Axie Infinity

Pros

• Simple design with complexity that builds up, for beginners and pro gamers.
• Cute designs that aren't derivative of other monster collection games.
• Low to no entry costs. Get in during a promotion!

Cons

• Not available globally yet. The cryptocurrency needed is limited to The Philippines and some Southeast Asian (SEA) countries
• ETH-based. Can be mixed up with some NFT environmental controversies.
• Complex setup. You need to setup a crypto wallet and manage multiple currencies to understand the game. This can be a good thing for introducing people to cryptocurrency, but the guides aren't very educational.

Axie Infinity is a monster collecting and battle game based on blockchain technology. In short, it's like Pokemon with Crypto.

The monsters you raise and battle with are called Axie, and they're actually NFTs (non-fungible transactions). A lot of people have opinions about NFTs--mostly based on someone else's opinion--but in this situation, it's how blockchain should be used.

In many video games, characters and creatures have unique identifiers inside the game. It's part of the code, a way to reference unique entities that are generated by the game as needed.

In this sense, Axies are unique, blockchain ID creatures that can also be used as NFTs. Emphasis on "used as NFTs", as a lot of the drama surrounding NFTs involves the power usage behind forging extremely expensive, process-intensive NFTs.

That's not how NFTs work. That's how specific NFTs work. The NFTs in Axie use computer resources, as does Tweeting or posting on Tumblr. Axie Infinity is more a utility for crypto that allows use of NFTs, and while that's a bad word at the moment, it won't stick for long

Building Axie Teams

Axie Infinity is great for people who are new to games or used to more complex team battles. There's a lot of variety, and it's not all about the money value of NFTs.

There are two main roles: Tank and Attacker. Sorry, support mains and healers, all support skills are on the side of these roles. There are small heals or buffs on some Axies, but not enough to warrant a true support role title.

If you're a Holy Trinity player, this isn't for you. If you don't know what holy trinity gaming builds are, no need to learn it for this game!

Axies also have four stats: health, Speed, Skill, and Morale. Health is the general amount of damage an Axie can take, higher speed allows the Axie to attack sooner than others, skill increases combo damage, and Moral increase the crit or double damage value.

It's fairly standard RPG stats, with very few systems under the hood. There are plans for expanding the system, but the game teaches the types and their basics fairly well. So, if you're bringing kids into the game, you can enjoy more complex gameplay while children who aren't math or conceptual geniuses can still get some wins.

There are, of course, competitive parts of the game where planning and build management are the main method. This isn't an eSports-only game, so you can enjoy the game casually without much pressure from the general playerbase.

A Note on NFTs and Crypto Impact

As time passes, technology changes. So, remember that not all terms are interchangeable, and don't stop learning about a subject after one explanation that excites you--not even this one.

Interested in learning facts about your Axie wallet, or the impact of any project including Axie infinity? Start looking up carbon footprint calculators. While sites like cryptoart.wtf have voluntarily shut down due to misuse of their information, many services such as carbon.fyi can help you look up your personal wallet.

Dig deeper than that if you care. If you're not interested in learning the math yourself, just know that anyone can sound convincing--both for or against what you thing.

There are many communities such as Axie's Trovo stream community, the HitoriSama community, and the r/AxieInfinity subreddit that can give more info or just a place to hang out.

Pros

• Simple design with complexity that builds up, for beginners and pro gamers.
• Cute designs that aren't derivative of other monster collection games.
• Low to no entry costs. Get in during a promotion!

Cons

• Not available globally yet. The cryptocurrency needed is limited to The Philippines and some Southeast Asian (SEA) countries
• ETH-based. Can be mixed up with some NFT environmental controversies.
• Complex setup. You need to setup a crypto wallet and manage multiple currencies to understand the game. This can be a good thing for introducing people to cryptocurrency, but the guides aren't very educational.