Play-to-earn is an emerging business model in the gaming industry. This provides gamers control and ownership over their in-game assets. In more recent years, this has become a way for people to earn money, particularly for gaming enthusiasts. One type of gaming platform that adopts the play-to-earn business model is Axie Infinity.
Axie Infinity is a project developed by the Vietnamese studio Sky Mavis. It is a turn-based battle game whereby players control up to three Axie to defeat all enemies per round. Because of its game mechanics and cute monsters, a lot of people have fallen in love with Axie Infinity. In recent years, this game has become more popular and has been the subject of countless internet forums. Other than the exciting gameplay, players took an interest in Axie Infinity because of its potential for income generation. Since then, more and more players have entered the game. Most new players aim to earn and use the game as a reliable source of income.
How to Earn Money in Axie Infinity
To start playing, one should download the game application from the company and purchase a set of three starter Axie Infinity monsters. With these three monsters, players may accomplish daily quests or battle with live players. Axie Infinity operates through a non-fungible token (NFT) system in which players may convert in-game items such as Axie Infinity Shards (AXS) and Smooth Love Potion (SLP) into an Ethereum-based cryptocurrency. The monsters, AXS, and SLP prices may vary according to daily exchange rates. However, the value for monsters fluctuates more. After being converted from cryptocurrency, the most expensive monster ever sold was valued at over $3,000 (de Guzman, 2021).
Since Axie Infinity starters can be too expensive for regular people, not everyone can play the game. Currently, Sky Mavis is still developing a free-to-play version of the game. They have even thought of releasing free monsters as well to gather more players into the game. In the meantime, those who cannot afford to buy the starters may play under a scholarship.
Scholarship refers to an instance where a manager or breeder gives out a free starter team to a player (Level Dash, 2021). The other player will then be called a scholar. The scholar may now play the game and earn SPL on behalf of the manager or breeder. Most of the time, the manager or breeder collects a percentage of the scholar's earnings in exchange for the value of the gifted starter team.
Conclusion
Many jobless individuals in the Philippines turn to cryptocurrency-based games such as Axie Infinity in order to make money while playing. According to Axie's head of growth, Jeffrey Zirlin, the number of players has grown to 60,000 in the Philippines alone (Nunley, 2021). Aside from being easy, it is also a safe way to earn since players can operate the game via smartphone. It is tough to resist passing upon this opportunity considering everyone is at home due to lockdown orders. While it can grow into a stable and competitive source of income in the future, Axie Infinity is still at a beta stage. At this point, the game remains an unreliable source of income. Due to unpredictable and unprotected fluctuations, one cannot expect to earn a decent living out of this game. Besides, the players are becoming more competitive. As the competition gets steeper, it will be more challenging to win. If a player's win rate is not improving, they may not earn as much AXS or SPL.
Start to Earn Money in Axie Infinity, join the HottoShotto Scholarship.
References
de Guzman, W. (2021). What is the Axie Infinity game? How do you earn from playing it?
Level Dash. (2021). Axie scholarship guide: What is a scholar and how to apply?
Nunley, C. (2021). People in the Philippines are earning cryptocurrency during the pandemic by playing a video game.