My Thoughts on the Most Recent Proposal

Since Joining Splinterlands, it is apparent that the community holds up the Foundation thus making this game a success story within the Eco – System. I remember my first conversations in Discord back in August 2021, people were so positive, I was a new player and had very little understanding, but there were always people willing to help. Fast forward to present day, we are experiencing a bear market, (My first one experienced, everything has gone down in value and people within, have most definitely changed) where peoples positivity has turned into frustration, which is reflected through Discord chats such as the Mavericks House, sometimes too toxic to speak in as negativity seems to take over, it now has the name of the “Salt Mines”.

This has also been reflected within the game and on social media platforms such as Splinterlands TV. I have a lot of time for this initiative and always have, I watch many of the streamers and get into some great conversations, sometimes even learning a few strategies, and will continue to subscribe and interact, but this has changed also. Frustration not only from being in a bear market, but also AI taking over the ranked platforms, Tournaments and Brawls, which has become just as apparent, but seems to have become the norm, moving slowly away from interest of competitive gameplay through manual battling, to seeking maximum ROI through the use of Bots to play accounts. It is the “If you can’t beat them, join them mentality” which has spread through the community like Wild Fire. This has been seen on Splinterlands TV and it left me thinking, soon there will be no more actual players.

I am an avid gamer and play my account daily, it has become a routine, I have invested in assets and continue to do so, and preach to our Community of Team-Philippines the value of holding NFT’s and Token’s and becoming a support mechanism for this Eco-System. We have been considered as a “beacon of Light” by one of my inspirations within this space, @azircon, now I understand why it can be seen it as "It is the few against the many."

With all the Barriers on Entry we have seen come into play, we have always found a solution and will continue to do so however the use of AI drowns out the need of scholarships and I fear that getting new Community Members maybe just a dream, and existing players may also turn to AI and perhaps play something else more entertaining.

I felt compelled to share my thoughts on the current proposal set by @theukm regarding implementation of anti-bot measures in the Modern League. The full Proposal can be seen here: https://peakd.com/@theukm/create-a-temporary-ranked-mode-with-anti-bot-measures

With only 5 Hours Left for the proposal, it seems that it may be passing with 74% in favor from the Community. There has been a lot of reasoning as to why this should not pass, as there will be a shortage of players within the Modern Format, or the rental market will suffer even people will just leave the game. Perhaps those that feel this way have forgotten the fundamentals of gameplay, the use of AI numbs a persons ability to remain competitive therefore expect to be stomped on should you come up against those that do not bot or require Battle Helpers, and for those that have learnt the game mechanics through manual play, this proposal brings a light at the end of the tunnel. Of course, no, immediate solution but at least it is a start.

What also surprises me, is the support from the Old Guard, the OG’s, those that have invested so much into the game are supportive of this proposal. They have realized the importance of Community, to keep it human promotes growth and to see this, inspires others to also follow in the same footsteps.

I have recently joined Team Possible. They are a Top 10 Guild and have some fantastic players in there. Team Philippines will work in collaboration with like-minded groups and communities such as this. “We believe in each other” is their motto, and how they stick to this, it inspires me to keep going. They are currently ensuring no Bot’s or Bot Helpers are being used especially for Brawls, and are in full support of this proposal. This is a perfect place for me to be and I am sure other human players would feel the same and strive for the same opportunity. I would like to say thank you to @davemccoy and @warrentrx, for giving me and others an opportunity by opening their doors to me and future collaborations with TeamPH.

In summary, we are unsure as to what will await us should this proposal pass, however at least it will be moving back into the realm of human gaming. Without humans, who will buy your Tokens and cards except the existing players and investors. If you lose your players all you have is your investors, the money just circulates but never grows. I am one for change. Thank you for taking to read this, should you have any questions please leave a comment or join our discord on https://discord.gg/XcSs6zSf

This is @mangomayhem signing out, Ciao for now, and I look forward to seeing you on the battlefield (And YES, you are playing a real person!)

"Together we Thrive Kapamilya"