Abstract
This article analyzes specific characteristics of value created through digital scarcity and blockchain-proven ownership in cryptogames. Our object of study is CryptoKitties, the first instance of a blockchain-based game that has garnered media recognition and financial interest. The objective of this article is to demonstrate the limits of scarcity in value construction for owners of CryptoKitties tokens, manifested as breedable virtual cats. Our work extends the trends set out by earlier cryptocurrency studies from the perspective of cultural studies. For the purpose of this article, we rely on open blockchain analytics such as DappRadar and Etherscan, as well as player-created analytics, backed by a one-year-long participant observation period in the said game for research material. Combining theoretical cryptocurrency and Bitcoin studies, open data analysis, and virtual ethnography enables a grounded discussion on blockchain-based game design and play.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 457-480 |
| Number of pages | 24 |
| Journal | Games and Culture |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jun 2021 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- CryptoKitties
- blockchain
- cryptogames
- Ethereum
- game economy
- scarcity
- value
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Cultural Studies
- Communication
- Anthropology
- Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
- Applied Psychology
- Human-Computer Interaction