Thread by @mystic_scholars

A shift from a pure watch-to-earn model to the current model for scholarship issuances was a difficult decision, yet necessary. Here's why (a thread) 🧵

A pure watch-to-earn model, at least in our implementation, did not foster the community we set out to make. It created an unhealthy expectation that subbing would 'guarantee' a scholarship (despite explicitly and consistently advising AGAINST such a mentality).

Our previous model made sense when our community was small. We were able to reward several of the most active community members with scholarships, and directly engage with those members to ensure our values were aligned.

But as we grew, the system did not lend itself to scale scholarship issuances at the rate that they were being redeemed, nor did it ensure that three essential conditions necessary for a successful scholarship program were met:

1.) A vetting process (complying with Axie TOS)
2.) Ecosystem and game knowledge (crypto interactions, game mechanics, etc)
3.) A commitment to resourcefulness, respectfulness, and positivity

Despite our attempts (e.g., improved onboarding processes, etc), the issues that arose were still persistent and ballooning. This was stunting the growth and vitality of our community.

It became DISADVANTAGEOUS for me to go live. The only way we could 'control' the number of scholarship issuances w/o changing the model was to either: increase the channel points required, pausing all redemptions, or just by streaming less.

This became an incentive alignment problem: I wanted motivated individuals on our team who we could count on to be critical to the growth and vitality of the community, while hopeful scholars wanted the path-of-least resistance to be a part of the team.

The path-of-least resistance (by passively watching a stream for a couple of weeks) coupled with a larger audience led us to fail in trying to complete our objective.

We no longer had the luxury (and blessing) to 'intimately' know our redeemers. Furthermore, it did not ensure that new scholars would actually be committed to being valuable members of our team, nor did it ensure that the three essential conditions were met.

From the start, this community was built around the pillars of (1) positively pushing ourselves and each other, (2) long-term thinking, and (3) growth mindset. I truly believe that this new model is a better reflection of our community values and vision.

This is a play-to-earn GAME. If it isn't obvious, demand is going to be asymmetric compared to the supply. Couple this with a push for a more competitive environment (i.e., PvP SLP changes), it's becoming imperative that we are selective about who we bring in.

We are not simply an SLP farming community, we offer several unique programs to ensure the future success of our community members inside and outside of the game both in the short and long term.