There is so much happening right now, it is truly exciting.

Hive is a little over 13 months old.  For the past year, a lot of the focus was upon optimizing the blockchain.  The decision to go in this direction created a chain that is highly scalable while very inexpensive, relatively speaking, to operate.  It is something that will bode well for the future growth of the chain.

Each week, we are seeing development rolling out at the second level.  

We got [an announcement](https://leofinance.io/@deathwing/announcing-bsc-bridge-2-0-or-instant-bnb-hive-conversion-or-new-frontend) about BSCBridge.  Released earlier in the week, it was a bridge that allows for direct HIVE-to-BNB swaps.  Now, the updated version does the reverse, enabling users to go from BNB to HIVE.

There was also [a post](https://peakd.com/hive-105271/@aliquam.org/hivequam) put out by @aliquam.  Hive is now tied to the Creative Minecraft server Aliquam.org through a plugin.  This allows for interaction with the Hive blockchain from the Minecraft game.

Here are a few posts made in the [new community formed](https://peakd.com/c/hive-105271/created).

Take a look at some of the amazing stuff being produced within the Minecraft world. 

https://peakd.com/hive-105271/@epibreerder/dorotan-castle

https://peakd.com/hive-105271/@deadlyhunter/gata

https://peakd.com/hive-105271/@gigeno/regia

<center>https://images.hive.blog/0x0/https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/exodegame/880QYMtX-some_origins.png</center>

Flying a bit under the radar was [an announcement](https://peakd.com/hivegaming/@elindos/exode-goes-crazy-in-content-and-announces-colonization-in-just-a-few-days-now) put out by @elindos about eXode.  This is a game we heard a lot about a year ago but has since fallen off the radar.

So what is eXode?

A post by @khazrakh really sums it up:

>In short, it's a card based space exploration and colonization game. In the year 2325 the human race has colonized its side of the galaxy. Then, out of nothing, an alien exterminator species attacks mankind. Not just one planet, one space station, but the whole of humankind at once. Every new game of eXode puts you back to that exact moment. You are a star captain docked somewhere at a remote space station when the aliens attack. During that Evacuation stage it's up to you to refuel your ship, save as many civilians and cargo as possible, and get out there alive before the aliens blow everything up. If you do manage to survive, you will escape to the other end of the galaxy as mankind's only hope of preventing total extinction. 

>In order to do so, you'll establish a colony somewhere on an (ideally) habitable planet. Before that, though, you first need to find a suitable planet among the stars. During that short Scanning phase, you will go through different scanning options, see what planets you came out next to, but also check the passengers you managed to bring with you and also deal with the possible damage your ship will have suffered during the escape. Once you found a suitable candidate for colonization, you'll have your pilot land your ship there and start to establish your new colony. This Colonization phase is going to be the major part of the game. Contrary to Evacuation and Scanning, this will be more laid back, more focused on decision making and slowly expanding your colony while dealing with all kinds of threads that might come up.

Essentially it is a space colonization game where all in game assets are established as NFTs.  This means players (and investors) can accumulate the cards, swap them, and potentially profit from the growth of the game.

We already know how popular games like these can become due to the success of Splinterlands.  eXode might be positioning itself to follow in those same footsteps.

Of course, one of the biggest drawbacks to anything we deal with is the fact that most applications/games/communities on Hive have limited reach outside the ecosystem.  It is one thing to become popular within Hive yet an entirely different matter when branching out.

What could make eXode different?

Again we will go to @khazrakh's post for the answer.

<center>**eXode is a game first**</center>

This is a major difference that is not something we see a great deal of.  At present, the cryptocurrency industry is filled with projects to enrich those involved.  They range from outright thievery to ponzi schemes to gamified investment strategies.  Ultimately, the only thing that matters is the monetary aspect.

All else takes a back seat.  The application (or game) is nothing more than a vehicle to that monetary end.

Certainly, that is an acceptable starting point but mass adoption is going to have to extend beyond that.  Eventually, we need to switch the priorities where something is utilized for the experience it gives the user with the rewards (monetization) being a bonus.

Gaming certainly could easily fall into this category.  In fact, the concept is being applied to eXode.

@elindos is putting together something that shows his passion for what is being created.  The blockchain benefits are not the major focus.  From what I can see thus far, it is the product itself that is exciting.  The market that forms as a result of being tied to blockchain and popularity of the game is an afterthought.  That aspect will evolve as the game expands.

<center>https://images.hive.blog/0x0/https://images.hive.blog/DQmbHREb59LzHmL5ZfRgDFjiKnLNmRrXueDCYWqFTNFMgoe/corridor.png</center>

Gaming is a competitive arena.  The release of the "Colonization" aspect of eXode could be the step that makes it ready for larger appeal.  Many like this type of game and with an estimated 2.8 billion gamers out there, we are looking at a rather large target market.

The key is to create a game that people actually want to play.  Deferring to @khazrakh on this one, it appears that eXode is on that path.  A great deal of the blockchain gaming world is nothing more than money grabs.

Utilizing the advantages to blockchain in a game that could hold appeal to a significant number of players could be a winning formula.  Most of us understand the ability to track assets and their value.  At the same time, having ownership of them which can be leveraged on a marketplace is also the direction things are going.

Sometimes there is great value in the silence about a project.  We know development takes time and the larger the initiative, the longer it takes.

However, if a game that could have mass appeal is developed, providing an interesting user experience along with terrific graphics and artwork, then we could be onto something.

Is eXode that game?

We will see where things go from here.  It looks like it is embarking upon another exciting phase.

*Images from articles linked.*

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