Flirting With an AI Agent Could Win You a Crypto Airdrop

Ethereum farming game Pixels is currently offering players the opportunity to earn a token airdrop by flirting with an AI-powered non-player character (NPC)—yes, really.

Players have jokingly branded the experience as a “rizz-to-earn” mini-game, in the wake of the popular but fleeting play-to-earn and tap-to-earn game models.

Players must load up Pixels and head over to Terra Villa before entering AiVeronica’s castle to purchase a key for 100 PIXEL tokens ($5). You can also buy one from the AiVeronica site for 77 PIXEL ($4), but the supply is close to running out. Then you’ll be able to enter the room and start rizzing it up.

You’ll be welcomed by a character with its own distinct personality, interests, and story. Gamers earn points based on how well they sweet-talk the character, and players that earn more than 80 points will rank on a campaign leaderboard. 

The top 500 players that reach a score of 80 points or higher in the shortest time will receive PIXEL rewards. These rewards will be determined by the key sales, with the top 10 players each earning 1% of the PIXEL pool, ranks 11-100 getting 0.3% each, and anyone below that 0.2% apiece. There is also the potential for a future airdrop of AiVeronica tokens, AIV, in the future.

The rizz-filled quest started last week and will run until Thursday, May 22. So, how do you become the rizz king? Turns out it’s just a vibe.

“Unfortunately, you can’t really teach rizz—you have to just feel it,” Luke Franks, a crypto gaming content creator that has a brand deal with AiVeronica, jokingly told Decrypt. “But also yes, each character has a special interest, so try and work it out quickly and talk to them about what they like. That will get you points fast.”

AiVerionica is an AI agent that learns by interacting with players in video games. Developed in partnership with the Virtuals Protocol, the agent has its own token that is currently sitting at a $4.5 million market cap, according to DEX Screener. While powered by AiVeronica, the in-game characters are technically considered her friends, not necessarily Veronica herself.

While fun and certainly funny, the rizz-to-earn quest is part of a broader exploration into how advanced AI NPCs like AiVeronica can improve gaming experiences.

“AiVeronica is part of our long-term vision to push the boundaries of storytelling and interaction in Pixels, as a way to increase community engagement,” Pixels founder Luke Barwikowski told Decrypt. “We’re already exploring future AI-powered features, like an AI agent farmhand, to deepen the gameplay experience. Our goal is to make Pixels a living, evolving world, and AI plays a role in accomplishing that.”

The evolution of AI has already influenced the crypto gaming industry, with Ethereum metaverse Decentraland adding AI NPCs in 2023. Similarly, a wave of mods hit traditional gaming that same year, with a Grand Theft Auto 5 mod allowing NPCs to hurl insults at you.

And on Friday, an AI-powered Darth Vader was added to Fortnite, using the recreated likeness of the late voice actor James Earl Jones—but it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, as players were able to get it to swear and slur pretty easily.

Still, AI is a powerful tool to help make gaming experiences feel more alive. Barwikowski said that the flirty quest highlights the game’s goal to create “unique, memorable experiences” for players.

“We’re always looking for new ways to bring players together through meaningful in-game activities,” he said. “AIVeronica’s friends aren’t just NPCs, as they react to player choices, change the storyline, and feel like real characters. It’s a big step toward our vision of making Pixels a world where characters feel alive and player decisions have impact.”

Edited by Andrew Hayward