Introduction
This post is about the features I would like to see implemented around staking and governance.
Staking is the process of locking up tokens (in this case, $GODS, in this case not locked but simply held) in a blockchain network to support operations such as transaction validation, governance, or securing the network. In exchange for staking, participants are typically rewarded with additional tokens or other benefits, such as voting rights or access to exclusive features.
Governance refers to the system, processes and rules by which decisions are voted and enforced within an organization, platform, or community. In web3 this often involves participants (token holders or community members) making decisions about the development, management, and future direction of the platform.
This is part of a series of posts that collect ideas for game features that have yet to be implemented and I believe would be very beneficial to the game.
@jfa provided a very useful soundboard that helped expand the more controversial sections of the post.
Staking
Staking currently distributes tokens accumulated from real activity around the game. For more details please refer to this post.
The staking perks could be tiered as a means to reward more committed players with better rewards. This would also work as an incentive for players to increase their stake and see incremental benefits from their efforts.
I would like to suggest additional benefits to Staking, to incentivize locking more tokens and contribute to token price appreciation. This would make staking more meaningful, drive positive behavior and become a more important and satisfying part of the game ecosystem.
Discount on Pack Purchases (cumulative with other discounts like for example burning cards)
Discount on premium game mode tickets
Discount on Battle Pass purchases
Percentage boost to non-crypto in-game currencies, like Experience and Star Points
Account bound cosmetics that become increasingly more intricate as the staked amount increases (and vice-versa)
Account badge indicating the player's staking tier
Ocasional exclusive airdrops to larger holders
Milestone rewards for holding a minimum amount of tokens for a long period of time (1 year for example)
Some rewards could be tied to participation in the game, in the sense of playing the game regularly
Participate in exclusive stakers tournaments. Some prizes could be exclusive to these tournaments
Access limited edition merchandise
Ability to submit governance proposals
Increase Governance voting power (see below)
Governance
There is no Governance system currently in place in GU. The closest thing we have was the Council of Mortals, but even that has been interrupted for many months now.
The team also listens to feedback, particularly in Discord, but this is a very informal process and biased towards the people who are active there.
Governance would give the community a more structured and democratic ability to influence the game's development, balance, and direction in a fair and accessible manner.
For it to work properly there would need to be support in the client or a webpage, including
Voting screen with a list of current and expired proposals
Dashboard breaking down the player's voting power
News widget (in the client) to inform players of new voting opportunities
Individual Governance weight would depend on several factors like
Cumulative age of the account in terms of active weeks playing games
Size of the staking bag
Trading activity on the secondary market
Pack purchase volume
Size of the card collection
Average player Rank
To prevent abuse from large holders or fake accounts, a few simple rules could be implemented:
There is a cap to the weight each single account can have. Above a certain staking amount for example the account receives no further Governance points
There is a minimum of player activity required, for example determined by number of matches played or cumulative number of active weeks measured in victories
Cards must be held for a relatively long period before they would be counted towards Governance points
A reasonable amount of Governance points would be necessary to submit proposals to be then voted upon
Governance proposals could be centered on the ability to
Petition the dev team to consider community proposals approved with a majority vote
Approve unlocking selected cards for balancing with a supermajority of votes, like 2/3 or 3/4. This is a very controversial topic, with very polarized opinions. I think it is an adequate use case for Governance, but the consequences for the game could be so serious in undermining player confidence that implementing this possibility could have long lasting damaging consequences to the game and its ability to attract and retain pack buyers. Perhaps the safest solution to address problematic cards would be to print counters or ban cards instead.
Decide on any topics proposed by the developers
Elect Council of Mortals members
Decide on game mode rotation and scheduling
Contribute to shaping the storyline, world building and character development
Advise on card balancing options while sets are unlocked
Decide on banlists for game modes (Formats)
Participate in card naming events
