Blockchain technology has demonstrated repeatedly that the scope of its use and implementation is limitless. And as such, we have witnessed with each passing day, how the emerging technology is continually revolutionizing the digital world as we know it, and paving the way for inventions that would otherwise be unthinkable.
Arguably, human behavior is one of the many areas where blockchain technology has been found to be highly disruptive, with people being able to commodify their daily routines or activities.
In recent times, we have seen the rise of play-to-earn, learn-and-earn, sleep-to-earn, dance-to-earn, watch-to-earn, sex-to-earn, drive-to-earn, and more relevant to this article, move-to-earn.
Move-to-earn, like most other behavioral activities that have found purpose on the blockchain, encompasses a wide range of products and services that reward users for being active. In other words, users of these platforms are compensated for “living their lives,” or let’s say for participating in regular exercise routines or specific fitness-related contests that improve their well-being.
In this article, we have compiled a list of ten move-to-earn projects that are worth giving a try in 2022.
10. Walken
Walken is an NFT-backed gamified exercise app that introduces a new dynamic to the move-to-earn gaming concept. By leveraging unique NFT characters known as CAThletes, the game connects real-life sports activities with online gaming while enabling participants to earn cryptocurrency via its reward system.
Specifically, players’ steps are converted into ‘Gems,’ which fuels up the activities of CAThlete NFTs within the gaming application, and ultimately determines their odds of winning the various competition in which they are made to compete.
As such, the player’s physical participation determines how far these CAThletes can go within the game. More so, players who perform well in the game are rewarded with WLKN tokens, the project’s native asset.
These WLKN tokens, on the other hand, can be used to buy in-game items like collectibles, enabling players to compete in exclusive events. Furthermore, gamers can choose to commercialize these tokens by selling them to other players within the game who show interest in purchasing them.
9. Dotmoovs
This particular gamified exercise application is unique for many reasons, one of which is its compatibility with any sport of players’ choice. Essentially, the move-to-earn application introduces a metaverse where sports lovers can compete with one another from different parts of the world and get rewarded.
Particularly, the blockchain-based competitive sports platform employs the use of a state-of-the-art artificial intelligence system that analyzes live videos of payers performing different sports activities of their choice.
In this case, the platform’s AI system analyzes the competitors’ performance and rewards the winner using its proprietary MOOV tokens, which double as the network’s native asset. Unlike most move-to-earn gaming projects, this particular platform offers a more realistic experience for users who can interact with one another in real-time.
8. Defy
This move-to-earn project is yet another platform that immerses players in a metaverse that bridges the virtual and physical world. It is considered to be one of the fastest-growing M2E projects and a major contender in the move-to-earn space, especially after it recently raised $3.5 million in seed funding.
The project itself is based on Polygon layer-2 blockchain and features code-breaking gameplay, AR adventures, learn-to-earn elements, and virtual-to-physical world integration with a sustainable reward mechanism. The AR adventure gameplay, which appears to be the highlight of the project, requires players to join the revolution and fight back against the evil future system corporations.
To do so, players must steal the future system corporation’s digital currency, FCOIN, which necessitates embarking on hacking missions that demand they roam around and explore their physical surroundings with the aid of an AR set. Essentially, you will need to explore the world and look for vulnerable access points in order to inject zero-day exploits into Future System’s network.
Also, by enabling a dual currency and NFT asset model, the game is able to offer its native token, the DEFY token, which serves as the platform’s governance token and utility token. The DEFY token is an ERC 20 token and can be acquired using two methods, one of which is through FCOIN swapping. Alternatively, it can be purchased on DEX/CEX platforms where it is being traded.
7. Dustland Runner
This health and fitness-oriented move-to-earn gaming project is based on the Ethereum blockchain and is acclaimed as the world’s first proof-of-workout audio game on the official website.
Specifically, players get to participate in real-life exercises such as running, jogging, or sprinting, which equally progress the journey of a virtual character located in a post-apocalyptic game setting.
While the physical performance of the players determines the progress of the virtual character, they get to earn virtual rewards based on the distance covered and not performance. These rewards, however, include NFTs and DOSE tokens, the project’s native asset, which can be used to upgrade and progress the adventure.
Alternatively, a player can use the special items and other resources collected in-game to upgrade their virtual characters and ultimately improve their stats as well as tackle more dangerous missions with greater rewards.
