Nearly 200,000 people have started collecting Ethereum 'CryptoKitties' — which could very well become Beanie Babies of blockchain

•  CryptoKitties is a colorful, feline-centric   blockchain game.
• Blockchain-based computing platform Ethereum, which provides the   cryptocurrency ether, introduced the virtual game in late   November.
• Since then, the new digital felines have become   enormously popular, attracting 180,000 users, according to  The New York Times.   

Cats probably aren't the first thing you'd associate with  blockchain. But that's exactly what the hottest new game in the   digital world is all about. CryptoKitties is a colorful, cutesy blockchain   game where players can purchase, sell, and breed their own unique  "CryptoKitties." When you mate your digital pet with another   CryptoKitty — which can be both dames and sires, the website's   Q&A section advises users   to "ease up on the labels" — you'll get a kitten with a mix of   their "genes." 

You can either breed your own CryptoKitties together, or pay   another player in order to use their cat as a sire. The game's currency is ether, the currency of blockchain-based computing platform Ethereum.

So far, these virtual cats have proved to be a hot commodity. Since the game launched on  November 28, The New York Times reported  180,000 players have already signed up, and spent a total of $20  million in ether. CNBC reported the digital cats  have fetched as much as $114,481.59. One anonymous entrepreneur  told The Verge that his performance on CryptoKitties has allowed him to accrue a "a hypothetical net  gain of $42,321.15."