The article discusses Jace Hall’s vision for bringing more attention and recognition to gamers and their achievements through a partnership between his company Twin Galaxies and the startup Thece.
The core idea is to have non-gaming brands create challenges and contests within existing popular video games that celebrate and reward ordinary gamers who excel at those games. Twin Galaxies provides the technology to adjudicate and verify gaming accomplishments with integrity, while Thece handles the platform for gamers to participate.
One example is their collaboration with Scotts Miracle-Gro, where gamers can win prizes like free soil by completing virtual gardening tasks within games like Stardew Valley and submitting video proof. Twin Galaxies ensures the competition’s fairness through video review and anti-cheat measures.
Hall sees this as a way to monetize gamers’ time and passion by allowing brands to provide real-world rewards, without being exploitative. It creates an “achievement economy” akin to traditional sports leagues celebrating star players rather than just the games themselves.
The model upends the traditional game industry economics of focusing solely on selling more game products. Instead, it puts the spotlight on gamers as individuals and their skills, incentivizing brands to engage authentically with gaming audiences they want to reach.
Hall believes this challenges-based approach, facilitated by Twin Galaxies’ verification capabilities, is a revolutionary disruption that benefits all parties – brands connect with consumers, gamers get recognized, and game publishers see content creation driving interest.