Leah Callon-Butler
@leah_cb
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Following
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🇦🇺 in 🇵🇭. Call me LCB. Director of @Emfarsis. @CoinDesk columnist. Board Member of @BGameAlliance. Writer, Narrator, Director of @playtoearn_ and @WeAreMFW.
Joined March 2014
#EVEFanfest press day in Reykjavík Iceland, introducing @EVE_Frontier to 30+ international gaming journalists 👏👏 everyone is hanging on CCP Maximum Cats’ words. So grateful to be here. Feel like I’m witnessing a breakthrough moment for Web3 games in trad media 🥹❤️
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1/ My latest for @Coindesk is about @AxieInfinity's Smooth Love Potion (SLP) token and the growing number of Filipino merchants who accept it as payment.
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1/ With over half a million daily active users (DAU) and ~60% coming from the #Philippines, @AxieInfinity is exploding. To put this into perspective, around the end of July 2020, just before I first wrote about it, Axie’s DAU was below 500.
The cute #axie game blockchain protocol generated more fees than #Ethereum and #Bitcoin this week. "Player-owned digital economies will continue to shock the world," says founder @Jihoz_Axie of play-to-earn. By @leah_cb . @AxieInfinity #axieinfinity .
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Please remember, many of the people here in the Philippines who are benefiting from @AxieInfinity now, were not previously earning enough to be taxed at all. @helloluis speaking on @SalveSays tonight, regarding the @AxieInfinity income tax issue.
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What's the first thing you think of when you think of the Philippines? 🇵🇭.
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I wrote for @CoinDesk that 2023 would be "The Year of Web3 Pets." Think my prediction just came true. @BandaiNamcoUS @oasys_games @decryptmedia .
Virtual pets have been around for nearly three decades. But can NFTs solve the problem of authenticity and provenance? . @leah_cb takes us on a nostalgic trip into the past, from the Tamagotchis of the ‘90s to the future of digital pets in Web3.
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While the #Philippines has been recognised as the epicentre of adoption in @playtoearn_ gaming, #Vietnam has emerged as a world-leader and dev hotspot for innovation in building blockchain games. So, why Vietnam? . A thread.
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Our @playtoearn_ mini documentary is less than 200 views away from hitting a total 400K views.
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FINALLY, we can share the trailer for a very special film project that I wrote and directed, and have been shooting for the past few months. METAVERSE FILIPINO WORKER .#MFW. Step into the world of the Metaverse Filipino Worker, a 5-part series exploring how Filipinos are
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“There was an article recently that said: maybe poor people from Asian countries could be the NPCs in our games. And to them, I say: Fuck You. We want to be the stars in our own games” - @gabusch @YieldGuild w/ @thedaoofwei @coinsph on @AxieInfinity in the 🇵🇭 at #axiecon2022
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Everyone was shocked to see a grandma playing @AxieInfinity. Many were skeptical and didn’t believe it were true. So I went to Nueva Ecija myself, to find her & hear her story. See my interview with Lola Vergie, 65, and Lolo Silverio, 75, in #PlayToEarn:.
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It's simply incredible to think how far @playtoearn_ has come in the space of a year. Love being part of this movement and getting to work alongside the likes of @borgetsebastien @Jihoz_Axie @gabusch @petering_ @kookoocryptotv ♥️♥️♥️.
Wow! It’s been a year. We’re not stopping & I’ll fight for the community that we built. 🔥#SalamatAxie #CryptoPH #NFTGaming #play2earn
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Meeting #Metaverse frens IRL is weird but in the best way 😍 @Jihoz_Axie @Psycheout86 @ZyoriTV @AxieInfinity
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In a TikTok video, @Grimezsz said she sees the potential for NFT games like @AxieInfinity to deliver radical wealth redistribution. “People in the Philippines were making wayyyy more than their regular income just by playing this game,” she said. See how:.
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The good people at @crypto_unicorns said it’d take a while to run all the blockchain confirmations required to lock my land (and they were not wrong) so I just got this totally reasonably-sized margarita to help pass the time.
