Aavegotchi GHST / Aavegotchi

What Is Aavegotchi (GHST)?

Aavegotchi (GHST) is the governance token of the Aavegotchi NFT Gaming protocol. GHST token holders receive voting power in the AavegotchiDAO, which oversees all aspects of the protocol, Aavegotchi’s flagship game the Gotchiverse, and Aavegotchi NFTs.

Aavegotchis themselves are pixelated ghosts backed by the ERC-721 token standard. The Aavegotchi NFTs have dynamic metadata that changes over time through user interaction.

An Aavegotchi’s value and rarity is determined by its collateral stake, traits and wearables.

Collateral stake is based on the innovative ERC721 Aavegotchi NFT that manages an escrow contract holding Aave-backed ERC20 collateral or "aToken," which generates yield via Aave's LendingPool. Traits are based on random traits upon birth, kinship and experience (XP).

The protocol is called Aavegotchi as a nod to Aave, which translates to “ghost” in Finnish, and is powered by the Aave protocol, one of the leading lending protocol in DeFi. The token ticker also cleverly spells out “ghost,” minus the vowel.

Who Are the Founders of Aavegotchi?

Aavegotchi is created by Singapore-based Pixelcraft Studios.

Jesse Johnson is the co-founder and COO of Pixelcraft Studios. In the past, Johnson held key roles such as director of business relations/development and manager of international market development in different companies, including China Intop Exhibition Co and ZB Group. Coder Dan is the co-founder and CEO at Pixelcraft Studios.

Aave’s founder, Stani Kulechov, was the project’s first advisor.

In November 2020, Aave invested in Pixelcraft Studios. The project’s mainnet launch was scheduled for Jan. 4, 2021, but was pushed to March of 2021 due to high transaction fees on the Ethereum blockchain. Due to the fact that Aavegotchis require daily interaction, the Aavegotchi community decided to launch the project on Polygon, the leading side chain to Ethereum.

On March 20, 2023, Pixelcraft Studios announced the successful completion of a multi-year long token sale, raising a total of $30 million. The sale of the $GHST token utilized a decentralized fundraising model, DAICO, proposed by Ethereum's founder Vitalik Buterin. It began on Sept. 14, 2020.

How Does Aavegotchi Work?

Each Aavegotchi NFT manages an escrow contract holding their "Spirit Force," also known as "collateral" or "aTokens," a balance of yield generating tokens from the Aave Protocol. Thanks to the yield they generate, the balance of an Aavegotchi’s Spirit Force increases over time.