Blockchain gaming is a lot more than a buzzword. Of all the feasible use-cases for cryptocurrency, the ability to own and place a real-world value on in-game items is among the most likely to take the streets by storm. People put weeks of their lives into a video game only to lose interest or access, and sometimes they spend many thousands of dollars doing it. Once it becomes apparent that a better way is possible, gaming audiences will begin to demand more ownership, and the technology will have to respond.
Enjin’s Boss Status
Among the gaming companies in the blockchain space are companies like Mythical Games and Blok Party, but in my view, the clear leader is Enjin, or EnjinCoin.
EnjinCoin first made headlines when it released a Unity SDK. Unity is an incredibly popular game engine, used to create tons of popular titles. Enabling developers first is a strategy that is bound to yield results; over 27 games are built using EnjinCoin, with more surely on the way.
The news dropped last week that Enjin has done it again, releasing a plug-in for Minecraft. The game’s more than 100 million users can now issue tokens within the game, and access their real-world blockchain assets.
Called EnjinCraft, it’s an open-source plugin that allowing players to bring in assets without the need to write any code.
I wasn’t surprised to hear that Enjin was behind this. In the past, I’ve spoken to the founders. I can report that they’re people who truly love gaming, as well as Ethereum, and they’ll be building products like this for as long as they can. Earlier this year, Enjin released a development product for Ethereum as a wider attempt to do what it has done with Unity.
Antique Gaming Tokens? All That And More
So what’s the next important move? Well, the Unity SDK, as well as the Ethereum development toolkit, enable even independent developers for platforms like Xbox to quickly build blockchain applications. But perhaps what Enjin, or someone like them, needs to pursue is the development of an actual game. Partner with a major publisher like EA, and build the blockchain into a major title.
We’ve seen crazier things, like Samsung tapping Enjin as one of its first offerings in its native blockchain wallet, causing ENJ to spike some 400%.
As a category, blockchain gaming is one to watch, not only because it’s where the youth will enter the space. If we consider the laws of supply and demand, is it so hard to expect, in the distant future, a token related to gaming to top the crypto charts? Non-fungible tokens will also rule the headlines, with rare playing cards and other types of NFTs selling for millions of dollars in crypto.
Of all the companies pushing for this blockchain gaming future, Enjin is perhaps the only one taking an approach that seems to be working – invading the mainstream via development tools.