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Loved our #PlayToEarn documentary about #NFT gaming in the Philippines? Catch @gabusch @YieldGuild, @Psycheout86 @AxieInfinity and me at Consensus Distributed, chatting with @bitcoinzay on his #CommunityCrypto segment on @CoinDesk TV - 3pm ET Thursday 27 May #Consensus2021
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A ‘billionaire’ is no longer someone who has a billion dollars. A BILLIONAIRE is someone who positively impacts the lives of billions of people @brockpierce #blockchainforgood
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Coming up to 1yr since I wrote this piece. What a year it has been.
OPINION: “To a crypto investor, gaining $300 or $400 a month might not mean that much, but for these people it means the world,” says @gabusch @altitude_games about @AxieInfinity's players in South East Asia. By @leah_cb . #NFTs.
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At the @YGGPlaySummit… @emfarsis team just surprised @whatslukedoing @heidichristne and @Jihoz_Axie with @pixels_online cosplay 👏❤️ . @gabusch you look different. You get a new haircut or something?
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How & when did you get your first team of Axies? . For me, it was August 2020. @gabusch gifted me a team so I could try the game when I was researching @AxieInfinity for a @CoinDesk op-ed I was writing 🙏 . I still have it & I’ll never sell. Much sentimental value ❤️.
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@Jihoz_Axie @AxieInfinity just announced on stage at #AxieCon2022 with @gabusch @YieldGuild that he’s coming to Manila to speak at the Philippine Web3 Festival @phweb3festival Nov 14-18 😍🇵🇭. LFG 🚀🚀🚀.
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It was a privilege to write this profile of @trungfinity, co-founder of @AxieInfinity, as part of the 2021 @CoinDesk Most Influential. Trung does very few interviews so I was mega grateful that he chose to spend so many hours, across multiple interviews, to chat with me 🙏❤️.
.@AxieInfinity achieved 3,000% year over-year-growth and a $3 billion valuation. We recognize CEO @trungfinity for making crypto fun and catalyzing a play-to-earn juggernaut.
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Just me, @mikojava & @SnoopDogg busting a few @TheSandboxGame-inspired moves ❤️ thanks for the vid @borgetsebastien 🙏
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Why am I running for a seat on the board of the @BGameAlliance?. Many of the challenges described by members of the Blockchain Game Alliance (BGA) are communication challenges. Onboarding, education, dealing with regulators, etc. This is my sweet spot.
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My darling crypto son introduced me to his crypto GF 🥹🥹🥹 and she’s adorable ❤️ she also met @SprakyYGG’s *actual mom* this weekend in Baguio, so I guess things are getting serious 🥂 lovely meeting you @Dadaaacutie 🥰🥰🥰
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“The rise of the #Metaverse represents a trend where our digital lives are having more impact on us over our physical lives. The line between the two is becoming more and more blurred.” @Jihoz_Axie #Permissionless2022
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Thanks @bitgetglobal for inviting me to moderate this chat about the intersection of blockchain + AI w/ @justinsuntron (@trondao) @Punk9277 (@_kaitoai) @dntse (@babylon_chain) and @alpackaP (@hack_vc) at the #BitgetEmpowerXSummit on the sidelines of #token2049
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1/ Why @BreederDAO now? . Disclosure: my company @Emfarsis is an investor in BreederDAO & other startups mentioned in this thread 👇.
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“I realized very early on that when you’re a girl, and you’re from a developing country, there are certain doors closed to you already.” . @SereyChea is a remarkable leader who is redefining what it means to be a woman in Southeast Asia.
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@cloudwhiteNFT @AxieInfinity @NewYorker We landed front page @BusinessTimes in Singapore for @AxieInfinity and @YieldGuild just last month.
