When you merge video games and blockchain, you have one hot item for the millennials and gen z, blockchain games. CryptoKitties is the first blockchain game developed and the earliest attempt to apply blockchain technology to recreation and leisure. Among the first play and earn the game.

If you are a secret cat lover but do not want the smell and other hassles of cat-keeping, this game is for you. The gameplay is like a cross between baseball card collection and cat breeding.

Each CryptoKitty is an NFT (Non-fungible Token), meaning each one is unique and cannot be duplicated. There are twelve characteristics or ‘cattributes’ 😉 for each virtual cat. This includes pattern, mouth shape, fur, eye shape, base color, accent color, highlight color, eye color, and optional wild, environment, ‘purrstige,’ and ‘secret.’ This is possible because each CryptoKitty has a 256-bit distinct genome with DNA and different cattributes that can be passed to their offspring. However, they are represented by a static image.

Each CrytoKitty is solely owned by the user and cannot be transferred to another user without explicit permission. Users can buy, sell, and sire (breed) them. A CryptoKitty does not have a permanently assigned gender, so I guess they are gender fluid. They can only engage in one breeding session at once, and each cat can act as either matron (mother) or sire (father). Yes, we do not use the word ‘birthing person.’ There is a ‘cooldown’ time that indicates how soon the cat can breed again, which goes up with the number of breeds, capped at one week. So, give your CryptoKitties some privacy while they ‘get down to business.’

Occasionally when breeding, a newborn cat will possess a trait not seen in either of its parents. No, not because someone is having an affair. It is known as a mutation. Unfortunately, your cat is not an X-men (or X-cat?) and does not have superpowers. But it might have a cool new gene to pass on to its offspring. This adds value to the CryptoKitty because of that rare ‘cattribute.’

Purebred CryptoKitties have four of the same gene in the block for a certain Cattribute, making them highly valuable for breeding. It is guaranteed to pass on that trait, and the odds of a mutation, if you breed with a cat that has the partner gene are greatly increased. If you can find a second purebred with that partner gene, your chances are even better and, in fact, the highest possible.

And there are the Family Jewels. No, not the ones between the legs. They are “enhanced Cattributes” or Mewtations. It has been a long time coming, but your Kitties finally have the Jewels to prove their royal bloodlines. These Jewels are rewarded to the first Kitties to discover Mewtations, and those jewels may be inherited by their descendants.

These virtual cats can command a high price because of their rarity. Dragon is the new record holder for the most expensive CryptoKitty transaction, traded for 600 Ethereum, the rough equivalent of $170,000 at the time of the transaction. Just like the stock market, price changes depending on perception. Since then, the price has gone down by $30,000.

A CryptoKitty’s ownership is tracked via a smart contract on the Ethereum blockchain. But later, it announced plans to switch to the Flow blockchain in the “near future.”

You will need cryptocurrency to play. So, CryptoKitty, I choose you!