# Enough Bitcoin. Let’s talk about virtual cats | Tech News (HT Tech) > Gaming companies are taking virtual objects to new heights. # Enough Bitcoin. Let’s talk about virtual cats ## Gaming companies are taking virtual objects to new heights. Aug 19 2022, 22:02 IST ![Follow on Facebook](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/follow-us-facebook.png) ![Follow on Facebook](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/follow-us-facebook-hover.png) ![Share](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/Share.png) ![Share](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/Shareclicked.png) ![Share on WhatsApp](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/whatsapp.png) ![Share on WhatsApp](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/whatsapp-hover.png) ![Share on Twitter](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/twitter.png) ![Share on Twitter](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/twitter-hover.png) ![Share on Facebook](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/facebook.png) ![Share on Facebook](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/facebook-hover.png) ![Bookmark](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/Bookmark.png) ![Bookmarked](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/Bookmarked.png) ![CryptoKitties let you raise virtual cats.](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/rf/image_size_960x540/HT/p2/2018/03/25/Pictures/_7d1e5db6-3004-11e8-a965-f54d0b6b9edf.jpg) CryptoKitties let you raise virtual cats. (CryptoKitties) ![Author Photo](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/HTTech-new-circle-logo.png) ### By ERIC NEWCOMER We spend way too much time talking about digital currencies and not nearly enough time on digital cats. I've spent a few days this week dropping in and out of the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, and I'm struck by how quickly the video game business has been taken over by virtual goods. I spoke to executives at five game companies; most were focused on building digital worlds where people want to spend a good chunk of their time, and occasionally spend money, on cosmetic modifications to those worlds. The idea that people will spend real dollars on virtual objects isn't new, of course. Tencent Holdings Ltd., Activision Blizzard Inc., Valve Corp., King—these are all companies that are making millions off selling people digital costumes, gems, guns, hats and characters. But a confluence of recent events has underscored how big the coming wave of imaginary commerce is going to be. Also read click here. I've mentioned my Overwatch obsession before, and (as uncomfortable as I am to admit it) I've spent $15-ish dollars buying loot boxes to dress up my virtual avatars. Blizzard has convinced me that a skin for Moira or Orisa is worth a latte or three. Norms are changing. Last year, with the release of Star Wars Battlefront II, the ethical debates around selling virtual goods broke into the mainstream—or, at least, the gaming mainstream. The convoluted pricing system instigated a stunning moment of political activism—over a game! Critics organized on Reddit, wrote emails and boycotted the developer's games. It was as if Electronic Arts Inc. was closing down the neighborhood school. Developers are still trying to figure out what exactly they can get away with. But the savvy executives I spoke with mostly argued that keeping costs down and charging for cosmetic changes keeps players engaged and happy. Paying for a competitive advantage is frowned upon. The industry's obsession is with "lifetime value." League of Legends, which debuted in 2009, is still a powerhouse. Microsoft Corp.'s Minecraft is holding strong. The shelf life of a video game is much longer today. They are persistent, years-long experiences. Part of what makes Ready Player One so compelling is that the premise is sort of plausible. The book and Steven Spielberg movie, which hits theaters in the U.S. next week, is set in a virtual-reality universe created by a tech visionary named James Halliday. The real world in this fictional future is pretty bleak, so people spend most of their waking hours in a virtual one. Game makers are focused today on building the same kinds of worlds or interactive experiences (a.k.a., not just silly games) that people want to inhabit. Forking over some money for a space you might spend hundreds of hours in over many years isn't so crazy. The beauty of digital goods for companies—and the peril for everyone else—is that the game maker has absolute control over commerce in its universe. Forget vertical monopolies. These are universal ones. Perhaps the most out-there example, which is certainly built on top of the ebbing blockchain mania, is CryptoKitties. The company just raised $12 million from Andreessen Horowitz and Union Square Ventures. It takes the idea that people want to own virtual objects to its logical extreme. Why should Blizzard own the skins I buy? What if, instead, I could resell them. The idea is to decentralize imaginary cats. Less crazy than you might think. To really double down on techno-futurism here, this seems like a logical area where the economy can go as robots build more of our tangible goods. Services and entertainment have long been considered bulwarks against automation. Designers and entrepreneurs selling digital goods in unproductive but entertaining digital escapes, well, that's happening already today. Most of America's coal mines may be gone, but you can still mine Empyrium Ore in World of Warcraft. We don't need to wait for James Halliday to build one shared virtual universe. They're already here. Catch all the Latest Tech News, Mobile News, Laptop News, Gaming news, Wearables News , How To News, also keep up with us on Whatsapp channel,Twitter, Facebook, Google News, and Instagram. For our latest videos, subscribe to our YouTube channel. 