Article contributed by Isaiah McCall
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My sister became an NFT artist last year and I wasn’t sure whether to be happy or not.
On one hand, she was now networking with some of the most progressive, tech-minded artists in the business.
(I’d imagine the next Picasso becomes an NFT artist…maybe it’s Beeple)
Then, on the other hand, NFTs and the metaverse — the two most mainstream sectors of crypto — are rife with scammers, money laundering, and untold amounts of debauchery.
It’s the modern-day Dark Web.
All that said, my sister got into NFTs in 2021 and now it’s my turn: that’s why I invested in something that doubles as a metaverse and NFT play.
Here’s what it is.
Heroes of Mavia
The way I see it, the only NFT plays worth investing in are also “Land” in the metaverse. Land is finite, like Bitcoin, but also has utility for any gamers who interact in the game. This is why the biggest successes lately have been Metaverse games.
Last year Axie Infinity stole the show, then it was Gala games, and now everyone’s on the hunt for the next big thing.
I believe it will be Heroes of Mavia, or what is shaping up to be crypto Clash of Clans.
Here’s something you might not have known: In 2020, smartphone games accounted for almost 50% of video gaming revenue worldwide, and as smartphone users continue to accelerate on a global scale, mobile games revenue is on track to surpass the 100 billion dollar mark by 2023.
This is in large part to games like Clash of Clans.
Clash of Clans was one of the first games, amongst a wave of indie titles, to show you do not need superior graphics to succeed as a video game. We’re bored of graphics. All a game needs to be is fun — that’s it!
Heroes of Mavia is going to inject this concept with steroids by combining the “play-to-earn” elements of Axie Infinity — meaning you’ll be able to make money on the game — with the fun gameplay mechanics of Clash of Clans.
And it’s still under the radar of most investors. That’s the best part.
How Heroes of Mavia Works
Anyone will be able to play Heroes of Mavia once it comes out, but there’s also the possibility to earn passive income on land you buy from Open Sea.
Land is finite in the game and is rented out to users so they can build their bases. Whether you’re a “landlord” — ha, get it? — or a user, both receive rewards in RUBY and MAVIA, their in-game cryptocurrency.
The Mavia devs also offer the ability to stake your land to earn rewards, which you can do right after you purchase it. (I’m doing this now!)
“Clash of Clans has 115 M users per month playing for fun. Now imagine how many people would play if they could earn enough money for a living and take care of their basic needs?” — Alain HM, Crypto Analyst
To date, Heroes of Mavia have partnered with Binance, the Esports company “Team Queso” and Crypto.com who just awarded them a $2.5 million round of funding.
Now I want to be clear, I only bought one plot of common land in Heroes of Mavia and don’t plan on buying any more. I invested what I consider “play money.” You should realize that even though this game has big enough credentials, it could still totally blow up in your face.
(There’s very limited gameplay of “Heroes of Mavia” which is my main concern as it stands)
Other Metaverse plays on my watchlist
I’m working with this guy who’s a Web3 expert in the auto industry — his name’s Matthew Gonzalez, check him out — who gave me a few other Metaverse/NFT picks to consider.
Here’s what else I’m eyeballing:
Lyke Island
Purchase on OpenSea
Lyke Island is very early into its life cycle, but it has some of the best-looking NFTs I’ve ever seen. They have a focus on sustainability and released their first collection in February with 120 unique, hand-illustrated, animated plots.
Their collection will cost you a pretty penny, but as they incorporate more game-like elements into the series, it’s sure to stand out among the rest!
Enjin
Built on Ethereum, Enjin is the safest metaverse/NFT investment you can make; it’s like investing in the Microsoft of the crypto world.
Enjin allows game developers to manage and integrate NFTs into traditional video games. Besides being the platform where the biggest crypto video games are created, this is what they’ve accomplished in recent years:
- Samsung uses Enjin’s crypto wallet on their phones
- Microsoft Azure reward program runs on Enjin’s token
- Minecraft created NFTs with Enjin
- Binance mints collectibles with Enjin coin
Final thought
It was a weird feeling investing in the metaverse.
$2,800 of my Ethereum vanished before my eyes and turned into a 3D rendered grass knoll from a Clash of Clans game.
This solidified for me just how risky it is to invest in this space.
I wouldn’t advise investing anything more than “play money” in the metaverse; unless you want to dial up the risk to Defcon 9.
Whether Heroes of Mavia works out or not, I’m happy to see how the game progresses and if any other crypto-games pop off in 2022.
Ever since I was a child it was my dream to become a financial advisor. Unfortunately, it never came true. Therefore I am not a financial advisor and you should do your own research and not just listen to random people on the internet. Nothing contained in this publication should be construed as investment advice.
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Article contributed by Isaiah McCall