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Last night at the @a16z offices - @gabusch @YieldGuild & @Psycheout86 @AxieInfinity talk with @Tocelot about the future of Web3 gaming 🥂
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New frens @Nitish_Web3 & wife Vibha gifted me this gorgeous outfit. It even has a matching notebook w/ handmade paper coz they know I love to write. Totally unexpected surprise ❤️ everyone has been so generous to @nsmale & I on our India trip. I feel a bit emotional 🥹🇮🇳
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Playing the @pudgypenguins *Vibes* TCG by @ocapgames with @tina_hodl in Singapore at the dawn of #TOKEN2049 week 🥂@emfarsis
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Never been to a crypto conference where people bring their family along?. I guess you’ve never been to a web3 gaming event in the Philippines ❤️🇵🇭. @YGGPilipinas #Baguio
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It's not only the Philippines 🇵🇭 #shoutout to all my new @AxieInfinity friends and all the #playtoearn communities across the world 🌏 in Indonesia 🇮🇩 Vietnam 🇻🇳 United Arab Emirates 🇰🇼Japan 🇯🇵 Venezuela 🇻🇪 Australia 🇦🇺 United States 🇺🇸 the list goes on 💕.
Ethereum-based collectibles game @AxieInfinity is driving crypto adoption in the Philippines, writes columnist @leah_cb.
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Congrats @mypethooligan @amgistudios on winning the award for Mainstream Awareness in @TokenGamerNews' annual review of web3 gaming! . "It’s one of the best blockchain games you can play and I would say it’s the best action game," said Robert Baggs, co-founder of Token Gamer.
It's that time again! The least democratic awards in gaming: the Token Gamer Blockchain Gaming Awards and Game of the Year 2023. Have a happy New Year all and we'll see you in 2024! 🥳.#Web3Games #blockchaingames.
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When a Philippine basketball legend is #fanboi for a web3 game dev. Only at @YGGEvents #W3GS 🇵🇭. @JDaredevil2 @at_mwagner @staratlas
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@mikebelshe @UniswapProtocol Every Filipino trading $SLP because of @AxieInfinity prior to 1 September 2020 was a beneficiary of the @UniswapProtocol #airdrop at a time when that money was needed more than ever:
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My dad @brettbutler88 is an artist and high school art teacher. I'm trying to convince him to mint his first #NFT. Please pile on and tell my dad why he should get into #crypto art! Here's us with a painting he created and gave me for my 30th birthday ♥️♥️
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@nsmale + Me of @emfarsis hanging with @BreederDAO & @Jihoz_Axie at the @a16z mixer for @YieldGuild & @AxieInfinity #GDC2022
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Thanks @CoinDeskjapan for sharing my latest op-ed (this one is all about @AxieInfinity scholarships) with your readers:
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I’m beyond excited to be invited to write for @coindesk’s new opinion section, led by @btschiller! I’ll be musing on crypto in the Philippines and wider Asia 🇵🇭❤️.
CoinDesk's new opinion section, launching today, features a star group of columnists including @jillruthcarlson @prestonjbyrne @nic__carter @hasufl @shurder @jp_koning @yorkerhodes @byrneseyeview @jdorman81 @LexSokolin and more
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I’m in Dubai this week for @CoinDesk 🇦🇪 moderating panels at #cardanosummit2023: one with regulators @ADGlobalMarket & VARA, another on “Blockchain for Good” with UNHCR (@Refugees), @UNDP & @Cardano_CF. I hope they load me up with swag coz I don’t have any Cardano merch yet 😂
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If you’re thinking about adopting a dog, please consider an older dog. My heart breaks to think of all the good old dogs that never find their forever home, just coz they’re not a puppy anymore. Old dogs need & deserve just as much love, if not more. But they don’t ask for much❤️
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What an unexpected treat for @nsmale and I: running into @emfarsis port co founder @peterhoangski of @finblox at tonight’s #EndeavorVietnam party hosted by @trungfinity on the @SkyMavisHQ rooftop 🇻🇳❤️🚀
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2/ On Facebook, I turned up a shoe shop, a mechanic, a carwash, an insurance broker, a #COVID19 testing clinic, a cosmetic dentist, a toy store, a bunch of restaurants, an online fitness coach, a waterpark, and more, who were all willing to accept #SLP.