25 Mar, 13:52 IST bitcoin league of legends ![HT Tech Awards](https://tech.hindustantimes.com/ht-tech-power-list-awards-2026/httech-awards-banner-new.webp) 71,589,384,489,484 NEXT ARTICLE BEGINS ![View all](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/view-all-icon.png) ## Tips & Tricks ![Ghibli-style art](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/img/2025/03/28/414x233/ChatGPT_Ghibli_style_images_1743161814450_1743161814596.jpg) ### How to turn your photos into Ghibli-style art with ChatGPT for free: Step-by-step guide ![How to create an invitation using iPhone’s new Apple Invites app- Step-by-step guide](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/img/2025/02/14/414x233/invites_1738728829564_1739543695649.png) ### How to create an invitation using iPhone’s new Apple Invites app- Step-by-step guide ![Apple TV app arrives on Android phones and tablets: What you get and how to install it](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/img/2025/02/13/414x233/unnamed_1739426557335_1739426567634.jpg) ### Apple TV app arrives on Android phones and tablets: What you get and how to install it ![Vodafone Idea OTT plans](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Vodafone Idea users can now stream 17 OTT apps with one subscription: Here's how ![Android data transfer methods](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### How to transfer data from one Android to another using Google backup, USB-C cable, and more ## Editor’s Pick ![iPhone 16e launched with A18 chip, Apple AI—bringing flagship power on a budget: Check specs, price](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### iPhone 16e launched in India: All details about the new budget mobile from Apple ![DeepSeek was founded in China with only a fraction of the budget of the top AI companies in the US.](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### DeepSeek AI: How it works, who’s behind it, how it’s different from ChatGPT, and its big US market impact explained ![iPhone 17 Air likely to get this feature that iPhone 17 Pro models may miss out on](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### iPhone 17 Air likely to get this feature that iPhone 17 Pro models may miss out on ![Google Whisk AI explained: How remixing works, availability, and how it differs from Gemini](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Google Whisk AI explained: How remixing works, availability, and how it differs from Gemini ![iOS 18.4 beta arriving soon: Know why it is the biggest iPhone update](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### iOS 18.4 beta arriving soon: Know why it is the biggest iPhone update ## Trending Stories ![Airtel 5G SIM card will now be delivered in 10 minutes with Blinkit- How to order](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Airtel 5G SIM card will now be delivered in 10 minutes with Blinkit- How to order ![Infinix Note 50s 5G+](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Infinix Note 50s 5G+ set to launch in India with 64MP camera and MediaTek Dimensity 7300 SoC ![Xiaomi X Pro QLED Series sale starts in India: Check price, availability, and more](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Xiaomi X Pro QLED Series sale starts in India: Check price, availability, and more ![Apple Intelligence AI training](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Apple plans to train AI using your on-device data without accessing personal content or emails: Report ![CMF Buds 2](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### CMF Buds 2 key features and price revealed ahead of April 28 launch: Details inside keep up with tech ![Facebook](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/tech-facebook.png) ![Twitter](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/tech-twitter.png) ![WhatsApp](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/tech-whatsApp.png) ![Facebook](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/tech-facebook.png) ## Gaming ![Check out these five gaming monitors under ₹20,000,](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Top 5 gaming monitors under ₹20000 you should consider ![gaming consoles](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Grab gaming consoles at discounted rates during Amazon Great Indian Festival: Up to 72% off ![Pokémon GO Wild Area 2025](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Pokémon GO Wild Area 2025 to bring Grimmsnarl family, Shiny Hatenna, and global challenges ![Shade Silver](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Shade Silver free on Steam for a limited time: Here’s how to get it ![Call of duty](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 skips Switch 2 at launch, release date and price leak ![View all](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/view-all-icon.png) ## Trending News ### Airtel 5G SIM card will now be delivered in 10 minutes with Blinkit- How to order ![Airtel 5G SIM card will now be delivered in 10 minutes with Blinkit- How to order](https://images.livemint.com/static/static/1x1_img.gif) ### Infinix Note 50s 5G+ set to launch in India with 64MP camera and MediaTek Dimensity 7300 SoC ![Infinix Note 50s 5G+](https://images.livemint.com/static/static/1x1_img.gif) ### Xiaomi X Pro QLED Series sale starts in India: Check price, availability, and more ![Xiaomi X Pro QLED Series sale starts in India: Check price, availability, and more](https://images.livemint.com/static/static/1x1_img.gif) ### Apple plans to train AI using your on-device data without accessing personal content or emails: Report ![Apple Intelligence AI training](https://images.livemint.com/static/static/1x1_img.gif) ### CMF Buds 2 key features and price revealed ahead of April 28 launch: Details inside ![CMF Buds 2](https://images.livemint.com/static/static/1x1_img.gif) ## Trending Gadgets Mobiles Laptops Tablets ![HT Tech](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/HT_tech-new.gif) - https://tech.hindustantimes.com/tech/news/enough-bitcoin-let-s-talk-about-virtual-cats-story-LasBA1WQK2Cadcxl3gj3KM.html