Blockchain Gaming: What It Is, How It Works, and Which Projects Still Matter
When you hear blockchain gaming, a type of video game where players own in-game assets as digital tokens on a blockchain. Also known as GameFi, it promises you can earn real money while playing. Sounds simple, right? But most games built on this idea collapsed by 2024. Why? Because they confused hype with value. Real blockchain gaming isn’t just about grinding for tokens—it’s about having actual utility in the game, not just a price chart that crashes when the devs disappear.
Some projects tried to tie NFT games, games where characters, weapons, or land are unique digital collectibles stored on a blockchain to real gameplay. Dragon Coin (DGN) was one of them—built for cross-game asset use, with staking and governance tied to its own blockchain. That’s the kind of structure that lasts. Others, like Cryptomeda (TECH), promised big things but vanished with zero trading volume and no updates. Then there are the charity tokens and meme coins pretending to be gaming projects—HYPERSKIDS, STARSHARKS, and others—that used the word ‘play-to-earn’ as a cover for pump-and-dump schemes. The difference? One has a working game engine. The other has a Discord server and a whitepaper nobody reads.
What separates the survivors from the dead? It’s not the blockchain. It’s not the token name. It’s whether players actually use the assets inside the game. If you can’t trade your sword in another game, or stake your hero to earn rewards that matter, then it’s just a digital sticker. The best blockchain games today let you earn, spend, and move your assets across platforms. They’re not trying to replace your favorite RPG—they’re trying to give you ownership in it. And that’s why you’ll find reviews here about projects that still have active players, real tokenomics, and teams that ship updates—not just airdrop claims and fake Twitter bots.
Below, you’ll find honest breakdowns of the few blockchain gaming projects that didn’t fade away, the scams that looked like the real thing, and the airdrops you can still qualify for without giving up your private keys. No fluff. No hype. Just what’s left standing after the crash.
