the problem with these "fun" crypto apps and games is the desperation for monetization.

every game has the minimum of a game mechanic, followed up quickly by "claim your $COIN and invite your friends and deposit your funds and get your rewards!"

this exposes the inherent flaw in crypto as a "community." It's a financial instrument. The most fun that money can be is in a casino.

Daimo Pay. Build once, distribute everywhere

Very well said. I like this distinction. 

Distilled down: one doesn't need to be on-chain, the other is squarely in fintech. 

Feels... limited and boring, no? If one is obsessed with fintech, very neat, but it's not "the next internet" like was claimed all the way back in 2011.

the most interesting crypto apps are either entirely nonfinancial (like Dark Forest--but tbh in those cases the justification for running them onchain is thin) or interesting non-self-referential financial mechanics (like prediction markets)

As someone who works for a distribution platform of web3 games (Web3 of Steam) sadly yes this is the dilemma but there are excellent examples of entertaining games that don't feel like a casino. For example, check out Pirate Nation. They are a fully on chain game!