I "convinced" one of my friends to get into Splinterlands today - though he will get in when the open sale on packs starts, likely having me buy for him and transfer, just to make it easier. The reason is that after having a look at the game, he thinks his son will enjoy it, which I think so too, and if not, *he can always rent.
It is no secret (this is an open blockchain after all) that I have been extending my Splinterlands holdings over the last weeks and even maxed my first gold card recently. Today, I bought another already maxed gold and I think this is what I am going to do when I can, because I think that they hold a decent value. Also, the one today (Sand Worm) is one I normally have to rent and I tend to play it a lot. Being a neutral, it will see more usage than a specific splinter card, so it will earn a little more DEC, a little more often. While not particularly rare, it is a useful card.
It wasn't cheap - I paid $1461 for it already maxed. I thought this was a "pretty good deal" considering that a maxed regular is just under $900 and has about a quarter the collection power. Not only that, while not "particularly rare" as far as gold cards go (5077 in circulation), I noticed that there aren't many on the market, which means that if someone does want to buy a maxed gold Sand Worm, it is going to currently cost them:
There are only a total of 29 cards on the market, which means that if someone was to max one at that price (double what I paid) right now, there would only be 3 gold Sandworms available. That makes it pretty market scarce, which is likely because it is so often played. Maxed gold cards are going to be very valuable (I think) for the future high-end players. Also, this card carries 1925 CP, so it should rent pretty well at the end of the season too. Currently, it is renting out for about 200 DEC, which is 54% yROA (yearly return on asset), towards the end of the season I might get double or more on that.
These are of course wholly unnecessary purchases, but if the Splinterlands world continues to grow even moderately, there should be a decent return on cards in general and, I am already technically "up" on my total expenditure so far anyway. Not only that, the short-term losses are able to be clawed back over time through various yield mechanisms, so an individual purchase might run a loss, but long term, the total package of cards might be well in profit. For me, what this means is that I am able to add key cards that I play, whilst still mitigating the risks by having a range of other cards.
In some way, a Splinterlands deck is like a personal index fund, where the owner (me in this case) is the fund manager responsible for making sure it performs adequately. Since it is my deck, I don't need to maximize (don't hire me as a fund manager!), as there are other values available and to come that I will be able to use my assets to draw value from. Yes, splinterlands is a game to be played, but the most compelling part for me are the dynamics between the players, community, assets and of course, the economy if it as a whole. It is more fun than the game.
And I told my friend this too. While he will likely have fun playing, as will his son, I think what will be the most interesting part for them is being part of the economic mechanics of it, as well as seeing their crypto in use. I reckon that this will be incredibly valuable for his son especially, because he will be able to learn a whole range of things that most adults don't know about financial dynamics.
This is something that is also going to be interesting to track into the future with play-to-earn gaming, as while children aren't allowed to legally work (in most countries), they will be able to earn on their activity still. This makes them economic contributors from a young age and also, gives them the experience of taking control of their personal finance in ways that most adults struggle with. This is far more valuable than a school economics class, or a university one for that matter - I know, I did both.
Practical experience with skin in the game beats theoretical concepts every time as an educator, and with something like Splinterlands, while there is a cost to enter, that cost is on par with many other things that a person might buy. For example, a Playstation 5 game is 75€ ($85US) and that is not going to increase in value, and it is likely to suck more "no-return" time. That buys about 20 packs, 100 cards. If looking to maximize on Splinterlands, there will be a playing limitation based on the capture rate and then, most of the time will be spent in the economy of the game, learning strategy, engaging with the community - not actually playing.
Which game provides more value to the individual? It is not just the potential to earn that is on offer, it is the potential to be in a very real economic situation and learn from experience. As I have always said, the more you learn, the more you earn - but what is learnt, matters.
Having said this, I am not condoning or suggesting going out and dropping life savings on Splinterlands, because that is likely to end in tears, as "all-in" often does. But what I do think people should do is consider how, where and most importantly why they generate value. For me, I don't want to have to keep chasing new projects in order to make a buck in a high-risk environment, I want to be able to develop a foundation of assets using industry leaders and have longevity of yield, and earn residual income on prior activity.
I did a lot of work to be able to buy this card today, literally hundreds of hours depending on when it was earned. But, I don't value that work at the point I earned it, as I want my work to keep paying dividends well into the future. This means that the work in the past gets to compound its value into the future, keeping on returning much longer than for example, the closing of a post reward window.
I think this is something that a lot of people have missed on Hive. They think the value of a post is set at the point of payout, but that is not the case at all. My first posts on Hive are still earning today, because I collected those cents and dollars, powered them up, used them to earn curation, support other users, build presence, develop my social capital and reputation and also recently, invest some portions of it into assets that I think are going to keep earning into the future. The value of my post only stops earning when what was earned originally is no longer generating value for me, which is when I sell into something that has a diminishing value. A lot of people sold their future yields for consumer items, rather than invested in assets - I chose to invest into what others will consume.
The future of the crypto industry is going to quite quickly move away from random token price and more readily focus on the value of the project behind the token, which will inform the price. If that happened today, 95% of the tokens out there would be wiped out of existence, because most have nothing behind them at all and are promise- and vapor- ware - some not even that.
This card is about the price of a mid-range TV in Finland, but a year from now, what is the difference in value between the two "assets"? The TV will be lucky to hold 25% of purchase price, this card might have paid 75% of its purchase price off and still appreciated in value at the same time, taking no wear and tear and only becoming more scarce as some people combine what they can.
I just checked the Sand Worm Gold market again:
I already have a TV.
