What Are NFT Games? And How to Launch Your NFT Games Career

NFT games are similar to traditional video games, where players can sell, trade, and buy items for in-game currency. However, NFT games allow players to transfer their earnings to other games and exchange it with other players with cryptocurrency. These platforms have recently gained popularity and have intrigued gamers and non-gamers over their novel design and opportunities for profit. 

Outside of earning money by playing the games, many opportunities exist in this niche professionally. These positions range from technical roles, such as NFT game developers and blockchain game engineers, to business roles, such as brand market strategists, consumer research analysts, and business development managers. In this article, learn about NFT games, career opportunities, the companies involved, and more. 

What are NFTs? 

NFTs stand for non-fungible tokens, which are digital assets stored on a blockchain that can’t be copied, substituted, or changed. A blockchain is a digital ledger that securely stores and tracks transactions and assets. These tokens provide proof of ownership and validate the authenticity of digital content. NFTs also have many uses, such as digital assets in a game or collectible pieces of art.

Read more: What Is an NFT? Your Guide to Non-Fungible Tokens

How do NFT games work?

NFT games use non-fungible tokens to provide the foundation for how players interact, the rules, and how players move in the game. Users who play an NFT game might use NFTs to create a character or find, create, buy, or trade NFTs within the game to play. 

Generally, developers create NFT games using smart contracts, a unique contract designed on blockchain technology. Smart contracts are coded directly into the blockchain and execute once gameplay meets a predetermined set of functions. 

NFT games differ from many video games because the value of in-game assets carries over outside gaming contexts. Smart contracts shift ownership of in-game NFTs to players when they meet the requirements. Players can either continue using their NFTs in the game, take their token to another gaming platform, or sell it outside the gaming environment.

Users can play or design two types of NFT games that use NFT and blockchain technology, slightly different in their design. You can also find both features within one NFT game:

Play-to-earn NFT games

As the name suggests, play-to-earn NFT games allow players to earn money as they play the game. This type of design usually runs on “tokens,” which players earn by completing in-game tasks and achieving milestones. 

In-game NFTs games

NFTs games let you earn NFTs and trade them within the game or exchange them for real-world money. This is the original way to generate income through NFT games. Examples of in-game NFTs include currency used only in:

• A particular game

• Avatar character skins

• Weapons

• Tools

• Gloves

• Trading cards

• Pets

• Other items in a game  

Read more: What Is a Blockchain Developer (and How Do I Become One)?

Examples of NFT games

Whether you are interested in being a player, starting a career in NFT gaming, or both, familiarity with the leading games can help you feel more confident making decisions in this space. Take a look at a few examples of NFT games:

Read more: What Is Metaverse Gaming? (Career Opportunities)

Splinterlands

Splinterlands is a blockchain-based collectible card game where users build a card collection of cards with different abilities, such as camouflage, forcefield, and heal. Players can battle each other by using these cards and abilities. Splinterlands has its own coin, Splintershards, which users can collect and trade to earn money while playing. Splinterlands exploded in popularity in mid-2021, seeing an increase from 8.3k users on July 11th, 2021, to 492.13k users on October 31st, 2021, according to historical data on DappRadar [2]. 

Alien Worlds

Alien Worlds was the first blockchain-based game to top 100,000 users, with nearly 8 million lifetime miners [3]. In Alien Worlds, you mine for Trilium (its crypto token) in a metaverse spanning seven virtual planets. This game is a play-to-earn game in which users and you can earn Trilium by mining coins, achieving milestones, renting digital land, and battling other players. Players can take out their Trilium from the gaming environment when they want to cash out. 

CryptoMines Reborn

CryptoMines Reborn is another play-to-earn NFT game set in an alternate sci-fi reality. This game is the updated version of the original, now known as CryptoMines Legacy. CryptoMines games are based on the Binance (BNB) blockchain and are designed to have players search for $CRUX, its cryptocurrency. By collecting $CRUX and exchanging it for Dark Matter, players strive to travel throughout the Reborn galaxy by collecting $CRUX, hangars, spaceships, fleets, and workers.

Axie Infinity

Axie Infinity is a popular NFT game that reached around 34k users in July 2021 and primarily uses Ethereum as its base coin [4]. For this game, users have NFTs as digital pets called Axies. Players can raise these pets, train them, battle with other players’ pets, and sell them. Users try to increase the value of their in-game pets and assets to sell to other players to make money.

