I grew up playing real-time strategy games. Back then, I’d have laughed if you told me I could make a living off it. Sure, some freakishly good players can earn money off tournaments, but what about the average gamer? Until now, it was a pipe dream – but then came blockchain…

Blockchain technology is making it possible for games to allow true item ownership with the use of ERC-20, ERC-721 and ERC-1155 token standards. No longer will buying, selling and trading game items put you at risk of fraud and loss – instead, automatically executing smart contracts ensure secure and transparent trading, as well as the ability to freely exchange game item tokens for cryptocurrency with real value. This technology allows for new ways for gamers and developers alike to monetise their games, as well as some interesting game mechanics. It’s an exciting time for the gaming industry!

Now, there are plenty of games and studios out there venturing into blockchain solutions for their titles, but this one in particular caught my eye – Hash Rush!

Hash Rush is one of the most promising upcoming blockchain games, created by Latvian studio VZ Games – a newly formed studio combining the talents of several gaming and crypto community veterans such as founders Nathan Ziedonis and Kris Vaivods, lead game designer Rob Nicholls, and narrative designer Rick Gush.

It is a real-time strategy game where players must control a faction called the Ernacks in order to build a civilisation (other factions are planned but not yet available to play). Collect resources, explore the map, and defeat the mutated beasts that hang around the coveted Crypto Crystals!

Blockchain-Based Rewards

Players of Hash Rush will be rewarded in cryptocurrency such as Ether or Hash Rush’s proprietary currency Rushcoin. In addition, in-game items in Hash Rush are ERC-721 tokens in the form of cards that allow players to buy, trade, and sell their items, as well as store them in their crypto wallets, independent of game servers.

Unlike many other smaller blockchain game projects, Hash Rush looks well on its way to a polished release – they currently have a playable alpha version available for download (register on the Hash Rush website and the download link will be available in your profile).

Having played it for a while, I think it’s looking pretty good! The graphics are unique and eye-catching, and the controls are intuitive and will be easy to pick up on for anyone used to the RTS genre. The game is still lacking features such as a peer-to-peer marketplace or fully functioning quests, but it is still fun and pretty as heck! More in-depth functions will be introduced for the closed beta release.

Closed Beta and Rushcoin ICO

The Hash Rush team has set the beta release date for December this year. The closed beta will take a maximum of 10,000 players and will introduce non-fungible ERC-721 tokens and leaderboard challenges, allowing players to reap real rewards in the form of cryptocurrencies Ether and RushCoin. Sign up for the beta here!

The RushCoin ICO (Initial Coin Offering) is also active, allowing players and investors to purchase RushCoin and support the development of Hash Rush. The ICO finishes on December 1st.

Token Gamer will be keeping up with Hash Rush as it goes into beta and beyond. Stay tuned for more updates as they come!