Learn to play with the economy, not be played by it.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
Posted Using LeoFinance Beta
I love sandworm XD I can't seem to get high enough mana caps to use it though x_x
I can't play it at full, but I sometimes get enough space in the mana set to give it a whirl :)
Nice work, your collection is top shelf now.
I like to teach them young. Both my kids play/watch me play from time to time. My older loves the art and the lore as she is into fantasy and Greek mythology herself. My younger says, “the Monkey is going to win the game for us” as she watch me select the Flame Monkey as I play the Fire Splinter with my Zaku.
Soon I will introduce them to the concept of trading and play 2 earn model. I think they will like it a lot.
I am hoping to eventually get Smallsteps into it too, but she doesn't even have screen time yet :)
I reckon the kids that get involved around now, will be forces of economic nature in a decade.
My kids are spoiled. They get a lot of screen time, no boundaries. But I am glad to report they actively don’t prefer it. Older likes to read physical books (her reading list sometimes impresses even me) and paints. The younger just loves to play in the neighborhood. Don’t ask me how it happened as I did not tailor it
I wonder if there is a genetic component for some of these things. However, quite a few of my friend's kids are terrors if the TV goes off. For now, Smallsteps is happy and learning other skills, so there is no need to upset the cart yet.
You're such a cool parent, I hope to be like this one day
I like the points you made about your first post still earning for you. For me this post is not so much about the game of Splinterlands but about the game of compounding.
With that said I wish I had the time to play this games economy. My son is big into pokemon and I have told him the splinterlands cards I have are his. The rent I receive is folded back in to buy new cards. Rinse and repeat.
Maybe one day he will have his college fund or at the very least become a player of the thing and start earning.
Two birds :)
The Hive ecosystem is far more complex than people seem to give it credit - well, the people who see the payout as the only reward.
I hope many kids have better futures because of what we are doing here and now.
I'm intrested about how many packs your friend'll planned to get as his entry to SL? I've got a friend too who is partially convinced to get on SL after the presale is over, but not sure about how many packs he should start with.
Probably a couple hundred packs to get started I'd say for my friend. It should be enough to get the feel of the game and if they want to buy more.
I hear that for a maxed deck, it is around 5000 packs! :D
And this is just a fragment of the modern set… These numbers, and the amount of money required to have a competitive card base is way too high…
Very nice investment. SAND WORM is awesome monster. Quite often it destroys multiple monsters of my opponent. congrats
It should be good fun to play, though I can't play it at L10 anyway.
My kids play, they are also involved in renting, staking, selling / buying of cards, trading of SPS/DEC/stable coins/BTC etc. One of my kids also borrowed some SPS and has to make weekly repayments. :)
Fk what is there NOT to enjoy! Wish i had these options of learning finance, real world shit whilst making money playing a fun game when i was young. :)
So cool!
If you need a kneecapping - I know a guy
Hopefully in time, you will see a positive difference in your kids. :)
I am still in the early phases of the game, but going slow and steady.
Splinterlands makes it easy to earn on a daily .
!PIZZA
Quite a few seem to be living off or getting significant supplementart income from it.
Now nobody will be able to max a Sandworm ever again. thanks for ruining it. :P
:D Well, this one was already maxed - So I was lucky :)
I shouldn't feel bad, I did a similar thing with Therosa Nightshade, only the regular foil, yesterday.
That dwarfs this purchase! :D
Not really. I still paid more for my TV
:D
Your tastes are richer than mine
I got my first legendary card today too, for money I got from selling my VOUCHER :D
little things...😉
That is great - what did you end up getting?
Harklaw Lvl 1
That is a good card! I don't have much for death, but I like playing it when I can :)
I think you have a good point about neutral cards having more potential, I will keep it in mind
The new promo card is the first neutral, so the expectation is it will be in demand. Of course, more than neutrals are needed, but they do tend to help a weaker set. I use the uraeus a lot too.
I think I need to reinvest the money I get from airdrop into cards, while they are still reasonably priced 😎
wow, time to upgrade mine then . :) !PIZZA
:)
I feel I am so behind in SL, but I also think I am spending far too fast!
there are some steep steps when you go to Silver 1 and Gold 1 for example, and then at Diamont you may have the power, but not the right team, depending on luck. My summoners are level 6 on average, and i get my aXX kicked on Diamond.
and damn it... !PIZZA
!PIZZA did you just said?
I think am really missing out in splinterland because I haven't gotten my spellbook yet but I tried playing like two matches but was defeated because I don't really understand how to arrange my cards in fighting but I really want to be part in the splinterland world
There are plenty of posts on strategy out there, if you want to play well, you have to consistently learn. If you want to earn, you have to invest something in. This may or may not be for you - that is for you to decide.
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Great analogy with the TV! I am sure that more people will understand the concept if someone takes the time to explain it to them.
Kids earning on splinterlands, someone call social services hahaha. Good for them, it is a good use of the screen time they already have on waste platforms
Sandworm is always my favourite Monster card which has helped me win many battles.i loved to see this card back in your post. I was lucky today bought dtube coin to post splinterland video and after i bought it reached $ 3.70. Splinterland is so lucky and enjoying game so far.
Love the Sandworm! One of my go-to cards for many battles, particularly my Earth lineup removing their armor 🤘
I'm glad that I have two accounts playing, honestly. I've doubled my rewards and have access to a significant amount of cards that I wouldn't normally have because I'm able to do multiple daily quests. I have a bunch of sand worms waiting to be sold in the future as well as others like gelatinous cubes that I see the prices rising steadily. Eventually I will get our son into some of this stuff but I need to get him focused on learning the reading and writing part. Granted he's not of the age where he would be doing this type of stuff but as Azircon and others have said, learning the economics of this at such a young age is going to be fantastic for both them and I!