THIS is the second part of our interview with Vince Golangco, founder of WhenInManila.com and one of the top 100 Axie Infinity players in the world.
You know when a game has reached mainstream interest when all the news outlets and even TV magazine shows are featuring it. Much like how Counter-Strike introduced pinoys to first-person shooters, Ragnarok to online MMORPG, and Dota to MOBA, Axie Infinity will be remembered as the game that made people aware of NFTs (non-fungible tokens) and blockchain gaming.
Axie Infinity is a blockchain computer game that was released in 2018 by the Vietnamese developer Sky Mavis. The gameplay is a cross between Pokemon and Hearthstone—the adorable monsters from Pokemon combined with the turn-based card game from Hearthstone. What makes Axie Infinity different from all other games is its “play-to-earn” mechanics that lets you earn cryptocurrency in the form of Small Love Potions (SLP). These coins can then be converted to pesos or any local currency. Because of this, the game has blown up locally and internationally especially during the pandemic due to the possible earnings you can receive from playing the game.
Vince said it was the gameplay that got him interested in Axie Infinity—but it was the opportunity to earn from it that got him hooked.
“Unlike other games where you just throw away your money buying virtual items, Axie actually lets you earn money—which gives me more reasons to keep playing it.”
With his commitment and gaming skills, Vince quickly became one of the top 100 Axie players in the world, even entering the Top 10 rankings during certain points of the season.
Unfortunately, tempting as it may seem, playing the game requires a bit of an investment—something not everyone could afford.
Vince said when he first started playing, an Axie costs about $100 and since you need three to form a team, you initially have to spend about $300 (roughly around P15,000). Now, a good Axie sells for $500 each, meaning you have to invest around $1500 (P75,000) just to be able to start playing.
This is where the “scholarship” program comes in. Scholars are people who want to play the game but don’t have the monetary resources to do so. They’re essentially bankrolled by “managers”—like Vince who face the opposite dilemma: they have (the cash) or axies but don’t have the time to play with them.
A scholarship is exactly what it sounds—a manager gives scholars some of their unused Axies so they’ll play for them, splitting whatever the earnings the scholar gets while playing the game. Think of it like the “boundary” system for taxis (or jeep/tricycle), since the owners can’t drive all their vehicles at the same time, they hire drivers who in turn remit a certain amount of “boundary” everyday.
Axie Infinity uses NFTs for the rights to each pet that is purchased. To grow these pets, you purchase or farm SLPs. You can sell these pets or SLPs for cryptocurrency, then swap into your respective currency.
Much like how he started with When In Manila, Vince’s first scholars were friends who wanted to try out the game. Now, he currently has around 20 scholars and is searching for more via When in Manila Play.
WIMPLAY SCHOLARS
WHEN In Manila Play is the niche page of When in Manila that is purely devoted to gaming. Vince says he felt it was a natural progression to complement the content of the main web site as they cater to a wider audience. Other niche WIM pages include WIMYummy, WimFunny, WIMAdventures, WimTechnology and WIMKids.
This is also where Vince is searching for his next Axie scholars.
Among his most popular scholars who stream for WIMPlays are Courbs (Courtney Sayson), Farima, Alvin, Misaki, Aya, Mikikay, dabern, Kat Lacanilao, Xands and staceyibalagtas, all of which you can meet and follow via their Facebook Page and joining their Discord group.
More than a Facebook streaming site, Vince envisions WIMPlay as a community that will foster positivity through gaming. Besides Axie Infinity, WIMPlay streamers also play the most popular games such as Valorant, Call of Duty, Mobile Legends, and Genshin Impact, among many others. They also have a YouTube channel where you can find tutorials and explanatory videos about everything you need to know about Axie Infinity—definitely a must-watch for those who want to become an Axie scholar. Vince says they reward the scholarships to their most active members on their Facebook page and Discord.
“We are not looking for the most experienced or most skilled gamers to be our scholars. What’s more important for us is their commitment and personality, especially for those who also want to do livestream for us. It may be a play-to-earn opportunity, but we don’t want to deprive our scholars of the fun element so they could still enjoy the game,” says Vince.
PLAY TO EARN AND BE TAXED?
WELL, it was all just a matter of time. As the famous quote goes, “In this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes.
After issuing a memorandum circular ordering social-media influencers to register and pay taxes, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) is also going after those who are earning from playing online games, like Axie Infinity.
The BIR said that income from playing online games like Axie Infinity can be taxed. “At the end of the day, there’s a flow of income to our players, so that is still income that can be taxable,” said BIR Deputy Commissioner Marissa Cabreros. Vince says Axie presents a unique way to earn and could help those who are looking for jobs, and they would abide by any laws the government decides to implement.
“Before anything else, I believe that this unique opportunity is a blessing for job-seeking Filipinos, and people from all over the world. With that, Sky Mavis [the company behind Axie Infinity] themselves released a statement, saying: ‘Play-to-earn is an important shift in the nature of work; we look forward to working with physical nations [governments] on a path forward that encourages innovation and empowers gamers.’ It is very interesting to see where these talks will lead us to next. We will of course abide by any laws that the government will implement with regards to scholars or taxes.”