It was a matter of time until someone combined the concept of a Tamagotchi with cryptocurrency. Nimipet aims to do exactly that. This digital pet needs to be fed virtual pieces of food. Said food is created when users mine Nimiq cryptocurrency through the browser. This is an interesting concept, although one that may not appeal to too many people right away.
In-browser mining has gotten a bad reputation. This is mainly due to criminals exploiting this method for financial gain. Projects such as Nimipet may turn that situation around. It revolves around in-browser mining of the Nimiq currency to feed one’s digital pet. One piece of feed is generated for every 15 minutes of in-browser mining. Feeding one’s pet once every 24 hours is a bare minimum to keep it alive.
Nimipet is a Viable use Case for In-browser Mining
Similar to other blockchain asset concepts, the value of one’s Nimipet will increase. That is, assuming the creature is kept alive and fed appropriately. More feeding sessions allow the pet to grow bigger and have a high NIM value. Nimipets can also be bought and sold, which is rather interesting. Combined with the leaderboard functionality, it incentivizes users to pay attention to this creature quite regularly.
The leaderboard positions are determined by the number of accumulated points. A Nimipet earns points for food pieces consumed, hashing power of the in-browsing mining, and a few other factors which have yet to be implemented. It makes for an interesting concept altogether. Bringing positive attention to in-browser mining is more than needed at this stage.
The bigger question is whether or not anyone will care about Nimipet. While the concept appears solid, it is still a very niche product. Considering how it is still in an early alpha proof of concept stage, there’s plenty of work to be done. Projects like these can bring some positive attention to blockchain and cryptocurrency alike. So far, the early version looks impressive, albeit not groundbreaking.
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