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CryptoKitties vs. Axie Infinity: Computational Analysis of NFT Game Reddit Discussions

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ArtsIT, Interactivity and Game Creation (ArtsIT 2022)

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Abstract

Online trading of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and online gaming have recently been integrated as NFT-based games. We conducted a comparative study of online discussions of two prominent NFT-based games: CryptoKitties and Axie Infinity. Topic modeling is employed to analyze the large collected data. Key findings are: 1) The games carry functions of education and gamification for blockchain technology adoption. 2) Motivations are mixed between fun and earning money. 3) Players reflect their playful experiences in the community. 4) We discuss connections between the Axie Infinity scholarship program, players with poor financial status, and issues of modern crypto-colonialism. We outline future research directions for NFT games based on our findings.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    There are also other factors can influence the price such as generation and exclusiveness of kitties, please see https://guide.cryptokitties.co/guide/tips/value-of-kitties.

  2. 2.

    https://whitepaper.axieinfinity.com/gameplay/breeding.

  3. 3.

    https://github.com/pushshift/api.

  4. 4.

    Such posts can become very personal, we hence do not show the actual quote.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by Academy of Finland decision 312395.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Tampere University, Tampere, Finland

    Chien Lu & Jaakko Peltonen

  2. University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy

    Giacomo Lauritano

Authors
  1. Chien Lu
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  2. Giacomo Lauritano
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  3. Jaakko Peltonen
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Correspondence to Chien Lu .

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  1. Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark

    Anthony L. Brooks

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Lu, C., Lauritano, G., Peltonen, J. (2023). CryptoKitties vs. Axie Infinity: Computational Analysis of NFT Game Reddit Discussions. In: Brooks, A.L. (eds) ArtsIT, Interactivity and Game Creation. ArtsIT 2022. Lecture Notes of the Institute for Computer Sciences, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering, vol 479. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-28993-4_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-28993-4_8

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-28993-4

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