Enter Tristan Estabillo. By day he’s a national coach for Vovinam, a form of martial arts originating from Vietnam. He also got a chance to represent the Philippines as part of the Philippine Kickboxing Team at the SEA Games. But when he’s in front of the computer, he’s known to his audience as ‘Master Kamote’ or simply ‘MK,’ a Web3 content creator. Tristan is part of a growing community of Web3 video game streamers. Unlike traditional streamers who cast popular games like Valorant, Mobile Legends, and Call of Duty, MK focuses on the cottage industry of Play & Earn games that use NFTs and cryptocurrencies.
Like many of his kind, he started during the 2021 Axie Infinity phenomenon in the middle of the pandemic. Web3 content creators like him are not financial advisors, but they are the first line of defense in educating gamers into the new and notable games that are launched every year in the crypto space. It takes a special kind of skillset to enter the space, as you need to have deep familiarity with a game’s earning mechanics but also be engaging enough to make your content appealing to players who may want to try these games out. That’s why they exercise due diligence by reviewing white papers, the background of the studio and its founders and spot red and green flags to help their community decide better. You can check MK out at @masterkamote_ on X / Twitter.
Singing in cyberspace
The pandemic has brought about new ways to entertain and be entertained. A lot of netizens found solace in Discord communities as the new place to hang out online. Musician couple ‘Zowa’ and ‘Bloom’ wanted to create a platform where local artists are recognized for their musical talents, and perhaps earn a bit on the side. As such, Liyab was born. Members visit public karaoke voice channels of other Discord servers on weekends. Known as “Karaoke raids” all available members join a server and queue up to sing. They’re pretty much like open mic sessions, but online. In these raids, the audience sometimes drop songs and wait for a Liyab member to sing their request. Each member has a unique voice and specializes in different genres, but most are updated with what’s trending on Spotify and the radio. For events, Liyab usually asks for P80 to P120 per song, and it is usually up to the audience to give additional tips through GCash QR codes. Sometimes, they also perform in Web3 game servers and are awarded with NFTs and crypto tokens. Reading about Liyab is one thing, but they’re worth a listen too. Check them out at discord.gg/divisoriaontop or facebook.com/fromlyb.