Well... it takes some guts (or some incredibly bad timing) to try a token launch in the middle of a crypto downturn... but here we are with the latest Binance Launchpad and the launch of the Voxies turn-based RPG game token! As always, I enjoy taking part in these... as it is an easy way (so far) to make a quick profit from a complete dump... or a small profit and a holding moonbag of the new token. So... let's have a look at this incoming Binance Launchpad and see whether it is a complete dump and run... or perhaps something to hang on to for the future potential? Of course, we always try to recoup our initial investment!... Primary goal at ALL times!

So, this time... I've been a bit more disciplined about the launch start time. Last time, I dithered around for a few days after the launch announcement, and it became useless to pull in extra BNB back to the Binance to increase my max commitment amount in the Launchpad. This time, I'm pulling in spare BNB that isn't staked on chain from external wallets and also extra BNB on FTX that is being used for margin lending. Compared to the amount that is already sitting on Binance for the perks that it gives holders on-exchange, it isn't quite that much... but on the other hand, every bit is useful when it comes to these "almost guaranteed" profit moments!

Plus, the current margin lending rate for BNB on FTX is relatively low at 2% APY.... some of the other FTX lending rates have been seeing some pretty high hourly rates that have spiked at times to over 200% APY for things like LTC, RUNE and DOGE. Lots of people playing dangerous games... but I'm more than happy to lend. Of course, you can get much better rates on-chain... but for some things, I like the safety of on-exchange lending over the wild and sometimes dangerous on-chain gold mines.

Anyway, back to the Binance Launchpad... the VOXEL tokens are priced at 20 cents per VOXEL (denominated in BNB). The usual Binance Launchpad rules for subscription apply. 7 days of snap-shotting to determine your max allocation, and then a 3 hour commitment period to calculate the relative allocations for every participant. If past experience is anything to go by, roughly 0.1% of your committed BNB will be used for the purchase and the remainder will be returned back to your spot wallet. Another reminder that locked savings BNB does NOT count towards your max allocation.

Hopefully I will be in time for the subscription... at that time, I will be on a plane, and will have an hour to still take part... so, if the plane isn't delayed then all will be good... if it is, well... then it will be worth paying for internet access on the plane so that I can just hit that subscribe button!

So... a quick detour to the actual underlying Voxies game before we return back to the dry stuff of token allocation and use-case.

There are two types of gamers in the world... those that see "Play for Free" as an inclusive sort of gaming model... and those who see it as a horrific intrusion into game mechanics. I'm definitely in the latter camp... I see the free-to-play model to be a perversion of gaming and the financial incentives behind it to be the equivalent of addictive poker machines. I'm still not convinced that "Play-to-Earn" is really going to follow a different path in relation to "real" gaming.... however, I do see it as a marked improvement on Free-to-Play, due to the concept of digital ownership.

Well... you have to hand it to them... the Voxies are pretty cute. I don't get really attached to these digital avatars, but I know that many people do. So, when making an investment for future... well, I guess you have to go with what other people might find interesting. After all, I didn't think that Axies were going to be a big deal... lesson learnt!

There isn't too much information about the Voxies game... it sort of strikes me as sort of like a Final Fantasy Tactics sort of style of gaming... turn based isometric games? At least on first impression that is sort of what it looks like. I've seen similar types of games in "proper" games and also in "free to play"... I like it as a handheld/mobile sort of gaming style, but I always crave more depth. But again... this sort of game doesn't have to appeal to people like me, I'm only going to be holding and trading the tokens, not playing the game!

Yes, yes... an all star team. Really, it is impossible to tell anything from these marketing blurbs. I see how much big-noting there is in the "normal" economy... honestly, it is really weird when you are working in something that is completely separate to that... it is quite amusing actually. On the other hand, it happens a lot in music as well... it is also terribly amusing to me as well there!

So again, there is much in this game that reminds me of the Nintendo style of turn-based games... I'm not sure that this will be the sort of game that will directly appeal to me. After all, when the Steam Deck comes out, I'm going to have REAL games at my fingertips for mobile gaming, and if I think back to more recent times... I've not really been that entranced by the mobile games in the past 5-10 years. However, it would be foolish to suppose that my personal tastes and desires in gaming are actually normal... after all, there are many people in the world that have only a phone or mobile device as their primary gaming tool... and so, this sort of game might actually be quite interesting if that is the case!

Back to the dry stuff.... VOXEL ticks all the boxes for gaming tokens. Marketplace use and upgrading... what I do think is strange is the omission of the staking use case. That is the big fad at the moment, and I do wonder why they decided to go against including it... I guess that they didn't want to deal too much with the emissions from that particular use case? Smart... and it can always be added later... but taking it away always gets up people's goat.

Ahhhhh... the token distribution. The bulk is going towards the actual game play to earn... with the Binance Launchpad making up a sizable chunk at 10%.

... and in just over a week, that 10% will be about half the circulating supply of the token. So... expect a huge dump and some serious volatility from these "free tokens", but also a nice chance to dump and make a profit.

Personally, I think I'm going to recoup the investment... and take some profit... but this could be a nice little moonbag to hold onto. I'm not going to do a complete dump like I did with the fan tokens, gaming tokens depend alot on how much uptake they get in the playbase... so, they are much riskier... but have a huge amount of upside. On the other hand, I could be talking as someone who didn't believe in the Axie tidal wave...

I can also be found cross-posting at:
Hive
Steem
Publish0x

Handy Crypto Tools

Ledger Nano S/X: Keep your crypto safe and offline with the leading hardware wallet provider. Not your keys, not your crypto!
Binance: My first choice of centralised exchange, featuring a wide variety of crypto and savings products.
Kucoin: My second choice in exchanges, many tokens listed here that you can't get on Binance!
FTX: Regulated US-based exchange with some pretty interesting and useful discounts on trading and withdrawal fees for FTT holders. Decent fiat on-ramp as well!
MXC: Listings of lots of interesting tokens that are usually only available on DEXs. Avoid high gas prices!
Huobi: One of the largest exchanges in the world, some very interesting listings and early access sales through Primelist.
Gate.io: If you are after some of the weirdest and strangest tokens, this is one of the easiest off-chain places to get them!
Coinbase: If you need a regulated and safe environment to trade, this is the first exchange for most newcomers!
Crypto.com: Mixed feelings, but they have the BEST looking VISA debit card in existence! Seriously, it is beautiful!
CoinList: Access to early investor and crowdsale of vetted and reserached projects.
Cointracking: Automated or manual tracking of crypto for accounting and taxation reports.
Stoic: A USD maximisation bot trading on Binance using long-term long strategies, powered by the AI/human system of Cindicator.
StakeDAO: Decentralised pooled staking of PoS assets.
Poloniex: One of the older regulated exchanges that has come into new ownership. I used to use it quite a lot, but have since stopped.