Playfix Console: How to Create Tokens the Easy Way
Tokens play an important role in blockchain gaming. They can be used as an in-game currency, as a way to reward players for achieving milestones, or as a governance mechanism. Understanding what blockchain tokens are, and how to deploy them, is critical for every game developer looking to get into this space.
In this article, we will show you how to deploy a new game token to the Polygon network in less than 10 minutes.
What are ERC20 Tokens?
In the Ethereum world, ERC stands for “Ethereum request for comment”. It’s a way for the open-source community around Ethereum to propose, discuss, and implement improvements to their blockchain. Each new request for comment gets a number based on the order it was made, and that’s how we arrive at ERC20.
ERC20 is a standard for creating fungible tokens on the Ethereum blockchain. Fungible tokens means that one token made with this standard will always equal another token of its type. You can read more about this on the Ethereum official site.
How are ERC20 Tokens used in Gaming?
In the simplest form, an ERC20 token can be used in different ways in a game. They are typically used as a currency, where players can earn, buy, or spend the token in the game.
For example, the game might make players buy the token to purchase a game NFT before they start playing. Or, the game might reward the player with these tokens as they achieve certain things in the game. The player might also be allowed to sell their game NFTs and be paid out in the game token.
As you can see, there’s a lot of potential here.
In addition, one of the most powerful aspects of using ERC20 tokens instead of some arbitrary in-game currency, is that these tokens can be bought, sold, and traded outside of the game itself!
Playfix Token API and Console Overview
Playfix includes a Token API and Console as part of its all-in-one platform for blockchain gaming. This makes it easy for game developers to create, deploy, and manage token contracts on any Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) compatible blockchain.
Creating a Token with the Playfix Console
This post will focus on how to create fungible tokens for your game using the console.
Prerequisites
You will need the following three things to complete this guide:
- The MetaMask wallet extension installed in your browser. You can install MetaMask from their site.
- Add the Mumbai Polygon testnet here to your MetaMask wallet.
- Send MATIC testnet tokens to your MetaMask wallet from the faucet.
Step 1: Create a Project
After logging into the console, the first step is to click on the “Create Project” button to create a new project. Just input the name and description of the new project, and upload a cover image for the project. Then click on the “Create” button.
Step 2: Create a Token
Next, navigate to the Token tab of the game console and click the New Token button.
In the New Token modal, give your token a name, which should just be one word, and input the token symbol — a 3–4 character word that relates to the token name. Copy your wallet address from MetaMask and paste it on the Owner Address field. Put an integer value, preferably 18, in the “Decimals” field, and pick Mumbai Testnet in the drop-down menu for “Network”.
Input the number of tokens you want for a start in the “Initial Supply” field. If you would love to mint more of the token in the future, input a value greater than the initial supply in the “Total Supply” field. Or you can make both initial supply and total supply the same to keep your token value in check.
After clicking on “Create Token”, your new token will appear in draft format under your project. This allows you to edit the details as needed. Once you are satisfied with all the details, just click on “Deploy”, kicking off the MetaMask process.
Click on the “Confirm” button on MetaMask, and you will see a message on the Playfix Console saying that the contract is being deployed on MetaMask. Your MetaMask wallet will also display the status of the deployment.
And, voila! You’ve deployed your own token. The Token Detail page will update with the contract address, as shown below.
Now you know how to leverage the Playfix platform to easily deploy the backend for your gaming economy in a day instead of months. Game developers no longer have to worry about the complexity of blockchain technology, and can focus on making awesome games and delighting their players.
If you’re interested in using Playfix to build a blockchain game, contact us at start@playfix.io and we’ll set you up with an account.
