Their gaming ecosystem integrated with cryptocurrency and NFT was developed with quality in mind, hence many players are drawn to this factor. Although, latency was apparent with older versions, this has been addressed with Axie Origin. In addition, the game play is seamless and well thought through. Hence, as a play-to-earn game, which focuses on the “earn”, players can earn real money legitimately and without bugs to the gaming system.
Fun Factor
Playing Axie Infinity is expresses an enjoyment factor that is akin to enjoyment strategically winning and earning SLP. The fun factor is mostly driven by winning and beating other players to earn more and growing and developing Axies in their respective teams. There is a lot of satisfaction as the you become a stronger player and of course earn more SLP.
But, as mentioned previously, the graphics and action play are relatively simple, so it’s not a surprise that no awards are attributed to the fun factor from this aspect.
In the previous version – Axie Classic – some players were deterred by the requirement of buying or borrowing Axies in order to get started. This meant a capital outlay needed to be forked out, just to play the game, which of course comes as a risk for those who just want to see what Axie Infinity is all about. This no longer is required, and therefore now opens the game to a wider audience i.e. for those who simply want to play for fun.
In many ways, this brings the game closer to that of Pokémon. Bring the balance back to gaming rather than profiteering.
Axie Classic
Axie Classic version of Axie Infinity before Axie Origin. It was the last version that required Players to purchase or borrow Axies to begin playing. This rule has now become obsolete in the next version – Axie Origin.
Axie Origin
Axie Origin is the latest version of Axie Infinity. This version was launched on mobile platforms in May 2022, with a brand new interface, faster operating speeds, improved graphics and enhanced story background. Axie Origin allows players to participate without the need of purchasing Axie’s i.e. there are free Axie’s that can be acquired. As a result, Axie Origin is a much more open play-to-earn game than Axie Classic (previous version).
Summary
Axie Infinity is a fun game that is considered as a pioneer of Play-to-Earn gaming. It’s well thought through game design (albeit resembling closely to Pokemon), simple quality graphics, excellent user interaction and ease of use, coupled with cryptocurrency and NFT to make the perfect game for all types of players. Whether you want to play for fun, or to try and earn real money, Axie Infinity is the first Play-to-Earn game you should try, if you are new to this world.