“The minting and acquisition of SLP has become an everyday task for a lot of people, so it’s useful to be able to spend it as an everyday currency,” says one merchant that accepts SLP, #axieinfinity's governance token. @leah_cb reports. @AxieInfinity.
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Amazing job @johnsedanoNFT @kookoocryptotv @Shanksplaysaxie @itsmezeezee despite considerable technical difficulties. You are all incredibly talented, totally natural shoutcasters & this was a super entertaining show! Looking forward to resuming gameplay tomorrow night! #YGGOpen
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This funding announcement is a HUGE win, not just for YGG, but for Philippine-led technology and innovation. Come hang with me, @gabusch and @berylchavezli of @YieldGuild, and special guest @AriannaSimpson of @a16z, for an #AMA in the YGG Discord on Friday night 10PM PHT 🚀🚀🚀.
Want to know more about how a16z thinks about YGG and the greater play-to-earn economy in the long term? Join us tomorrow at the Yield Guild Games Discord server for an AMA with the YGG co-founders, with a16z's @AriannaSimpson and moderated by @leah_cb .
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I love how @yanisvaroufakis brings his economic lessons to life with references to classic literature and pop culture. His approachable style; his ability to take highly complex theories and present them in such a way that anyone could participate in the discussion ❤️
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I'm looking to interview people who have felt stigma or exclusion because of the work they do or the industry they're involved with. Adult, cannabis & gambling are common targets. Recently I've had others suggested too inc. violent sports, e.g. UFC. Please Reply & Retweet.
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Who approved this?! This is possibly the most cringe thing I’ve ever seen in crypto. And that’s saying something.
There’s still not enough women in crypto. We've launched our new fragrance ‘CRYPTO’ as a new way to open up conversations with the public on what needs to be done to bridge the gender gap. Find out more 👉
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Thanks @theghofficial for inviting @emfarsis to visit!. This Filipino P2E guild live together full-time in one big house on the outskirts of Manila, playing web3 MMORPG like @MetaCeneGame @NightCrowsWorld @playbigtime @GranSaga_RPG @ROLandverse @the_phantom_g @ChampionsIO 🇵🇭
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Today a guy said to me: “Shame you bite your fingernails. I really like girls with nice finger and toe nails.”. I replied: “Well lucky for you, I never had any intention of fucking you anyway.”. Is this what the world has come too? Or was it always this pathetic?.
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“Games have always been schools. @axieinfinity is a futuristic type of education.” @Jihoz_Axie @SkyMavisHQ in conversation with @RalfRivas @rapplerdotcom at @phweb3festival 🚀❤️
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The Philippines' web3 gaming community, front page of the Business section in the @nytimes 🥹. Love seeing @CMahalay & @Disiboii of @YieldGuild + @0xtipxie of @realdealguild in the spotlight. Thanks again to @elitanjourno for this bloody fantastic story about our crypto fam❤️🇵🇭
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A night to remember at the @SuperGamingNPC office in Pune, India. Thank you to @robytj and his incredible team for welcoming @nsmale and I so warmly ❤️🇮🇳
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6/ The #Metaverse is a career destination that can be reached with a smartphone and an internet connection as opposed to a bus, boat, train or plane.
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#AxieCon Day Zero. Metaverse frens are amaze but IRL meetups are pretty cool too 💕🥂@gabusch @nsmale @CryptoBlockDan @AxieInfinity @YieldGuild #Barcelona
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So grateful to have had web3 gaming leaders such as @Cryptocurious98 of @IndiGG_DAO come all the way to Manila to join us for @phweb3festival 🙏❤️🇵🇭 feeling sad to bid him goodbye tonight but… it gives @nsmale and I a good excuse to start planning a trip to India 🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳
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In #Web3, we talk a lot about earning rewards but the premise is almost always financial. This is a missed opportunity because the most rewarding experiences of our lives tend to be driven by emotion, not money. A 🧵 on my latest for @CoinDesk.
