5. L2G: why and how
The end game for education in web3 is an , whatever shape or form of it, to facilitate acquisition and exchange of knowledge without intermediaries. Here, I will try focus on the current state of things and reflect on L2G models can be beneficial and they can be or already are being implemented.
Why crypto? Because it gives back. Financial freedom to people. Ownership of assets to gamers, of content to creators. The list goes on but what can crypto give learners back? In other words, what aspect(s) of education can we decentralize to improve it? I will make the case that, from an educational point of view, the greatest gift we can give learners (back) is choice. Choice over our own educational development. Choice to break through rigid educational systems and build composable ones. Choice over our paths in life.
In addition to that, the transactional nature of web3 and crypto inspire the exchange of ideas and beliefs that is evident in the community-centred nature of this industry in its present state. In a way, more education in web3 is likely to reduce what can be seen as the byproduct of such nature: tribalism. Choice and direct exchange of ideas will likely be the two main reasons to embrace education in web3.
Finally, let’s describe (or imagine, if needed) two L2G models: for Play-to-Earners and for web3 workers
gamers guilds (structured as DAOs) have scholarship systems by which game assets (NFTs) are given out to successful applicants to earn profits which are then shared with the lending guild. This has come to represent a significant source of income for many across the globe. Guilds have already been playing a central role in educating newcomers, albeit in a limited way as the main focus is to provide scholars (no matter how techy or crypto-savvy they might be) with the necessary tools to start playing games. To this, some guilds add coaching sessions and more aimed training to either improve a scholar’s game strategies (which in turn affect their earning) or update them on new mechanics of a blockchain game.
Delivery of this education is limited by the way most gamers guilds are organized, as most interactions with scholars still happen on Discord while most onboarding efforts are aimed at lengthy interviews and similar onboarding processes. In order to provide solid L2G solutions, guilds will need some space, possibly an education-oriented platform, which can help align all the components to the project’s vision.
Direction: help people supplement their income and/or lift themselves out of poverty. This means both a focus on educational gaming components (new games, new updates, new opportunities, etc.) but also reaching beyond game-centred education, into finance and tech. Most importantly, new P2Eers will have to learn how to diversify into different games and adapt to different market conditions. The design will therefore reflect a broad range of needs.
: extensive. Guilds would aim to provide broad solutions that follow gamers over long-spanning gaming ‘careers’. They would therefore benefit from solid entry-testing systemsa framework of reference for crypto levels
: the core of this should be guidance in how to play and maximize earning in blockchain games. This should be supplemented with more finance-oriented content. Presentation is key here: P2E-oriented education providers should never forget that their users are gamers, so gamification is the goal
Testing: gamification of the testing process goes down a path educators of all kinds have been walking for quite some time. An educational expert that can deliver such design and standardize this component would ideally be able to make it so that scholars and users feel like they are just playing another game, rather than undergoing a test.
: this is where things get interesting for guilds and their users. Minting certificates makes less sense here. Instead, partnerships developed in this space and synergy with parallel projects (NFT marketplaces, blockchain games, PFP collections, etc.) open up a world of opportunities. Guilds could think of rewarding their scholars who decide to take on L2G with extra perks or assets in the games they already play or even other ones. This links L2G directly to increased earning opportunities, while also representing a chance for guilds to redirect their users towards less known games and re-balance their scholar-base
Nowadays, work happens increasingly online and it is safe to assume that the future of work will largely be digital and centred around web3. For people to thrive in such work environment, they will require specific sets of skills, most of which can only be learnt in web3.
L2G solutions could be used to build on the momentum employment in web3 is gaining and kickstart a wide-spanning web3 job market to support the high demand for human capital. A DAO or a group of DAOs could build an infrastructure that blurs the lines between education, formation and employment and scale up the web3 eco-system in general.
In this case, I will have to rely more heavily on imagination rather than existing practices, though there are many job boards scattered in web3 and some of the way is already being paved.
Direction: help people secure training and acquire sought-after skills in web3 & jump-start employment in this industry. The range of possible jobs is very broad and constantly expanding, so subDAOs could be spun-up to address different areas (tech, finance, community, arts, etc.) and possibly use different designs. No matter how scattered the structure, intent should always be shared
: background-related more than anything else. A pre-registration form/interview that could represent the very first step in building one’s digital curriculum.
: origin of the content would probably play an essential role here. Securing the help of web3 pioneers and visionaries who are shaping the way people coordinate and create in web3 would greatly advance the cause of such a project. This is in line with the decentralization ethos as it would bring experts and talent together in a mentoring relationship rather than a teacher-student one.
: any credible effort would rely on practicalverifiable forms of testing. A developer’s assignment could be to build and set up a very simple but functioning dapp, artists could be asked to lazy-mint and NFT for no profit, students of tokenomics could be asked to simulate an ICO, and so forth and so on. On-chain, verifiable tests could be a way to give this process an increased degree of legitimacy
: minting certificates makes a lot of sense here. These could then be merged into a larger asset, a sort of CV if you wish. The composability of these assets would be quite important, together with the around them. I will leave the question of where such NFTs could be housed (dedicated L1? L2?) to someone else as long as we all agree that users should not incur any expense when minting. I will focus instead on what having a digital, on-chain professional identity might come to mean to some. Imagine a metaverse dweller with very good reasons to stay anonymous behind their digital persona. Seeking employment might mean having to compromise on their anonymity, at least to a certain extent. That could be significantly limited if our certificates, diplomas and professional experiences were connected to a wallet, rather than a face.
Conclusions
Just as any new tool humanity has come up with in the past, crypto can be a force for good as much as evil. Which directions this industry takes will be largely dictated by the level of education within it and outside of it and the effort we all collectively put into bridging the two worlds. For crypto and web3 to deliver the promises of a better future for everybody, we must make education the centre of this industry’s narrative.
