Actually, when I heard people around me say, ""Make money with games,"" I was skeptical. However, when I tried it myself, it wasn't just a game, it was an economic ecosystem. Of course, it doesn't only have advantages. Today, I'll share with you all my honest reviews.
🎮What on earth is Axie Infinity (AXS)?
Actually, when I first heard about it, I thought, 'Is this another game token?' But after looking into it, I found out that it's a pretty interesting project. Axie Infinity is a game similar to Pokemon, and all the 'Axies' you raise here are NFTs.
What impressed me the most while playing the game was that each Axie had a really unique trait. I felt attached to them, as if I was raising a real pet. The battle system looks simple, but it has a lot of strategic elements, so I kept losing at first, but it got more and more fun.
I had a lot of trouble forming my first Axie team. Each body part has a different skill, and each class has a different matchup. It was like preparing for a Pokemon battle. I kept losing in battles for the first few days, but as I gradually learned the strategy, the fun of seeing my winning percentage go up was really great.
📈The eventful journey of Axie Infinity (AXS)
This project, which started in 2018, has shown truly dramatic growth. It started as a small Vietnamese startup called Sky Mavis, but now it has become a world-famous blockchain game.
I was particularly impressed by the fact that it gained so much popularity in the Philippines in 2021. When I heard that people who lost their jobs due to COVID-19 were making a living with this game, I felt the real potential of blockchain games. At the time, Axie players in the Philippines were said to be earning about $300-$500 a month.
Of course, there were many twists and turns after that, but I think those trials and errors made the project stronger. Personally, the Ronin hack in 2022 was the most shocking. I was really worried when over $600 million was hacked. But seeing the team respond responsibly and try to compensate, I am confident that it will become a more reliable project in the long run.
As of 2021, Axie Infinity has grown to a scale that can compete with traditional mobile games, with over 2.7 million daily active users. This is an unprecedented record in the history of blockchain games.
⚙️The game system is more complex than you think
At first, I thought, 'Isn't it just a Pokemon game?', but when I looked into it, it was really complicated. It runs on the Ethereum blockchain, but later moved to its own sidechain, Ronin, solving the gas fee issue.
AXS (Axie Infinity Shards)
It's a governance token that can also be staked. The current staking reward rate is around 50-70% per year, which is quite attractive. You also have voting rights on important decisions in the game, so you can actually influence the direction of the project.
SLP (Smooth Love Potion)
It's a token that you receive as a reward for playing the game. It is also used to breed Axies, and can be obtained steadily by completing daily quests. However, the supply is large, so the price fluctuates greatly.
When I actually played, I found that SLP can be collected steadily every day, but the market price fluctuates greatly, so it is difficult to predict profitability. For example, you can obtain about 150-200 SLP per day, but the profit difference when the SLP price is $0.01 and $0.05 is huge.
AXS feels a bit more stable, but it is also greatly affected by the cryptocurrency market. I've seen the price fluctuate significantly, especially with game updates or new feature announcements.
💰Can you really make money?
This is probably the part you're most curious about, but honestly, I think the correct answer is ""it depends."" From my own experience:
💚Profitability
- Initial investment cost: At least 300,000 to 1 million won is required to buy 3 Axies (depending on market conditions)
- Daily income: From 5,000 to 30,000 won per day depending on market conditions (individual differences)
- Time investment: If you invest 2-3 hours a day in the game, you can expect decent income
💔Realistic difficulties
- High initial entry barrier: A significant amount of capital is required to build a good Axie team
- Market volatility: A sudden change in token price can significantly reduce your profits
- Game meta changes: An update can suddenly make your Axie weaker
One thing that's particularly notable is the 'Scholarship' system. People with Axies (Managers) lend them to people without them (Scholars) and the profits are usually split 70:30 or 60:40. I was impressed by this creative economic model. I also started with Scala and learned the game.
• 1st month: 8,000 won per day on average (when I was still clumsy)
• 2nd month: 15,000 won per day on average (when I got used to the game)
• 3rd month: 12,000 won per day on average (after getting used to the game)
Of course, this is my personal experience, and it can vary greatly depending on the market situation and your playing skills.
🏪Buying and selling on the exchange
There are quite a few places where you can trade AXS and SLP. I'll introduce the exchanges I mainly use and their pros and cons:
Overseas exchanges
- Binance: I use it often because it has the largest trading volume. It has good liquidity and low spreads.
