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Hey there guys!
I’ve been exploring the world of crypto for a little while. Now that I have a very basic idea of how it works in very general terms, I wanted to widen my search field.
The amazing thing about the world of blockchains is that every blockchain is able to serve a different function. Bitcoin seems to be the go-to storage of personal wealth, but not so much for day-to-day transactions, as it is fairly slow (new blocks are created every 10 minutes). Others have faster transactions, yet have higher network fees, which works for high price transactions, but not for low-cost transactions- like Ethereum. Some are geared up to carry decentralized apps (dapps), others for NFTs. Even a new blockchain-based internet - web3. The most fascinating thing I’ve learned so far about crypto is that despite it being overwhelming in its scale - it is the potential opportunities it offers. The number of currencies - huge, the values - enormous, and a quick search on Twitter for #NFT will return with pages of results. Despite all of this, crypto is only just beginning and the possibilities are seemingly endless.
I thought I was late to the party, but in fact, we haven’t even finished the pre-drinks. It was 14 years or so since Satoshi Nakamoto devised bitcoin. That may seem a long time, but it really isn’t. You might not be an early adopter* of bitcoin, neither was I, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty more opportunities in the very near future.
*(I’ve read that only 1% of the global population owns any bitcoin - so perhaps we are early adopters).
The first step I’m taking in my search for new interesting uses of blockchain technology is the Play-to-Earn world of gaming. Even though this concept is really new, there is already an enormous selection of games to choose from. For no reason, other than I saw an advert on my BRAVE browser, I choose Upland!
Upland is a property trading game that is mapped to real-world locations. Initially, the game was set in San Francisco but has since expanded to contain 17 US cities in total and the Upland metaverse plans to expand globally. So if you start playing now, you really will be ahead of the curve.
follow this referral link if you’re interested in starting: https://r.upland.me/Gdn3
(if you join via this link we both get rewarded)
Anyway, back to what Upland is all about. The game is built on the EOS blockchain and operates two cryptocurrencies UPX and Spark. They aren’t really true cryptocurrencies because they cannot currently be traded outside the game. There are rumours that this could change at some point. In my novice eyes, I view it as a cryptocurrency- I’m easily confused! UPX is used to buy properties and is valued at 1000UPX to $1. Spark is a little more scarce and is used to build structures on your owned property. In many ways, it’s essentially Monopoly. You buy the property and when you can afford it you pay for houses and hotels to be built to increase your net worth. You then have the option of selling your properties in either UPX or there is the option to sell directly in US Dollars - so there is potential to make some fiat currency as well as UPX. I would say I've been playing for a little under a month and I haven't made any USD yet. That said, in this aspect of the game it's a bit of a slow burner, but once you start building up a property portfolio, you start earning UPX directly from them. So as you own more, you earn more from them. At a certain point, if you own enough, your properties will give you a decent return in UPX, without you needing to do anything. There are other ways to increase your wealth but that involves NFT trading and collecting Legits, which I've not done yet, so I'll discuss this in a later post. Also, after owning certain properties for a set amount of time (the higher the ranking, the less time you have to wait) you can sell your property for USD, and the money can be sent straight to your Paypal account. It is worth noting that for FSA properties, you have to wait much longer than non-FSA properties. But like I said, its a slow burner. I own about 30 properties, if I wait 6 months there's a good chance that I'll be able to sell the majority for a great deal more than I've put into the game so far. Or I could fail and lose the small sums of USD I've put into the game (probably about $15).
Now - the gameplay (a basic guide)
When you have created an account, you are handed 4500UPX (The in-game currency). You are then asked which city you’d like to start in.
(Disclaimer: Like my cryptocurrency posts, I’m a novice, so please don’t make financial decisions based on my advice!)
I started in Staten Island, but that was definitely a mistake. Everything was too expensive, so I ended up putting $5 into the game to let me afford something. Not the end of the world, but I could have done better. After that, I moved to Detroit, where there are plenty of cheaper properties and FSA properties (Fair Start Act) which only lower-ranked players can buy. There are also unminted properties. Unminted means no one has owned them on the blockchain yet. You are the first owner of them, if that was cool enough, if you mint a property you get a minimum of a 17% return, which is astonishingly high when compared to savings rates in the real world. I intend to hold on to the properties that I minted for as long as possible to make the most of the investment.
At the beginning you are a ‘visitor’, you can buy properties, but to stay in the game you need to get your ‘visa’ stamped every week or you lose everything. Once you’re assets reach 10000UPX you become an ‘Uplander’, which is where I am. It gives you more power in the game with regards to trading with other players and crucially, you are rewarded with True Ownership. This means your assets are yours and no one can take them away from you. It also means your account is matched to an EOS account on the EOS blockchain to manage your assets.
So if you are a visitor or Uplander, you are given a chance to get on to the property ladder via the FSA properties. To prevent the established property moguls from simply buying everything, they are blocked out of the market for certain real estate. Certain cities are known as starter cities, like Detroit. Which is why I should have started there in the first place! I've since moved to Detroit and I have been able to buy a number of properties which now earn me a decent amount of UPX. I supplement my income via the treasure hunting feature. I also quite enjoy this too. It's a bit clunky when you first try it, but I find it quite enjoyable now. Detroit doesn't tend to pay very much so I prefer to catch the train to Cleveland and do some treasure hunting there, before spending my loot in Detroit. There are probably a hundred better ways to earn UPX, but it seems to work for me. All I have to do is spend up to half an hour a day visiting the Upland metaverse and it seems to be a decent strategy.
As your net worth grows you increase your ranking in the game which unlocks more opportunities to grow your empire. I think on reflection it is a fantastic game to get involved with. There are loads of exciting new activities being planned for release soon, so it's a good time to get involved. Even more exciting is the fact that eventually, they'll roll out more cities, including your hometown. For me, in the UK this might take a while, but when they do I'll be desperate to buy my own house and many other familiar buildings.
Anyways, that's my first Upland post, I've tried to keep it short and sweet. There is a heck of a lot more to talk about with this game, so I'll write more posts as I work my way through the game. If after reading this you wish to give Upland a go - please use my referral code - https://r.upland.me/Gdn3
Otherwise, thank you for reading, please leave me a comment if you've noticed any mistakes or have any questions. Always happy to discuss anything Upland related!
All the best,
VaKnow22
