There are few Web3 tools I hold in higher regard than CryptoZombies. Not only should more people know about this gem, but more people should know why it’s as important as it is.

You may not be aware, but there is an insatiable demand for talent in Web3. The speed at which the industry is growing is far outpacing the number of people skilling up within it. This is then exacerbated by how new the industry is; you aren’t going to find developers with 10+ years of experience in blockchain. (If you somehow manage to, you better have some deep pockets.)

Take some time to look around every organization in Web3 you can think of — they’re all hiring. Even smaller outfits like Token Gamer have essentially standing vacancies. Why? There is a lot of money in Web3 — even in a bear market — and one of the biggest gatekeepers of growth is finding talent.

There are numerous ways in which you can be useful in Web3, but if you are looking at it from the outside and believe you have no skills particularly applicable, might I suggest learning to be a blockchain developer?

In High Demand: Blockchain Developers

If you are a beginner in the space — and for the sake of clarity in this article, I’m going to assume you are — then you might wonder how anyone could learn to be a blockchain developer. Many programming languages in Web3 allow the writing of smart contracts, which are, in essence, programs that are stored on blockchains.

These smart contracts execute conditions and procedures that are defined within them and they are an essential part of blockchain technology. (The question of “What is a smart contract?” is too complex to answer in this article while keeping it self-contained. I would recommend reading Ethereum.org’s guide.)

There are several different programming languages used in Web3 and which are used vary chain by chain. Nevertheless, some languages are more popular (and thus, more valuable to know) than others. Arguably, the most in-demand is Solidity which is the language used for smart contracts on Ethereum, which explains the demand. It is, however, also used for Binance Smart Chain, Avalanche, and Tron, among others.

So, how do you attain the skill of being able to write smart contracts in Solidity?

CryptoZombies: A Fun Way to Learn to Write Smart Contracts, For Free

What is CryptoZombies? “CryptoZombies is an interactive school that teaches you all things technical about blockchains. Learn to write smart contracts by making your own crypto-collectibles game.” What’s more, it’s completely free. Through your browser, you can learn Solidity by building and deploying your own zombie Dapp. You can then go on to more advanced tutorials to flesh out your knowledge further.

The above screenshot may look a little dry and intimidating, but building your own Dapp and seeing how the results play out is not only a great way to learn, but an enjoyable way too. Interactive tutorials will always win out over standard book-learning.

CrypoZombies are constantly adding more courses to their roster and, in fact, just this month, they added a new mini-game: CryptoZombies Origins: What Is Blockchain? This little game teaches and tests the basics of blockchain which makes it a good starting point before you jump into learning Solidity!

All in all, CryptoZombies is a treasure of Web3, and although it has proven popular, with over 1 million courses completed, it is still wildly undervalued. This is the best way I have seen to get started with writing smart contracts and learning Solidity, and yet, it’s completely free.