Games
Chipotle takes ‘buy the dip’ literally with new $200K crypto giveaway
United States-based fast casual restaurant chain Chipotle has started an online game which will give customers the chance to win more than $200,000 in crypto. In a Monday announcement, Chipotle said that, through July 31, fans would be able to play its “Buy The Dip” game using their rewards accounts. The company will give away $45,000 in Bitcoin (BTC), $10,000 in Ether (ETH), $13,750 in Solana (SOL), $14,250 in Avalanche (AVAX) and $14,250 in Dogecoin (DOGE) via the game. “We want to build the next generation of Chipotle fandom by connecting with the Web3 community,” said Chipotle chief marketing officer Chris Brandt. Free crypto giveaway? — Chipotle (@ChipotleTweets) July 25, 2022 The restaurant chain gave away $100,000 in BTC in April 2021 as part of a promotion for National Burrito Day....
Scams in GameFi: How to identify toxic NFT gaming projects
Over the last couple of years, games using blockchain technology have been actively developing and attracting new players, and the decentralized games market — broadly referred to as GameFi — has gained great popularity. The GameFi industry started back in 2013, and since then, the sphere has been slowly developing, but in 2021 the popularity of decentralized games exploded along with the boom in nonfungible tokens (NFT). According to the DappRadar analytical service, the total value of one of the most popular blockchain-based games, Axie Infinity, exceeds $550 million. But the GameFi industry has its issues. Many projects often “launch” regardless of the game’s development stage. And while Bitcoin’s (BTC) price trend can enhance or weaken the success of GameFi projects, there isn’t ...
From games to piggy banks: Educating the Bitcoin ‘minors’ of the future
The crypto winter is here. It’s a trying time as prices grind down, but it’s the best moment to build and learn. For some Bitcoiners, the bear market is a time to plant trees or create memes. For those with kids, it’s a welcome recess used to broaden the minds’ of Bitcoin (BTC) minors. Cointelegraph spoke to the creators of popular Bitcoin-related games and educational tools to understand why teaching kids about sound money is critical, and some of the best ways of doing so. SHAmory, a portmanteau of SHA-256 (the cryptographic function that hashes inputs in Bitcoin) and memory, is among the best-selling Bitcoin games. Targeted at kids aged four and over, creator Scott Sibley shared that he had his “toddler in mind for both the creation of the game and book.” The Bitcoin mining g...
Here’s how the Metaverse enables inclusivity for genderqueer people
In the wake of the rising popularity of games like Fortnite, Roblox and Minecraft and the concept of the Metaverse, the ability of “avatars” to escape unpleasant realities, or simply have fun, is emphatically relevant. It warrants a discussion on digital citizenship and the “inclusivity” of individuals and their identities in the virtual realm, and it provides new meaning for those with gender dysphoria or who identify as genderqueer. In the real world, there is a known bias against those who do not identify with the sex assigned to them at birth. According to a recent study, approximately 2.7% of adolescents in the United States identify as trans or gender diverse. Extrapolating this to the global population, more than 200 million people likely fall into this category and come under press...
GameStop unveils beta cryptocurrency wallet and upcoming NFT platform
American electronics retail firm GameStop has taken a step into the world of cryptocurrencies, unveiling a proprietary blockchain wallet that will feature nonfungible token functionality. The GameStop Wallet will allow gamers to acquire, send and store Ether (ETH), ERC-20 tokens and NFTs through a self-custodial browser extension running on the Ethereum blockchain. A mobile application is also in the works. It’s official! The GameStop Wallet is here. Download: https://t.co/dK2dmRmwRI — GameStopNFT (@GameStopNFT) May 23, 2022 The wallet will run on Ethereum’s Loopring layer-2 scaling protocol designed for decentralized exchanges, which boasts of high throughput, low-cost trading and payment capability. Users will be able to download and install the wallet extension through the Chrome Web St...
Review: Bots abound in NFT castle-building game League of Kingdoms
With the development of gaming platforms, virtual items have also become a popular method of monetization, but most games store data on private servers, giving gamers a reason to doubt their reliability and transferability. Developers can change the game policy at any time to maximize their profits. They are not obliged to consult users or take responsibility for the harm caused to the game ecosystem. This problem can be solved by blockchain technology which makes it possible to own and transfer virtual assets to anyone through nonfungible tokens (NFT). In a world where gamers spend a lot of time and money developing their characters and seeking out unique items, games that allow them to earn and influence the game’s development are very attractive. One of the most popular genres of games ...