6. Calo Run
This project combines GameFi, move-to-earn, and health guidelines to provide an immersive ecosystem that promises to improve the health and well-being of its users (i.e. players).
Specifically, by enabling virtual-to-physical world integration, players are rewarded for engaging in moving activities such as walking, running, and general training that naturally help burn calories. To achieve this, the player, upon entering the Calo Metaverse, gets to equip themselves with SNEAKERS, which qualify them to participate in different challenges.
That way, by running, walking, or training in real life, players are able to conquer challenges in-game and are subsequently incentivized with the project’s native token, the FIT token. The ERC 20 token is also required to unlock and participate in subsequent activities on the app.
It is also important to keep in mind that the SNEAKERS acquired in-app are represented as NFTs and can be traded on the platform’s dedicated marketplace, alongside the FIT token and CALO, both of which are normally earned in the course of the game.
5. Fitmint
Similar to Calo Run, this particular project is not only helping people to generate crypto revenue without any fundamental knowledge of the underlying technology, but it is doing that in the healthiest way possible.
Essentially, Fitment is a web 3 fitness application with built-in gaming and Social-Fi elements that reward users with Crypto/NFT for exercising their bodies. Notably, players are required to mint an NFT in the form of sneakers, which qualifies them to embark on a fitness journey on the platform.
By minting and customizing their NFT sneakers, players will have access to four major stats including power, durability, stamina, and comfort, all of which determine the overall lifestyle performance.
A player can, therefore, walk, run, or work out to improve on power, total calories burned, and other game parameters set for each task in order to start earning FITT tokens, the platform’s native asset.
Also, FITT tokens earned can be used to upgrade sneakers, unlock new features/rewards, repair sneakers, breed new sneakers, or perhaps cash out by trading them on the platform’s dedicated marketplace.
4. CycGo
CycGo is just like most move-to-earn projects except that instead of minting a sneaker as in most cases, players get to mint and equip themselves with NFTs in the form of Bicycles.
Like most of its peers, CycGo also combines elements of GameFi and SocialFi to reward players. In other words, by cycling, jogging, running, or walking, a player can earn the in-game currency, which can either be used in-game for upgrades or cashed out for profit.
Also, players can choose to sell, or lease their Bicycles on the dedicated in-app marketplace and store their rewards in their in-app wallets, which come with a built-in swap function in case they decide to cash out their profit.
3. DeFit
Being the acronym for Decentralized Fitness, DeFit combines sports and blockchain to deliver a fitness marketplace based on the Ethereum and Polygon networks. Essentially, it operates like most move-to-earn projects, and particularly, integrates social interaction that enables participants to follow and chat with one another.
At the fundamental stage, players are required to sync both their metamask wallet and wearables, both of which enable them to retrieve awarded $DEFIT tokens and complete incentivized activities, respectively.
Also peculiar to DeFit, players can access different training classes, coaches, and data in real-time without the inconvenience of intermediaries, thereby providing a seamless player-coach experience with unparalleled support.
2. StepN
Like Genopets, this particular project set the standard for others like Fitmint and Calo Run. Specifically, StepN is a lifestyle app based on the Solana ecosystem and like the majority of move-to-earn projects, combines elements of GameFi and SocialFI to reward users for exercising their bodies.
Just like the name implies, all that is required of a player is to ‘step’ literally, and then they are rewarded with STEPN tokens, which can be used in minting NFT sneakers or exchanged for other valuable crypto assets.
Currently, there are two main tokens in circulation within the STEPN project; players can earn a secondary token known as the GST token by running, exercising, or engaging in various competitive gaming activities within the app.
The GST token, for one, is used in minting, repairing, upgrading, and customizing players’ sneakers as well as other in-game collectible items. On the other hand, there is a management token known as GMT, which if earned by players, enables them to commercialize their profits by exchanging them for stablecoins.
1. Genopets
We deliberately reserved this particular project for the last on our list, as it was the first move-to-earn mobile role-playing game (RPG) to reward users for moving. In other words, players earn rewards by exercising their body, mind, and spirit, which is required to care for their digital familiar.
As such, when a player hits the gym or road, it lets them upgrade their player’s genopet, which doubles as the digital familiar.
Players can also compete with themselves by entering their genopets into a dedicated battle arena where winners are rewarded with the platform’s native asset – $KI. These $KI tokens can either be used to craft special items that will upgrade a player’s genopet, or perhaps commercialize it by selling to other players in need of a boost.