- Huobi: It's popular in Asia and offers a variety of trading options.
- KuCoin: It lists new tokens quickly and has a good staking service.
Domestic exchanges
- Upbit: AXS trading is possible, and direct KRW trading is convenient. However, SLP is not handled.
- Bithumb: Similar to Upbit, only AXS trading is possible, and the fee structure is slightly different.
Personally, I recommend trading in places with high trading volume. There is less slippage and the prices are more stable. This is especially important when trading large amounts.
• Check the 24-hour trading volume (the higher the better)
• Compare deposit/withdrawal fees (the difference is surprisingly large)
• Check the security level and hacking history
• Quality of customer support is also important
👥The power of the community
The Axie Infinity community is really active. There were so many things I didn't know when I first started, but I received a lot of help from the Discord and Reddit communities.
The Korean community is also quite active, so it's easy to get information in Korean. They share information in real time in KakaoTalk open chat rooms and Telegram rooms. At first, I was just a receiver of information, but now I'm also helping new users.
• Team composition strategy according to meta changes (this is really important!)
• New update information and interpretation
• Market situation analysis and outlook
• Scholarship opportunities and manager recruitment information
• Various events and airdrop information
• Technical problem solving methods
What I felt through community activities is that there is a lot of information that you can never know on your own. In particular, practical tips such as which Axie combination is advantageous and which strategy is effective whenever the game meta changes can only be obtained from the community.
🔐Wallet management, this is a must!
I mainly use MetaMask, so security management is really important. Due to the nature of blockchain games, there is always a risk of hacking or phishing attacks.
⚠️ Security rules I actually follow:
- Never store your seed phrase online - Write it down on a piece of paper and keep it in a safe place
- Change your password regularly - At least every 3 months
- Never click on suspicious links - Especially DMs on Discord or Telegram
- Keep large amounts on a hardware wallet - Like Ledger or Trezor
- Never trade on public Wi-Fi - Only at home or on a secure network
There are so many phishing sites in particular, so I bookmark the official site address and always access it through that. Sometimes, I almost ended up on a fake site when I searched on Google.
I also manage my Ronin wallet separately, using it for game play and long-term storage separately. It diversifies the risk in case of an unexpected situation.
⚠️Things you must know before investing
Based on my experience over the past few months, I strongly recommend that you consider these points. Especially for beginners, I hope you approach it with extra caution.
⛔Risk factors
- Dramatic changes in the game meta: One day, my Axie may suddenly become useless. In fact, there were many changes during the Season 3 update.
- Extreme volatility of token prices: SLP is particularly severe, and it is common for the price to fluctuate by more than 50% in a month.
- Changes in development team policies: The profit structure can change due to sudden rule changes.
- Emergence of competing games: Users can leave if a better P2E game comes out.
- Legal and regulatory risks: Cryptocurrency-related regulations of each country's government can have an impact.
✅Success factors
- Consistent gameplay: You lose money after just one or two days. You need to keep going for at least 3-6 months.
- Constant market monitoring: You need to keep checking token prices, game updates, and community trends.
- Community engagement: Information gathering and networking are really important.
- Long-term perspective: Focus on steady income rather than expecting big profits in the short term.
- Risk management: Invest only with spare cash, not living expenses.
Based on my experience, I think it's better to approach Axie Infinity as a 'side job with a hobby' rather than an 'investment'. If you enjoy the game itself, consider the profits as a bonus, and if you don't enjoy the game, consider other places to invest.
🎯Conclusion: Is it right for me?
To be honest, Axie Infinity is not a 'easy money maker'. However, it was an interesting experience that gave us a glimpse into the future of blockchain games. I think it's really innovative, especially in that it's a new form of entertainment that combines games and the economy.
Recommended for these people
✓ Those who enjoy games and expect to make money at the same time
✓ Those who are interested in new technologies and trends
✓ Those who can take some risks
✓ Those who can consistently invest time
✓ Those who enjoy community activities
However, please never invest your living expenses, and I hope you approach it carefully within your spare funds. I also started with a small amount and gradually increased it.
Also, Axie Infinity is not just a game, but an ecosystem. Not only the game itself, but also the NFT marketplace and DeFi features