I know you've heard too much about those grand narratives of 'getting rich quick' and 'the blockchain gaming revolution', and your ears must be getting callused. Today, let's not talk about those; instead, I'll share a true story about my cousin from the Philippines. His name is Mark, a 21-year-old college student, and he is just an ordinary 'scholar' in the YGG ecosystem.
Two years ago, Mark, like all the young people who wanted to make some pocket money from gaming, was stuck at the first step: he had no money to buy those overpriced game NFTs. An Axie that could lay golden eggs felt to him like a mansion in Manila Bay—visible but out of reach. At that time, 'earning while playing' was a false proposition for a kid from an ordinary family like him.
The turning point was when he joined a community branch of YGG. The process was ridiculously simple: he filled out a form on Discord, passed a basic test, and it felt like finding a 'job'. The guild rented him a team’s Axie, and he 'worked' for 4 hours every day after class. In the first month, the money he earned paid for his internet and his meals for the next month. The key was not how much he earned, but that the threshold had disappeared. YGG is like a 'gaming assets bank', lending productive resources (NFTs) to the most productive 'workers' (player Mark).
But if the story ended here, YGG would be no different from those previous gold farming guilds. The real change happened during the bear market.
When the coin prices dropped to the point where their mothers wouldn't recognize them, many pure gold farming players left, thinking this industry was done. But Mark didn’t leave; instead, he got busier. Why? Because YGG's gameplay upgraded.
The guild started issuing all sorts of bizarre 'tasks': not only playing games but also testing an early version of a new game to find bugs; acting as a 'tour guide' in the community, teaching five new scholars how to get started; and even creating a backstory for a game character. Completing these earns you 'contribution points' and soulbound badges (SBT) issued by the YGG platform, rather than easily plummeting game tokens.
Mark told me that he felt different: 'Before, it felt like mining; now it feels... like I’m building my resume.' These on-chain badges record his skills, credibility, and contributions. The bear market cannot erase his 'resume'. With this, he qualified for participation in the beta testing of more premium games, whose economic models are healthier and feel more like 'games' rather than 'mining machines'.
Now, Mark's sources of income have become diversified: part of it comes from game revenue sharing, and part from rewards for completing various ecological tasks. He has even started using the experience he gained to help new games with localization promotion in the community, earning a promotion fee. YGG is no longer just a 'rental intermediary' for him, but a 'skill brokerage platform' and 'professional network'.
So, don't simply regard YGG as a 'game investment DAO'. Its deeper value lies in constructing a 'non-traditional financial (DeFi) system' for digital natives:
It provides 'productive asset loans' (NFT rentals), solving the startup capital issue.
It operates a 'on-chain skill certification system' (tasks and SBTs), turning unquantifiable gaming skills and community contributions into verifiable credit assets.
Ultimately, it is incubating a new professional identity: digital nomads. Players are no longer 'users' being exploited for attention and time by game companies, but 'micro-entrepreneurs' flexibly creating value across multiple gaming economies with their time, skills, and community influence.
YGG is working to help thousands of 'Marks' grasp a tangible rope belonging to the digital age amidst the uncertainties of the global economy. This defines its value more than any token price.
Do you think this can still be considered just a 'gaming guild'?
This article is inspired by real community cases, and the content has been desensitized; it does not constitute any investment advice.
@Yield Guild Games $YGG #YGGPlay