Web2 pets never get out of the pet store, because your virtual Chihuahuas were still owned by the platforms where you created them. Web3 pets are yours and free to roam in 2023, says @leah_cb. Opinion.
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Me and @nsmale heading back to where it all began @playtoearn_ @AxieInfinity #CabanatuanCity #Philippines ❤️🇵🇭
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Making $ playing video games is not dystopian. 100% agree w @Psycheout86 that web3 games could "be a provider of jobs for hundreds of millions of people” and “It will create GDP for the world in a way that we have never even thought about.”💕.@DLNewsInfo.
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Great article on @techinasia ft. some of our region's best #Web3 projects & most prominent thought leaders! @XLDFinance @CMahalay @yggsea @UmarIrene @YieldGuild @Tokocrypto @AxieInfinity . My key takeaways below 👇.
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Thanks to @nickwh8te @CelestiaOrg for indulging my questions about building fully on-chain games & autonomous worlds on a modular stack! Maybe I was a lil selfish in my choice of use cases 😅 Stoked to mod this fireside for @FhenixIO @hsinjuchuang @DystopiaLabs at #ETHDenver24 🚀
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"I call this the Leisure Economy, where one day we will all get paid to play games. And this film shows the idea isn’t a joke, though it is very much in its infancy. But it’s real enough.". - Dean Takahashi, @VentureBeat.
How a rural Filipino community is earning a living playing an NFT game
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Mark Cuban has been advocating for web3 in the Philippines since 2021, when he cameoed in our short film, @playtoearn_, about the rise of NFT gaming. Check out my chat w/ him in the original video:. Thank you for continuing to fly the flag, @mcuban! 🇵🇭
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Full house for @yggpilipinas Roadtrip event today in Baguio❤️🇵🇭 this is where you get to know which web3 games will take off next 🚀🚀🚀 my thesis: the rest of the world’s adoption curve is on a 3-6mth lag behind whatever you’re seeing in the Philippines right now 😝
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Wishing all my UK friends a fabulous evening at the @PRPawards tonight! Miss you plenty. Hope the entertainment makes a BIG impression (like it most certainly did on me in 2017. ) because this year it’s brought to you by @intimatetoken ❤️
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#Web3 meetup w/ @emfarsis + @BuidlersTribe kicks off 5PM tonight at @BLRxZo!. Join us for rooftop beers + DJ set by @chalkandcheeze_ at sundown 🌇 Zo House Bangalore. RSVPs at are now closed. If you haven't registered yet, please email: events@emfarsis.com
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3/ @BakebePH, a “co-baking” space in Metro Manila, is one of those that will allow you to pay using magical internet money (which is actually a very handy way for the underbanked to pay online).
FIRST customer to pay with @AxieInfinity SLP! ✨ Yep! We are ACCEPTING SLP as PAYMENT! 😍. Book your baking sesh using SLP here -> Launching our own Axie School soon in partnership with @axiecapital 🚀 #AxieScholarship
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Shooting today in Mexico City with @OLAGuildGames to tell the stories of scholars from Latin America. Today we’re interviewing Ivan, #1 player on the @Karmaverse_io leaderboard for all of Mexico 🇲🇽🚀
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I’ve told plenty of stories from the Philippines but this is by far the most unique. Never again will I roll my eyes at the mention of NFTs. Thanks to @Goltra for helping me find this amazing case study & thanks to @gabusch @Jihoz_Axie for helping me understand this phenomenon 🇵🇭.
This article by @leah_cb is absolutely #CryptoPH at its finest. Filipinos in the province are playing @AxieInfinity -> earning $SLP -> feeding their families. In the midst of a global pandemic, people are literally surviving on crypto. This is the future.
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Me getting #pornstar posing tips from @LaceyStarrxxx and @saharaknite on set at @paulraymondmag 😍 How’d I do? #getintimate @intimatetoken
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When are you raffling the hat @bitcoinpendium?! Thanks for inviting me to sign it #LCB ❤️🙏 @YieldGuild
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