For most of gaming history, there have been two groups: the players and the companies that make the games.Players played for fun, for competition, for escape. The companies owned everything the characters, the land, the powerful swords. You could spend hundreds of hours and dollars in a game, but you never really owned anything. If the company shut down a server, your virtual life could vanish.
Then, a new kind of game emerged, built on something called blockchain. In these games, players could truly own digital items—a piece of land, a unique character, a powerful weapon—as assets they could trade or sell. This was a revolution, but it had a big problem: it was expensive to get started.
The best characters and items cost real money. If you didn't have hundreds of dollars to invest upfront, you were left on the sidelines, watching others play and earn. The old inequality of the real world was creeping into this new digital frontier.
This is where Yield Guild Games (YGG) came in. Their idea was beautifully simple and human: What if we shared?
Think of it like a community sports team buying gear for everyone to use.
YGG started by pooling money to buy these expensive game assets. Then, they lent them to players especially talented players in places like the Philippines, Indonesia, and India who couldn’t afford the entry ticket.
Here’s how it changed lives:
The Scholar: Maria in Manila was a great gamer but had no cash for a starting character. YGG lent her a character. She played, earned cryptocurrency from her victories, and split the rewards with the guild. For the first time, her gaming skill paid her bills.
The Guild Member: Raj in Bangalore learned to manage a small team of these “scholars” in his neighborhood. He trained them, supported them, and earned a share, becoming a local leader and entrepreneur in the digital economy.
The Owner: Someone like Alex in Canada could buy a YGG token a tiny share in the guild. As the guild earned from thousands of players, the value of its digital treasury grew, and Alex shared in that success. He was supporting gamers worldwide and growing his own investment.
It wasn’t just about money. It was about opportunity, community, and shared ownership.
Opportunity: YGG turned gaming from a cost into a potential income, especially for people in emerging economies. Play-to-earn became a real concept.
Community: Players weren’t alone. They were part of a guild that offered training, support, and friendship. They learned together and celebrated each other's wins.
Shared Ownership: Instead of one company owning everything, the guild and its members collectively owned a growing treasury of digital assets. They were building a future together.
