Imagine a world where you don’t need a fancy computer or thousands of dollars to join a digital game economy a world where someone else owns the in-game assets (characters, land, items), and you just show up, play, and earn. That’s the kind of world that Yield Guild Games tries to build.
YGG isn’t a regular gaming company or a single game. It’s more like a global guild a decentralized, community-driven network that buys or holds NFTs used in blockchain games (characters, lands, tools, whatever the game demands), and then shares the power of those NFTs among many people.
For many folks around the world, especially in places where upfront investment is hard, this offers a real opportunity: be part of an NFT-powered game economy without having to pay a big entry fee.
How It All Started From Lending to a Full Guild
The story begins with a simple but powerful idea. Back in 2018–2019, one of YGG’s co-founders (Gabby Dizon) saw that blockchain games especially ones like Axie Infinity were growing in popularity. But many interested players didn’t have money to buy the required NFTs (Axies) to even start playing.
So Gabby started lending his own NFTs to other players letting them play, earn, and share a portion of their income. That simple act of sharing sparked a bigger idea: what if many people pooled resources to buy NFTs, and then shared them with many players globally? What if that sharing could be organized, transparent, and scaled?
In October 2020, that idea took shape when Yield Guild Games was formally founded (with co-founders including Gabby Dizon and others).
Since then, YGG has grown into a DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization) a community-owned guild that invests in NFTs, builds shared assets, and tries to give people everywhere access to play-to-earn games and digital economies with minimal entry barriers.
What YGG Does The Mechanics, in Simple Terms
It Pools NFTs, So Everyone Has a Shot
YGG acquires NFTs used in blockchain games characters, land, in-game items, whatever a game uses as “entry assets.” These NFTs go into a shared pool (the “treasury”), controlled by the community / guild.
Instead of lying idle, these NFTs are “lent out” or “rented” (via what YGG calls scholarships) to players who don’t own NFTs. So someone can start playing without putting money up front.
When the player (often called a “scholar”) plays the game and earns in-game rewards, the earnings are split: part goes to the scholar (for their play and effort), part to the NFT owner / guild (for bringing the asset), and sometimes part to a manager / mentor (who guides the scholar).
This model tries to make blockchain games more inclusive giving people who can’t afford NFTs a way in, while still making the NFTs useful and productive instead of collecting dust.
SubDAOs: Small Guilds Inside the Bigger Guild
Because YGG works with many games — and players from many countries — it’s not just “one big mass.” Instead, YGG is structured into smaller sub-groups called SubDAOs. Each SubDAO might focus on a particular game (say, The Sandbox, or another NFT game) or a region/community.
These SubDAOs have their own community lead, wallet, and internal decision-making (like whether to acquire more NFTs, or how to split revenues). But they still contribute to the main guild, and share the common vision of giving access and building value.
This design makes YGG flexible and scalable. Instead of trying to manage everything centrally (which would be chaotic), the guild delegates letting each SubDAO run somewhat independently, but under shared guild rules.
Play to Earn Without Upfront Cost
One of the biggest barriers in many NFT games is that you need to first buy NFTs which can be expensive. YGG's scholarship/rental model breaks that barrier. If you join as a scholar, you don’t pay anything initially. You just start playing, and when you earn you share part of the earnings with the guild, and keep the rest.
This model has allowed people especially in lower-income regions to participate in blockchain games and earn a share, without needing capital.
The YGG Token: More Than Just a Coin
At the center of YGG’s economy is its native token YGG. It’s an ERC-20 token, and it gives holders certain rights and opportunities:
Governance: YGG holders can vote on proposals related to which games to support, which NFTs to buy, how to allocate funds basically how the guild evolves.
Staking / Vaults: YGG users can stake their tokens in “vaults” to earn rewards kind of like yield farming, but tied to the guild’s underlying assets (NFTs, game revenues, rentals).
Access & Utility: Token holders get access to certain guild services, maybe early or premium opportunities. In some subDAOs or community initiatives they may get priority.
YGG’s tokenomics: there are 1,000,000,000 tokens total. A big portion (~45%) is reserved for the community, to be distributed over time. Other parts go to treasury, investors, founders, etc.
This setup tries to balance community ownership, incentives, and long-term alignment with the goal to grow the guild and its shared assets while giving people a say.
What YGG Means For People, Communities, and the Future of Gaming
I think YGG matters, and here’s why especially if you try to view it from a human, social lens instead of a hype-oriented crypto lens:
It Lowers Entry Barriers & Gives Access to More People
Many blockchain/NFT games require upfront investment in assets to even start playing. But those assets can be expensive and in many parts of the world, those costs are simply too high. YGG’s model changes that: now, you don’t need to own anything to start. You just need time, willingness to play, and maybe effort.
For people in developing countries (or anywhere with limited means), that’s a big deal. It’s not always just about “gambling” or “speculation,” but real opportunity: to learn, play, earn, and maybe build something.
Shared Ownership, Shared Risk A Community Economy
Instead of each person going alone (buying expensive NFTs, hoping to get lucky), YGG pools resources. NFTs become community assets. Gains and risks are shared. That reduces pressure: if one game fails or an asset loses value, the whole guild bears it the risk isn’t only on one person.
This kind of shared economy feels more cooperative. It’s not “me vs the world,” but “us together.”
Empowerment, Not Just Entertainment
YGG isn’t just about playing games for fun. It’s about giving people especially those without money a shot at something bigger: earning, being part of a global digital economy, learning about NFTs & blockchain, making connections across countries.
For many, this could mean a stepping stone not just in gaming, but in digital literacy, in crypto awareness, in web3 culture.
Experimenting with New Economies
YGG is more than a guild. It’s an experiment. It mixes elements of gaming, finance (like DeFi), community governance, investment, and digital assets.
If it works even partially it could redefine what “work,” “play,” and “ownership” mean in a digital world.
The Catch And Why It’s Not a Magic Solution
Of course nothing is perfect. YGG’s model has risks.
If the games it supports die out or lose popularity the NFTs become worthless or at least much weaker. That hurts everyone in the guild.
Earnings depend a lot on demand, number of players, game economy health. It’s not a guaranteed stable income.
Token value or NFT values can fluctuate wildly. For people depending on this for income, that can be stressful.
Shared governance and community decisions can be messy. What’s good for some might not be good for others; disagreements and diverging interests are possible.
It’s still early days for blockchain-based economies in general. Regulatory issues, technical problems, user adoption all uncertain.
So yes YGG is intriguing, hopeful, and powerful but also risky.
In the End: YGG as a Social & Economic Experiment
When I think of Yield Guild Games, I don’t just see a “crypto project.” I see a social experiment. A global community trying to build something new: a shared digital economy, open to many, not just a privileged few.
A place where you don’t need wealth to start just willingness to play and participate. A place where digital assets are shared, not hoarded. A place that tries to reimagine gaming: not just entertainment, but access, opportunity, community, and maybe even livelihood.
YGG may not solve all problems and it may not be perfect. But as a concept, as a human experiment in what blockchains, NFTs, and DAOs can do together it’s one of the most interesting ideas in Web3.
