If you move, you earn cryptocurrencies: this is the fitness metaverse

Source: Criptonoticias / Marianella Vanci

In recent years, various alternatives of the exergaming modality have emerged, which combine games with physical activity. Probably the arrival of these projects is a response to the old debate about whether video games promote sedentary lifestyle and obesity. Although recently, in all this equation, a new trend is being introduced that goes hand in hand with initiatives of the category “move to earn cryptocurrencies”, which grant rewards for completing activities, both in the metaverse, and in the physical world.

This new market, with a young digital native demographic operating on the boundaries of virtual and real life, is a new take on play to earn games . The same ones that in 2021 captured the attention of millions of users around the world with projects like Axie Infinity, Splinterlands and Alien Worlds.

Move-to-earn platforms are just emerging, and they do so on a planet where many are striving for electronic sports ( eSport ) to be part of the Olympic Games. This is happening at the same time that people are getting ready to live together much more in the expanding virtual universe, while the physical and digital worlds are meshing in such a way that it is increasingly difficult to perceive them separately.

Today, through the immersive experience in the metaverses, we can explore how people buy virtual land , interact socially , exchange goods and move physically at the same pace as their avatar does in that other space that grows in parallel.

Move to earn cryptocurrencies, a happier world?

When you play to win, you are forced to sit in front of an electronic device for eight hours a day or more to complete rewarding tasks. Contrary to this, the games of the move to win mode encourage you to do some physical activity and then reward yourself with a crypto asset.

Genopets is one of these games that rewards you for moving. As you do, evolve your virtual spirit that exists in the Genoverse or metaverse of the Solana blockchain -based project, as Jay Chang, founder of the proposal, explained in a recent interview.

In itself, the game changes the concept that gamers are sedentary people by promoting a healthy lifestyle that combines physical activity with fun within their own virtual world.

The initiative does not require the user to make an initial investment to play, as Axie Infinity , Plant vs Undead and most of the NFT projects that exist today do.

On the one hand, there is the free version and on the other, the paid version. Under the free play version , players earn KI and experience points (XP), to help their digital pets evolve, allowing them to customize and upgrade them.

Then, if you play for a certain time, as you overcome the 77 levels available and 12 stages of evolution, then you will have enough points for your pet to become a super rare specimen. This is how you acquire the right to sell all that physical preparation converted into an NFT.

You also have the option to earn XP by participating in strategy mini-games that the platform will incorporate, such as daily challenges, battles and other modalities. These give greater reward to those who stay at the top of the leaderboards.

But if you want to shorten the path, you can enter the paid version to speed up the processes. Under this format you can acquire a habitat (where your genetics or Genopets live and evolve) and all the activity you carry out on it will allow you to earn tokens with which your pet will evolve much faster.

Your spirit in the Genoverse evolves by going through four stages in its growth process: infant, youth, adult, and mystic.

In the paid version, players can also speed up their evolution by using crystals, which are made from a combination of GENE tokens, KI tokens, and habitat. Depending on the type of crystal that the player has, it will have a different form and function that will affect the game and the evolution of its spirit within the project, as described in the whitepaper of the proposal.

Dappradar mentions Genopets in the list of games that will be highlighted this year and, so far, it seems to be because of the growing community that already exists around the project. On January 20, it was launched in private beta and more than 20,000 players sent their request to participate in the tests, as indicated by its developers in their official Telegram .

Exercise and cultivate your spirit in the metaverse

To get started in Genopets, the first thing you must do is define your personality with the animal spirit that best suits you. To do this, you must answer a questionnaire that appears on the platform once you enter. Based on your answers your genotype is created in the Genoverse. In reality, it is a reflection of you on the virtual plane.

To recognize all the physical activity you do, the game connects with a fitness application that uploads the data of all the steps you take. So to enter the game you just need a mobile device with an activated sports application, such as Google Fit or Apple Health, created to measure your daily exercise.

In such a way that the data of all the activity you carry out, from going for a walk to running, or others such as meditating, dancing or exercising, are then uploaded to Genopets.

It is even allowed that you can tokenize all the physical activity you have done and then sell it to someone who wants to start in the game by shortening a few steps. According to the developers, this is not cheating, but is part of the economy that supports this ecosystem.

On the other hand, Chang acknowledges that there is a possibility that someone uploads data with false physical activity that they have not actually done. But he too is quick to point out: “We cannot prevent people from fooling themselves. At the end of the day, this game is meant for them to evolve, because after all, it’s about yourself and cultivating a better spirit. Do you really want to cheat yourself? what kind of spirit will you be forming then?” Ella commented .

However, as the game is perfected, he hopes that enough technological mechanisms can be enabled to limit those who want to upload false data and prevent them from benefiting financially, as he added.

The fitness industry is also tokenized

Other games that are in development make proposals similar to the one presented by Genopets. Among them is the STEPN project which is also a move to earn game based on Solana.

Unlike Genopets, which is being tested privately, this initiative was recently launched in public beta. In other words, it is available for the public to experience, although it is not free, since it requires a minimum investment of 5 SOL or USD 500.

The project is developed by the company Find Satoshi Lab, which began giving away tokenized sports shoes in December for players to exercise in its metaverse.

His proposal is to encourage gamers to walk, jog or run outdoors to earn Green Satoshi Token (GTS).

“The mobile app helps by tracking the movements users make outdoors, based on time and distance traveled, and grants them tokens that can be redeemed into stablecoin instantly,” notes its development team.

Some users believe that these projects can bring enough profit to dedicate themselves to them, earning profits above USD 2,000. “If you walk for 37 minutes, you will get about 8,200 yen ($71.25 a day),” one user commented on Twitter.

These are signs that the fitness world is going through a process of digital transformation, as are many other industries. In that sense, new alternatives are emerging, such as 360Wellness , which is a community market that connects fitness enthusiasts with health professionals to promote physical activity.

In itself, it is a decentralized health and wellness marketplace that allows its users to earn cryptocurrency as a reward for staying fit and healthy.

360Wellness is an Ethereum-based mobile app that uses DEFIT token to reward and encourage people to live a healthy lifestyle.

The company is rewarding users for participating in various challenges and achieving specific goals.

Users are also rewarded for referring friends and family to use the platform to stay active and healthy.

Three birds with one stone: mind, body and wallet

Now, if you enter the metaverse of Genopets, Stern or 360Wellness, you will basically be playing, but at the same time it will be decisive what type of decisions you make. For example, if you get up to go for a walk, if you go to the gym, or if you decide to take the stairs instead of the elevator.

The more active you are, the more incentives you can earn, so surely not a day will go by without you deciding to move to the maximum in the physical world, while also training your mind in the virtual plane by putting together the best strategy to cultivate your spirit.

At their core, these games aren’t about being «good at playing» but «good at making healthy choices.» And that’s a mechanism that has much broader appeal to the general market. Especially in a world where people often walk away from promises to exercise more or improve their fitness.

What better incentive than getting paid to stay active? With this, you would be achieving another purpose: to put more money in your savings. It is still too early to know how these projects will work, but it will surely be interesting to follow up and in a year see how the bodies of those who remained active while earning cryptocurrencies were profiled.