From: thepipeline_xyz
Monad Games is described as a “first-of-its-kind content experiment” by the Pipeline, Monad ecosystem, and Monad community [00:04:32]. Its purpose was to be a fun and engaging event, featuring original (OG) community members and contributors from the Monad ecosystem competing in various challenges [00:04:40].
Production and Planning
The concept for Monad Games was the brainchild of Jessup [00:04:52]. Jessup was heavily involved in the planning, including setting up all the games, ensuring supplies and items were available for filming in Denver during ETH Denver, and coordinating the entire filming and production process [00:04:54]. Savant was responsible for editing the entirety of Monad Games, a “huge project” that likely took “several hundred hours” [00:11:40]. The filming itself was condensed and action-packed, making the successful outcome exceed expectations [00:13:09].
A key element of the production was that contestants were not informed of the challenges in advance [00:15:00]. This was done intentionally to elicit authentic reactions and prevent contestants from gaining an edge by planning [00:15:07]. Jessup noted the stress of juggling information for the PA and camera crew, delivering lines, and ensuring smooth operations while keeping the contestants unaware of the challenges [00:16:33].
On-Chain Integrations
Monad Games incorporated several on-chain elements:
- Prediction Markets: Prior to the premiere, prediction markets were live on the Monad testnet from Opinion Labs, a product built on the Monad protocol. This aimed to build community energy and speculation around the challenges [00:05:30].
- The Cipher: A surprise on-chain activation, a cipher, was hidden within the Monad Games video at the time of its premiere [00:06:01]. The community submitted over 30,000 guesses to crack the cipher [00:06:09]. The engineering team at Monad Foundation built a “really cool app” using ZK and other on-chain features for this challenge [00:51:39]. It was designed to be difficult, making it impossible to simulate off-chain with bots [00:56:52]. Participants who submitted a guess received a valueless, but sentimental, testnet NFT commemorating their participation [00:54:22]. A recap video explaining how the cipher was created and solved is planned for release [00:06:28].
Contestant Experiences and Reactions
The contestants—KB, Pre-Ballin, Spam, Intern, and the host—filmed Monad Games in Denver about a month and a half to two months before the full episode premiered live [00:10:35]. They had not seen the edited version until it went live globally [00:07:28].
Initial Impressions
- KB: Found the edited version “a lot less cringe” than she feared, noting that it successfully portrayed the fun they had that day due to good editing [00:07:44]. She highlighted the benefit of having pre-existing relationships among contestants for natural banter [00:09:13].
- Pre-Ballin: Was nervous about the outcome, especially since he was “a little hung over” during filming [00:11:13]. He was “really surprised” by how great it turned out, and he didn’t hate watching himself on camera [00:11:21].
- Spam: Expected a simple cutting of scenes from the full day of filming, but was impressed by the “mememory” and “meme video style edits” [00:12:10].
- Intern: Was surprised by the 40-minute length of the episode, given they filmed for only “four, six hours” [00:13:32]. He found the clipping and editing “super smooth” [00:13:56]. He preferred the Monad Games experience over typical conferences, stating he’s “down to run it back anytime” [00:14:37].
Challenges
Psychic Challenge
This was the first challenge filmed, which was earlier than planned, making it particularly unsettling for contestants [00:23:40]. The host, for example, had no idea a psychic would be the special guest and expected a well-known crypto figure [00:15:40].
- KB: Felt “freaked out” and put on a “big shield,” trying to stare into the psychic’s soul [00:18:11]. She noted that everyone seemed “defeated” after the psychic challenge [00:18:52]. She won this challenge [00:19:10].
- Pre-Ballin: The psychic told him he was the type of guy to steal a lighter, which he found “unbelievable” [00:19:34]. She also said he was a “good cook,” which he called “the most inaccurate thing ever” [00:20:26].
- Spam: The psychic said he was “so nice and empathetic,” a sentiment humorously contrasted by a tweet overlay about farting on public transportation [00:19:45].
- Host: Was “quite rattled” and decided to “play it really safe” by nodding and smiling, fearing upsetting his “ranking in the Nether world” [00:23:06]. He later stated he “hated doing the psychic challenge more than the chocolate challenge” [00:26:41].
Spicy Food Challenge (The Pitch)
Contestants had to eat a spicy item while pitching [00:27:07].
- Pre-Ballin: Said the jelly bean “wasn’t that bad,” and he could have eaten five [00:27:10]. He chewed one for the entire three-minute pitch, making it spicier and leading to a “lingering effect” [00:27:36]. The dark red jelly beans were the worst, tasting like ghost pepper [00:28:33].
- Host: Went first and chose the chocolate to “set the tone,” despite having low spice tolerance [00:29:09]. He described it as “brutally painful,” “totally taking over my entire brain,” and he couldn’t think or hear [00:29:36]. He wasn’t allowed to drink milk [00:29:50]. The chocolate was sweet and spicy initially, but the spice quickly overtook the sweetness [00:30:55].
- Spam: Ate both a jelly bean and the chocolate, but swallowed them “like they were pills” to minimize immediate spice exposure [00:30:03].
- KB: Initially considered the chocolate for more points but chose the jelly bean after seeing the host’s reaction [00:39:18]. She admitted to fumbling her pitch due to nervousness and high anxiety [00:39:49]. This was her “least favorite game” [00:40:12].
- Intern: Found his jelly bean “very manageable” and joked he “should have had the whole plate” for more points [00:41:26].
One Chip Challenge (Bonus Content)
The spicy chip was not eaten by any contestants during the main Monad Games [00:31:23]. Sophie, a member of the Monad Foundation team, bravely took on the “one bite, one chip challenge” during the recap stream [00:32:10]. She chose not to use the provided glove or drink milk [00:33:07]. She described it as “really spicy” and felt it in her ears [00:33:30]. She had also eaten half a raw onion before the chip, which was her only food that day, leading to a “tummy ache” [00:35:47]. Sophie stated, “I would do anything for the Monad community” [00:35:38].
Ice Challenge
This challenge involved breaking ice to extract words.
- Sophie: Thought the ice challenge was “really fun” and enjoyed seeing things break [00:37:53].
- Host: Had an advantage because the “keyboard” tool he chose was so ineffective that he resorted to using his hands to break the ice on the ground, which turned out to be the best strategy [00:43:30].
- Spam: Revealed he had a duplicate of the host’s word, and strategically traded it to him, implying he “swindled” the host but also “saved” him [00:47:47].
Favorite Challenges
- Pre-Ballin: The spices challenge was his favorite [00:27:07].
- Sophie: The ice challenge [00:37:53].
Future of Monad Games
There are “hopes to potentially run it again” and feature more Monad community members, contributors from the Monad ecosystem, and team members from the Monad Foundation [00:37:27]. There are “serious ambitions to bring it up full scale” with more community members and ecosystem projects involved, potentially in a “Mr. Beast style” event with 100 players and eliminations [00:59:30]. Engagement on social media for the existing content is encouraged to make a second season happen [00:58:39].