From: thepipeline_xyz
Monad Games is described as a high-stakes, “no holds bar competition” where five contestants battle to earn testnet tokens, known as T-Mo [00:00:00]. The ultimate prize for the player with the most tokens by the end is $5,000, which is to be given away to the community [00:00:10]. The atmosphere is tense, with participants noting their fear and the “dicey” nature of the challenges [00:00:20].
Core Mechanics and Stakes
The competition revolves around accumulating T-Mo tokens through various challenges. The prize of $5,000 for the winner to distribute to the community incentivizes aggressive play [00:00:10]. Losing has significant consequences, with hints that the last-place contestant faces an undesirable outcome [00:00:32].
The Contestants
Prior to the challenges, contestants express varying degrees of confidence:
- One contestant states “10,” feeling “very confident” and prepared [01:04:00].
- Another also claims “10” for confidence [01:17:00].
- One takes a more philosophical view, stating it’s a “50/50 chance” as they’ll either win or not [01:22:00].
- Another rates their confidence as “Six” [01:30:00].
- A fifth contestant gives a precise “6.9 out of 10” [01:39:00].
Challenges
Dalgona Cookie Challenge
Inspired by Squid Game, this challenge requires contestants to carefully carve out a design from a cookie within 7 minutes [03:21:00]. All contestants chose the “hard” route, which was worth 1,000 T-Mo, over the “easy” route worth 200 T-Mo [02:46:00]. Breaking the cookie results in immediate elimination [03:26:00]. The contestants refer to themselves as “degenerate gamblers,” implying a willingness to take high risks [03:03:00].
John’s Mystery Meat Challenge
This challenge offers an opportunity to earn back tokens. Contestants are served various random meats and must eat them, with each one worth 100 T-Mo [06:07:00]. The meats include unusual options like alligator, bison, yak, kangaroo, wild boar, rabbit, rattlesnake, antelope, venison, and “Rocky Mountain oysters” (bull testicles), alongside traditional chicken sausage [06:18:00]. Contestants do not know what they are eating until after they’ve tried it [06:31:00].
Influence Ranking Challenge
Contestants are asked to self-arrange themselves from most to least influential [11:40:00]. An “expert psychic” then re-arranges them based on intuition after 5-minute readings [13:31:00].
- If a contestant is placed in the exact same spot they chose, they win 500 T-Mo [12:44:00].
- If a contestant is placed in the number one spot, they win 1,000 T-Mo [12:56:00].
- Each contestant also has 15 seconds to plead their case for being the most influential [12:51:00].
Pitch Competition Dynamics (Hot or Not)
In this challenge, contestants must pitch a random, non-existent startup idea to the group within 60 seconds [17:05:00]. The other four contestants judge and score the pitch [17:41:00]. To earn more tokens, the contestant must also consume a spicy item:
- Jelly beans: 200 T-Mo [17:48:00]
- World’s hottest chocolate: 500 T-Mo [17:53:00]
- One Chip Challenge: 2,000 T-Mo [17:56:00] Drinking yogurt before the timer is up results in no points [17:34:00]. The winner of this round receives 1,500 T-Mo [18:00:00].
Ice Block Seed Phrase Challenge
Contestants must choose a tool (e.g., tongs, keyboard, spoon) to break open a block of ice within 10 minutes [28:14:00]. Inside each block are eight words, which form a numbered seed phrase [28:24:00]. The goal is to retrieve the words and state them in the correct order [28:29:00]. This challenge is “all or nothing,” worth 1,500 T-Mo [30:51:00]. One contestant successfully bribed another for a word, paying 300 T-Mo [30:19:00].
Split or Steal (Psychological Game)
The final game is psychological, worth the most tokens at 2,500 T-Mo [31:24:00]. Contestants secretly choose to “split” or “steal” on a note card [31:34:00]. The outcome depends on collective decisions:
- Everybody splits: Each contestant gets 500 T-Mo [31:49:00].
- Only one person steals: That person takes all 2,500 T-Mo [31:54:00].
- Two or more people steal: The splitters get everything [31:57:00].
- Three or more people steal: No one wins anything [32:00:00]. The game is explicitly described as a “game of trust, strategy, and maybe a little backstabbing” [32:06:00].
Competition Results and Winnings and Outcome
In the final “Split or Steal” challenge, one contestant (Professor Pipelines) chose to steal, while the others chose to split [34:35:00]. According to the rules, if only one person steals, they take all the tokens [31:54:00]. Professor Pipelines (Danny) was declared the overall winner of Monad Games [35:19:00], winning the 5,000 prize among three other “OG Monad community members” (Pre-balling, Spam, and KB), expressing gratitude for their participation and the memories made within the community [35:58:00].