CryptoKitties

About

CryptoKitties is a collectible cat-breeding video game built on the Ethereum blockchain computer platform, allowing for digital scarcity through NFTs. The game allows users to buy, sell, trade and breed digital cats with the intention of collecting the rarest kitties possible. Each kitty has a different set of attributes, with some of those characteristics being rarer than others. Within a week of launching users had already spent more than $6.7 million on the game.

History

In September 2017, CryptoKitties launched its alph test at the ETHWaterloo. There it won the ETHWaterloo hackathon.^[1]

CryptoKitties launched on November 28th, 2017.^[1] Within one week, the game garners more than 60,000 registered users and over $5 million in transactions.

Features

CryptoKitties allows users to breed, collect, buy and sell digital kittens. Because each CryptoKitty is unique, the combination of two characters can create rarities in the game, making those CryptoKitties more valuable. The game allows users to breed CryptoKitties to make new and more unique character designs.^[3][4]

On December 5th, Vice News ^[6] published a report on the sudden popularity of CryptoKitties. The video (shown below) received more than 28,000 views in one week.

Highlights

CryptoKitties is the world's first game built on blockchain technology. The use of blockchain, essentially, allows the digital cats to be 100% unique, much like a cryptocurrency.

On December 6th, 2017, CNBC^[2] reported that since launching one week prior, that users had spent the equivalent of $6.7 million on more than 41,000 unique kittens.

That day, the game sold Founder Cat #18 for Ξ 253.3368 (Ether) or $110,707.50.^[5] Within six days, the cat has been valued at more than $158,000.

The sudden popularity of the game led to slowdown in the Ethereum network. That day, Redditor ^[7] Jahus explained the issue in the /r/CryptoKitties subreddit. They wrote:

"Actually, most of the transactions are failing and the gas price is skyrocketting.

The Ethereum network can't process more than 8 TX/s and it won't scale as fast as some players of your game think.
There is a huge backlog and it needs to be cleared. Network can't do anything right now (and more mining power won't help, even if some people tend to think it can).

But you, you can do something to help: pause it, for some hours. Players would feel much better after this (their operations would be processed with no pain) and all the

Ether spent for 35 Gwei transactions may just be spent on cute cryptokitties!

Sincerely hope you'll answer this call.

Edit: If people can still play using the smart contract, then pause it for some hours, the time to clear the backlog."

Search Interest

External References