When I encountered Guild for the first time in February 2023, I was thoroughly impressed. A scroll through the community list on Guild’s homepage, and a quick exploration of about a dozen Guild pages, quickly provided me with a sense of what Guild is all about:
Guild is foundational tech that helps you build a future that more closely reflects your imagination.
That's quite a lofty one-liner. But let me break it down.
In February, I crafted a popular tweet thread explaining how Guild resolves a universal struggle every community leader faces: defining and escalating user engagement, or in other words, guiding users up the “commitment curve.”
Guild resolves this by making it easy to define commitment tiers (known as “Roles”) that you want your members to reach. Then, it simplifies the process of defining the necessary actions for members to attain these Roles (”Requirements”), as well as the benefits they receive upon acquiring these Roles (”Rewards”).
The brilliance of this model lies in its ability to transform a task that community leaders used to plead members to undertake (ascending the commitment curve) into something members eagerly do themselves, as they can clearly see the rewards associated with meeting the requirements.
- Why Guild Is So Much More Than Community-Scaling Tech
- What We Can Learn From College Admissions About Game Design?
- The Future Belongs To Game Creators Like YOU
Why Guild Is So Much More Than Community-Scaling Tech
I elaborate on why I’m so excited about Guild for communities in my thread. However, the more time I spend discussing with the Guild team, the more I realize the impact of Guild is MUCH BIGGER than merely assisting communities to scale.
This is because the framework of Requirements, Roles, and Rewards is not novel.
What sets Guild apart is its democratization of the ability to define these three Rs to a degree that was previously unattainable.
When you consider the structure of human civilization, it’s awash with examples of individuals working diligently to meet certain Requirements, to acquire certain Roles, and to earn certain Rewards. For example:
- To attain the ROLE of a student in a university, you are REQUIRED to demonstrate your academic merit. The REWARD is the potential to receive an education that may set you on a worthwhile career path.
- To reach a higher ROLE in a company, you are REQUIRED to demonstrate your competency in your current role. The REWARD is an increase in salary and power.
- To earn the ROLE of an elected official in the U.S., you are REQUIRED to secure more votes than your competitors in an election, usually by demonstrating your dedication through actions such as door-to-door campaigning. The REWARD is legislative power.
People often:
- Attend college,
- Seek promotions,
- Run for office,
… because it is TRANSPARENT what the REWARDS are for putting in the required effort.
Each of these three actions forms part of a GAME where the RULES of how to LEVEL UP are clear.
Everyone who has worked hard to get into college recognizes that this process is a GAME.
Most high school students envision a scenario like…
“I want to get into XYZ College. I notice that alumni (a ROLE) of this college are REWARDED with six-figure salaries immediately post-graduation. I want to LEVEL UP my life in this way. Given that the REQUIREMENTS to get into this school are good grades, high test scores, and plenty of leadership experience in school clubs, I'll prioritize achieving these."
Not all high school students perceive college admissions as a GAME. However, if they're committed to entering college, this perception can be helpful.
What We Can Learn From College Admissions About Game Design?
So, what can we learn from those who designed the college admissions GAME?
- Continually promote the REWARDS of participating in the game.
- Clarify the REQUIREMENTS that applicants must satisfy to earn the ROLE that will eventually lead to these REWARDS.
Now, to widen our perspective, what does this all mean for Guild?
Guild democratizes SOCIAL GAME CREATION.
In simpler terms, Guild makes it easier than ever to create GAMES as compelling as the college admissions game, but unbound by old-world rules.
You have the power to decide the kinds of people you want to attract and how you will do it. Guild is a potent tool that can serve as a magnet for these kinds of people.
All you need to do is:
- DEFINE THE ROLES RELEVANT IN YOUR SOCIAL GAME.
- FOR EACH ROLE, DEFINE THE REQUIREMENTS TO ATTAIN THE ROLE AND THE REWARDS THAT COME WITH IT.
The Future Belongs To Game Creators Like YOU
Imagine creating GAMES engaged by millions of people, where they can freely attain ROLES that…
- allow them to mint exclusive collectibles,
- grant them access to REAL WORLD spaces,
- provide them access to your limited time and attention,
… all REWARDS that you reserve for only the most committed players.
How do “players” achieve these ROLES?
That’s for the GAME DESIGNER to decide.
You can select from a variety of REQUIREMENTS that invite players to demonstrate…
- Proof of Humanity.
- Proof of Reputation.
- Proof of Content Consumption.
- Proof of Attendance.
- Proof of Stake.
- Proof of Knowledge.
- Proof of any other concept that our collective imaginations can conjure.
All of this will become possible with Guild over time.
This makes me incredibly excited about its future. Once you recognize that the world is full of RULES that connect REQUIREMENTS to ROLES and REWARDS, you will realize how much power you possess to shape the world according to your imagination.
Use that power wisely to build GAMES that inspire people to build a future worth living in.