At the core of GameFi projects, we have play-to-earn (P2E) as a revolutionary gaming mode. It’s quite different from the pay-to-play model adopted by traditional video games. Pay-to-play requires gamers to invest before they can start playing. For example, video games like Call of Duty need players to purchase licenses or recurring subscriptions.

In most cases, traditional video games won’t generate any financial returns to players, and their in-game assets are controlled and held by the gaming company. In contrast, P2E games can give players full control over their in-game assets while also offering opportunities for them to make money.

However, keep in mind that it all depends on the model and game design adopted by the GameFi projects. Blockchain technology can (and should) give players full control over their in-game assets, but that’s not always the case. Make sure you understand how the game works and who is behind the project before getting into a P2E game.

Another thing to note is that P2E games can be free-to-play and still generate financial rewards to players, but some GameFi projects require you to purchase NFTs or cryptoassets before you can play. As such, it’s always important to DYOR and evaluate the risks. If a P2E game requires a big investment to start and the rewards are small, you are more likely to lose your initial investment.

One of the most popular play-to-earn games is Axie Infinity. It’s an Ethereum-based NFT game that has been growing in popularity since 2018. Gamers can use their NFT pets (Axies) to earn SLP tokens by completing daily quests and battling other players. 

They can also get AXS rewards if they manage to achieve a certain PvP rank. In addition, AXS and SLP can be used to breed new Axies, which can be used in-game or traded in their official NFT marketplace.

Apart from buying and selling Axies, players can lend their Axies to other players, which gives owners an opportunity to earn without playing the game. This lending model is known as scholarship. It allows scholars to use the borrowed Axies to play and earn rewards. 

In other words, Axie owners can make a passive income while scholars can play the game without making any investment. The earned rewards are then split between scholars and Axies owners.