Farmers World

Farmer’s World is a play-to-earn NFT game where users can build farms, buy resources, acquire tools, and create a thriving virtual ecosystem. Users can earn three in-game tokens: Food (FWW), Wood (FWF), and Gold (FWG) on the WAX blockchain. Players can exchange their tokens for other resources or sell them on the marketplace to make money. 

5 NFT gaming development companies to know

NFT gaming industry careers 

The demand for blockchain-based NFT games and gaming systems has risen over the past year, and many exciting roles exist in the game development industry to become involved in this space. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, here are some projected growth rates for occupations that may be in the NFT gaming industry from 2021 to 2031:

• Computer and information technology: 15% [5]

• Business and finance: 7% [6]

• Web developers and digital designers: 23% [7]

Game development companies are recruiting professionals to help in areas including game design and development, coding, game testing, creative roles, and more. 

If you are interested in working in the NFT gaming industry, understanding the available careers can help you decide how to build your skills and increase your employment opportunities. While companies will vary in available positions and ideal candidate qualifications, here are some examples of NFT gaming companies and possible career opportunities on their teams.

NFT game industry job titles and salaries

While not a comprehensive list, some common roles and their respective annual US salaries you are likely to find within the NFT gaming industry include:

*All US salary data is sourced from Glassdoor and is updated as of February 2023.

• Blockchain developer: $90,539 [8]

• Game developer: $74,351 [9]

• Game engineer: $85,851 [10]

• PHP developer: $89,286 [11]

• Magento developer: $94,937 [12]

• React Native developer: $88,977 [13]

• Unity developer: $69,594 [14]

• UX designer: $81,282 [15]

• Sound engineer: $48,862[16]

• Business analyst: $76,253[17]

• Financial analyst: $67,905 [18]

• Quality assurance analyst: $76,149 [19]

• Marketing coordinator: $48,422 [20]

• Customer support specialist: $42,907 [21]

• Graphic designer: $44,942 [22]

Skills for working in NFT gaming

For an industry as diverse as the NFT gaming industry, a mix of workplace human and technical skills is often beneficial to create high-quality products, network with global partners, and market the product to a wide audience. If you are looking at a technical position, such as an NFT game developer, you will need skills such as:

Techincal

• Programming languages (C++, Java, Objective-C)

• Web development (JavaScript, HTML, Solidity)

• Agile software development

• Game development tools (Unity, Unreal Engine)

• Knowledge of blockchain technology, cryptocurrency technologies, and decentralized networks

• Knowledge of virtual reality, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and Web3 concepts 

• 3D art and animation

Workplace

• Critical thinking

• Clear communication skills

• Ability to work on tight deadlines

• Problem-solving

• Ability to work with diverse teams

• Creativity

• Resilience

Education

The educational qualifications you will need to work in NFT gaming will depend on the kind of role you are applying for. Employers often prefer a bachelor's or graduate degree for technical positions such as blockchain developers or NFT game developers. Degrees in technical fields, such as computer science or computer engineering, can help demonstrate you have the skills required to be successful in these positions. These roles typically, as they often require advanced coding and software development skills. 

Additional education focused specifically on game development or blockchain technology can also help you gain familiarity with game engine environments and platforms commonly used in the NFT gaming industry. 

For less technical roles, such as graphic design or business development, having educational experience related to the position—such as an MBA for business positions or a graphic design degree for artistic positions—can be beneficial to showcase your skills. 

Read more: Computer Science vs. Computer Engineering: How the Jobs Differ

Certificates

Whether you’re in another industry or want to pivot into the NFT world, specializations and certificates can help demonstrate your technical knowledge and enhance your resume. Gaining a certificate can validate your skills and draw attention from hiring managers. Since this field is diverse, here are some specializations and certificates to consider: 

NFT gaming portfolio

Building a portfolio of past projects and highlighting relevant experiences on your resume are great ways to potentially stand out during the application process and increase your chances of moving on to the next hiring stage. However, only some roles may benefit from having a portfolio, such as game designer, UX designer, computer programmer, and content writer. 

If you don’t have relevant project experience or want to pivot to the technical aspect of the gaming industry, completing a Guided Project on Coursera may help you demonstrate your skills in applicable ways. Guided Projects such as Create Basic Behavior With C# in Unity can help you build your project experience and gain confidence using common platforms. 

Get started in the NFT gaming industry

From technical roles to customer service representatives, you'll find no shortage of professional directions in the NFT gaming industry. Learn more about game development, NFT design, and applications founded on blockchain technology to determine whether this is the right career path for you. Here are some courses that provide insight into different areas of this industry: