Web3 gaming in the Philippines emerged during the pandemic as students and workers turned to play-to-earn models for income.
A memorable scene or a distinctive setting is the starting point of every story.
During the pandemic, the scene was played out in countless Filipino homes for Web3 gaming in the Philippines. Students and workers, who were confined by lockdowns, discovered that they could earn and develop value together.
What initially began as an intriguing combination of gaming and cryptocurrency would subsequently evolve into a cultural phenomenon.
However, this was merely the metaphorical “testing ground.” The environment has evolved significantly since the early days of play-to-earn in late 2024.
Something more substantive has emerged, despite the fact that the initial gold rush has cooled. For three years in a row, the Philippines has maintained its status as the world’s most engaged market for Web3 gaming, having served as the starting point for this experiment in digital economies of scale.
Yield Guild Games (YGG), the company that introduced the guild model that united thousands of gamers into communities, is currently expanding its vision beyond gaming.
Gabby Dizon, the founder of Yield Guild Games, spoke with the effortless assurance of an individual who has observed an untamed concept blossom into a movement in an exclusive interview with Decrypt.
“We’ve always had guild communities as part of YGG since day one,” explains Gabby Dizon. “First we started with Axie [with] the scholarship program, then we expanded to other games and added questing and reputation on top of that.”
YGG conceptualized Onchain Guilds with this early model, a platform that allows collectives to establish and maintain their reputation by posting verifiable recordings of their work and accomplishments on the blockchain.
The platform offers tools to manage shared assets, monitor contributions, and access opportunities across YGG’s network of partners, regardless of whether you are a gaming team, an artist, or a group of content creators.
Consider it a hybrid of LinkedIn and Discord, but with tangible evidence of your accomplishments.
As Dizon observes, “The reputation is onchain for everyone to see,” which enables organizations to establish traceable chronicles of their accomplishments. “It’s inscribed in your wallet, so you own it, not a social network or any other platform.”
Today, the Web3 guild protocol announced at the YGG Play Summit that its Onchain Guilds platform will be launched on Base, Coinbase’s Ethereum Layer-2 network.
Base was developed using the Optimism Stack to improve transaction performance and reduce costs, all while preserving the security and decentralization of Ethereum.
Developers can deploy decentralized applications more efficiently with the L2, and users can interact with the Ethereum ecosystem at a substantially reduced cost.
This is especially relevant in the Philippines, where Web3 gaming is not merely a pastime; it is a significant economic force and a source of sustenance for individuals who earn an average annual income between $3,000 and $12,000.