Blockchain Trends In 2022: Launchpads, Play2Earn Games, NFTs And MetaverseThings which were until recently concepts without proof of working have become established frameworks

It's been over a decade now since the unknown person/group Satoshi Nakamoto released the Bitcoin Whitepaper. Since then, we've seen the rise of the first digital currency (which has gone on to be the apex cryptocurrency around), Bitcoin. Other things which were until recently concepts without proof of working have since become established frameworks.

Innovations like Launchpads, blockchain gaming and more recently play-to-earn games, NFTs and the Metaverse have been products of the initial concept which Satoshi Nakamoto pushed: the blockchain.

Launchpads

Crypto Launchpads came into existence because of the need to identify promising projects in their early stages and allow potential investors to participate in their presale rounds. These platforms (Launchpads) put projects through vetting processes to help filter out projects that are essentially rug-pulls and protect investors from investing in scam projects.

Harmony Launcheris a great example of a Launchpad. Built on the Harmony blockchain, it is the world's first decentralized IDO + IGO launchpad and incubator. Harmony Launcher provides a secure and hassle-free way for projects to launch on the Harmony network. Harmony's AMM DEX feature provides the necessary grounds for projects on the Harmony network to build, raise funds and launch successfully.

Blockchain Gaming

The gaming industry globally is showing clear signs that it will go past the $300 billion mark in the next five years. This is an industry that was valued at $173 billion as of September last year. And because the blockchain is the future of everything really, Developers have for the longest time thought of ways to bring gaming to the blockchain space and eventually, they succeeded. Today, there are hundreds of blockchain games you can play to relax and entertain yourself.

One blockchain game I'm betting on however isImmortal Games. This is the world's first blockchain-based game that has a utility token that issues useful, Chess-based authenticated Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). The game comes with an in-game marketplace where players can buy and sell these tokens. Enhanced gamification and social engagement through the game of chess are the core of the entire project for the developers of Immortal Games. This game is designed with play-to-earn mechanics as players can earn rewards while playing the game. This leads me to the next subject of discussion, play-to-earn games.

Play-to-Earn

There are over 2.7 billion people estimated to be gamers globally. It is estimated that in the next year, that number would be well over 3 billion. This is how fast the gaming industry's growth is. For the longest time, gamers have only ever played games solely for the fun of it. They spent their time, their efforts and most times, their money playing these games and the only people who ever benefited financially were the developers of these games.

This dynamic is changing. With the invention of play-to-earn games on the blockchain, the reward-sharing scale is shifting away from the side of the developers and balancing out by focusing more on the players now. However, despite the rise of these play-to-earn games, there are very few resources out there that educate and inform gaming enthusiasts, spectators and players on the state of the niche. This is where UpOnly comes in.

UpOnlyprovides comprehensive data on the play-to-earn market and it offers a decentralised infrastructure that allows spectators to leverage their insights into real-world value by betting on the outcome of play-to-earn games. Spectators will get diverse and valuable data and analytics on play-to-earn games, which helps them confidently bet on the outcomes of play-to-earn games and turn their activities in the space into a lucrative earning possibility.

NFT Marketplaces and the Metaverse

Our industry is an ever-evolving one and in 2021 the Non-Fungible Token (NFT) space blew up. We saw NFTs sell for millions of dollars with a major one being the sale ofBeeple's digital artworkfor $69 million in March. Even though that sale was organised by the auction house, Christie's, hundreds of NFT transactions worth billions of dollars have been carried out on secondary NFT marketplaces. Platforms likePolkaFantasy(Japanese-themed NFT marketplace),YouClout(NFT marketplace with a TikTok — short videos — model), andParaNFT(NFT platform for entertainers, Influencers and stars) are great examples of how vast and unique the NFT space is growing.

These NFTs are also being extended into the Metaverse (a virtual world built around augmented and virtual realities) which is set to be the next big thing, with tech giants Meta (formally Facebook)spearheading the chargeto be the first-to-market for that space.

Conclusion

The crypto industry will continue to grow and new concepts will keep being floated. The potential is immense and to gain from this, actively) participating is all it takes. There are hundreds of opportunities to change your life and finance in this industry, you just have to be involved.

Note: Investment in cryptocurrency is subject to risk and readers should do their own due diligence. Entrepreneur Media does not endorse any such investment.