CryptoKitties Goes to ETHDenver
ETHDenver is the largest Ethereum hackathon and conference in the US. Their stated goal is to be part of the most significant technological and social advancements since the advent of the internet — namely, cryptocurrencies like ETH! Their hackathon is an opportunity to work alongside the developers, thought leaders, advisers, and companies who are making the infrastructure and applications that will power the future.
Since we’re one of those companies (kitten power!), the CryptoKitties team sent Arthur and Fabiano down to Colorado to take part in the yearly event. They were amazed by the quality of the projects they saw, and we’ve collected their favourites here for you.
Take it away, Arthur and Fabiano!
Groups who presented to us
We were thrilled to be in charge of running a contest at ETHDenver, with 2 prizes for best projects. Our criteria were the use of ERC-721 standard, innovation, and a great UX or wow factor.
Winner — 1st place
(Prize: 1ETH + Gen 0 kitty)
CTHYLLA — This project aims to take on the idea of geocaching, and update it with the introduction of digital goods. It’s a hardware project that allows players to collect items when they’re close by, and optionally redeem items for an ERC-721 token on-chain.
Find them on Twitter: @ricmoo and @yuetloo
Winner — 2nd place
(Prize: 0.5ETH + Gen 1 kitty)
CRYPTOGS— A game of luck, this team used ERC-721 tokens to make their project a reality. We couldn’t believe how beautifully designed this project was — and, they went for a mobile first approach.
Find them on Twitter: @watch84 @austingriffith @kds0718 @PatrickDMackay
The other entrants were no less exciting despite not taking home a prize of their own! Here’s a sampling of some of the other teams we were impressed by. Keep your eyes on what they might bring in the future.
Other groups we think you should know about
This group of high school students (14–16 years old) from DenverKidsInc totally blew us away. They used CryptoKitties to learn about blockchain, and modified it to create CryptoKicks. It’s one of the first “imitation” projects we’ve seen that takes a unique take on it (shoes instead of just another kind of animal), and the fact that high schoolers were schooling our real competition was pretty amazing!
Our presentations
We were lucky enough to present two talks at the conference, as well as running a judging table
Fabiano’s workshop on ERC-721 met with an awesome response.
Arthur’s panel, “Art & Games on the Blockchain,” raised some fascinating questions about the nature of game design in a decentralized world.
If we didn’t get a chance to say hello at ETHDenver, we hope to run into you at the next conference, hackathon, or community event.
And if you’re never played CryptoKitties yourself, why not head over to the website and check it out?
