Just about everyone is aware of crypto-currency, it seems on the face of it, to be the next big, big thing, but in actuality it is, in all probability, in virtually all of its forms as currently utilized, just an old trick re-packaged into something new. It seems like, since modern mankind has existed, that certain people have a strong tendency to want to find that little something that will instantly turn their lives around, of which, all kinds of mania, such as the Tulip mania, or the South Sea bubble, or all sorts of stock market manipulated equities that are first pumped up and then dumped, just sort of keep happening, again and again, and crypto-currency is that same sort of game, writ large.
The most recognizable crypto-currency is Bitcoin, which does have some attributes about it that would seem to give it some intrinsic value, such as block-chain technology, a limitation of how many Bitcoins that can ever be mined, as well as Bitcoin being an alternative currency that is fairly widely accepted by vendors of all stripes, along with the fact that transactions of Bitcoin are anonymous which is beneficial for those of both sides of transactions that prefer anonymity, and finally Bitcoin has the highest capitalization of all the crypto-currencies along with being the flag bearer of such. Yet, as good as Bitcoin is, from a crypto-currency perspective, the valuation of Bitcoin or the extreme overvaluation of Bitcoin demonstrates that it is probably foolish to consider it as a stable source of lasting value, for from February of 2011 to December of 2017 the price of Bitcoin went from parity to the dollar, that is 1 Bitcoin = $1, to 1 Bitcoin = $17,900, which is absolutely astonishing and completely unfathomable.
All of the foregoing would clearly and unequivocally indicate that crypto-currencies should not be looked upon as an alternate source of currency, because clearly crypto-currencies are not a stable currency, which implies strongly that they are neither a true alternate to currency, nor a safe investment, nor really currency in any true meaning of the word, for a true currency does not appreciate at the rate that Bitcoin so appreciated, and not too unexpectedly, does not depreciate at the rate that Bitcoin has been trending since its insane peak of December of 2017.
This means, that in reality, crypto-currencies are a very treacherous place to invest real money into, and really only serve a limited purpose, which is the anonymity of its transactions, in addition to being a digital storehouse of such anonymity, which can be seen as and possibly is a benefit for those that are in countries or avenues of businesses that necessitate the utilization of a digital storehouse and/or anonymity.
On the other hand, for everyone else, that actually willfully invests in crypto-currencies, it most definitely is a game, that players play because they think that they are smarter than the other players playing that same game, in which, the price goes up or down, depending upon the greed and fear of the participants, of which, the eternal lure of making that easy money, or of hitting that rich vein of gold, drives people again and again into a frenzy, but eventually, reality kicks in, and those that are truly betting long on crypto-currencies will be left with nothing more than fool's gold.