Let's be honest with ourselves. When we see a "campaign" or a "leaderboard," a little switch flicks in our brains. It's not just about learning the tech anymore. A score is involved. A potential reward.
The dynamic changes from exploration to optimization. We stop asking "What is this?" and start asking "How do I max my points?"
I've felt it myself with the #dusk thing. I started curious about their take on #RWA . Now I'm halfway down a Discord rabbit hole about transaction intervals and voting power, not because I deeply care, but because I saw it affects the leaderboard math. The tech becomes a system to game, not just a tool to understand.
This is the unspoken contract of these campaigns. The project gets engaged, stress-testing users who are motivated to find every interaction loop and edge. We get the dopamine hit of climbing a ranking and the hope of a reward.
But it makes me wonder what stays with us when the points stop. After the campaign ends, will I remember the nuances of their consensus mechanism, or will I just remember the grind? Will the community built on competition pivot to one built on collaboration and development?
Probably a mix. Some will leave with the rewards. A few will stay because the underlying reason for the points—the tech itself—finally clicked. The campaign acts as a filter, not just an attractor. It finds the people willing to dig, even if their first shovel was powered by points.
