All Things Alt: McShibe Burgers, E-Sports Currencies and a Game of Coins

With July underway and the summer of 2014 shaping up to be a big one for digital currencies of all kinds, let's take a look at a couple of the recent happenings in alt that could have long-term effects on the altcoin movement.

In a recent edition of All Things Alt, we discussed vertcoin's move to incorporate stealth addresses.

Demand for e-sports betting has led to the creation of at least two altcoins that will focus primarily on facilitating bets using digital currencies.

Leaguecoin and minerals, both of which are proof-of-work/proof-of-stake hybrids, each present different approaches to how betting on popular games can lead to broader alt adoption.

Minerals launched the public beta of a new wallet-based betting feature on 3rd July, enabling users to place bets on StarCraft II matches.

In addition to the site, the alt will feature two bot layers - a tip bot and a betting bot - to enable faster bets and provide more connectivity with the central betting platform.

Upcoming e-sports tournaments - and the potential for both coins to launch features or events that generate enthusiasm - could play a role in how either alt develops in the weeks ahead. Strange alt of the week.

We can now add fictional characters from books and TV shows with aryacoin, an alt branded after Arya Stark from 'A Song of Ice and Fire' by fantasy author George R. R. Martin.

Notably, the developer stated on Bitcoin Talk that key project goals include being used as a currency for buying official merchandise, and as in-game currency for any Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire-themed video games.

The coin itself is a proof-of-work/proof-of-stake hybrid based on the X11 mining algorithm, with a maximum supply of 5 million coins and an annual interest rate of 20%. Unfortunately, it appears that the aryacoin project may not be launched, owing to a lack of investors during an initial public-offering phase.