How the Metaverse could impact the lives of kids
Advantages The Metaverse has many advantages for kids, especially from an education perspective. With the help of such technology, learners can grasp abstract concepts easily in a more engaging way. The Metaverse also offers almost actual, hands-on experience that can be very beneficial for children and help them to better understand the world around them and how things work. In addition, the Metaverse can improve social skills in children. Social media has often been blamed for the rise in loneliness and depression among kids. On the other hand, the Metaverse has the potential to provide a safe and controlled environment for kids to interact with their peers and make new friends. Furthermore, it has the potential to encourage creativity and develop social intelligence in kids. Lastly, it&...
What are the top social tokens waiting to take off? | Find out now on The Market Report
“The Market Report” with Cointelegraph is live right now. On this week’s show, Cointelegraph’s resident experts discuss the social tokens you should be keeping a close eye on. But first, market expert Marcel Pechman carefully examines the Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) markets. Are the current market conditions bullish or bearish? What is the outlook for the next few months? Pechman is here to break it down. Next up: the main event. Join Cointelegraph analysts Benton Yaun, Jordan Finneseth and Sam Bourgi as each makes his case for the top social token. First up, we have Bourgi with his pick of STEEM, the native token of the Steem social blockchain network, which rewards users for content creation. Its aim is to give back value to content creators who contribute on the platform. Although is ...
Crypto mixer sanctioned by US Treasury for role in Axie Infinity hack
The United States Treasury Department Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced Friday that it was sanctioning cryptocurrency mixer Blender.io for its role in laundering proceeds from the hacking of Axie Infinity’s Ronin Bridge. North Korean state-sponsored hackers Lazarus Group have been identified as the perpetrators of the attack. Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson said in a statement: “Today, for the first time ever, Treasury is sanctioning a virtual currency mixer. […] We are taking action against illicit financial activity by the DPRK and will not allow state-sponsored thievery and its money-laundering enablers to go unanswered.” Under the sanctions, all Blender.io property in the United States or in the possession of...
GameFi is showing signs of a mature landscape: Report
Blockchain games are set to overtake decentralized finance (DeFi) as the number one contributor to decentralized application (DApp) activity in terms of uniquely active wallets. A new 18-page report by DappRadar surveys the nascent ecosystem behind this rise. Although still dwarfed by the traditional gaming industry, blockchain games, sometimes dubbed GameFi, have seen an early spurt of exponential growth, according to the report’s data. “The evolution of blockchain games” report, which discusses play-to-earn (P2E) as a new paradigm for gaming, is available on the Cointelegraph Report Terminal to purchase. It details how the play-to-earn model gained traction in the COVID-19 pandemic when players from emerging economies were seeking new sources of income. In Q2 of 2021, which was not...
Fortnite creators Epic Games raise $2B from Sony and LEGO to fund metaverse plans
Epic Games, the video game publisher behind the popular PC and console game Fortnite, announced a $2 billion funding round with plans to accelerate the company’s vision to make its mark in the Metaverse. The deal, which is still subject to customary regulatory approvals, would bring Epic’s equity valuation to $31.5 billion. This round includes a respective $1 billion investment from existing investor Sony Group Corporation and from KIRKBI, the holding company behind the LEGO Group. Sony, the company behind PlayStation consoles, also invested $200 million into Epic in April 2021. According to a statement, the three partners plan to combine expertise and technologies to influence the future of entertainment and digital play by developing new virtual production initiatives and digi...
Review: Gala Games blockchain platform combines gaming and commerce
Crypto games that combine play-to-earn (P2E) and nonfungible token (NFT) mechanics found a huge boost in 2021, thanks to the success of Axie Infinity and metaverse hype. However, playability still remains a major problem, as most crypto games focus on tokenomics rather than providing a fun and enjoyable gaming experience. Apart from the earning aspect, they often offer nothing special compared to traditional PC or console video games, where players can find interesting plots, nice visual effects and addictive gameplay. Axie Infinity has become known for its repetitive gameplay, known among gamers as “grinding,” while The Sandbox and Decentraland don’t really provide attractive graphics. There is one worth the attention out of the many games out there, which actually isn’t reall...
