In this episode, we speak with Max “0xguru” Diewold. Max is a life-long gamer and in the past, was a competitive e-sports player in games such as Call of Duty and League of Legends. He later went on to create a consulting business focused on the start-up & enterprise ecommerce space. However, his passion for gaming, coupled with the potential of Web3, recently pivoted him completely into the blockchain gaming industry. Today, he leads as the founder of Method to the Mythos - a Web3 gaming guild with a vibrant, growing community, as well as a key advisor to several notable projects in the Web3 gaming space, including Axie Infinity and Sipher Odyssey.
In part one of this two-part conversation, we touch on Max’s entry into Web3 games (starting with Axie Infinity), the rise of gaming guilds, how tokenomics, & play-to-earn models must improve to survive, and the true value unlocked by NFTs and the Metaverse by Web3 gaming.
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Summary
Max’s journey in blockchain gaming is similar to many success stories in Web3: gaining hands-on experience in an industry he was passionate about and actively building valuable content for the community, generating genuine connections from it. When Axie Infinity went parabolic, he was already well positioned in the sector.
MTTM started as a personal account for creating Axie-related content, before taking on a life of its own, fostering a community of Web3 gamers. It then grew into a gaming guild, and is now leading innovation in the Web3 gaming space in its transition from extractive play-to-earn to sustainable play-and-own/play-to-own models, with a focus on Web3 education, professional services, and project incubation with members. gaming.
Max sees digital autonomy and community & collective development as the key drivers of value for long-term success in Web3 gaming projects.
Show Notes
[00:00:00] Intro
[00:00:29] Presenting: Max "0xguru" Diewold
[00:01:41] Max - Intro
[00:02:07] Max - Growing Up with Games
[00:05:08] Max - Professional E-Sports as a Career?
[00:06:42] Max - Gaming was Fun, but Back to Business
[00:08:15] Max - 2021: The Year Axie Infinity Took Over
[00:11:02] Max - Forking Identities: Method to the Mythos
[00:11:58] Max - What's a Web3 Gaming Guild? What Makes MTTM Unique?
[00:15:34] Max - Ponzinomics: The Current Guild Model is Broken, & How to Fix It
[00:19:29] Max - Play-to-Earn Needs a Rebrand
[00:21:17] Max - Web3 Gaming is Built on Community & Collective Development
[00:23:19] Max - Axie Infinity: A Case Study on Early Web3 Game Economies
[00:28:13] Max - What Can NFTs Add to Games Beyond Financial Incentives & Speculation?
[00:30:56] Max - Digital Autonomy
[00:34:56] Max - Define: The Metaverse
[00:40:03] Max - Minecraft, Not Your-Craft: Protecting IP in the Metaverse
[00:47:46] Key Take-Aways
[00:48:42] Wrap-Up
[00:49:08] OutroLinks
Method the the Mythos
Max “0xguru” Diewold
NFT Droplets
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Mas on Twitter (@masangri_art)
Email inquiries: masaki@substack.com
Quotes
“(The Metaverse is) an interoperable, organic network of multiple different Metaversal structures.”
- Max Diewold
Extra Resources
MTTM Core Team
Referenced
E-sports:
Web3 Games:
Minecraft's press release statement on blockchain & NFTs
NFT Worlds, a Web3 Metaverse experience
built on Minecraft💀
As always, thank you so much for taking time to share this journey together with me into the world of NFTs. If you got value out of today’s episode, be sure to subscribe to the podcast and leave a positive review on your podcast app of choice! 😁
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⚠ Disclaimer ⚠
Cryptocurrencies and NFTs are a speculative asset class. Be aware of the risks involved and know that you could lose money. Everything I share references an opinion and is for information and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Please consult a licensed professional before making any investment decision.
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