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DAOball is an online game experience designed to explore decentralized governance concepts through interactive gameplay. Developed on the Internet Computer platform, DAOball seeks to offer a low-stakes environment for users to engage with and learn about Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) mechanics.
The project initially operates under centralized control, with the creator serving as a temporary authority, referred to as "Benevolent Dictator For Now" (BDFN). This approach allows for rapid initial development and refinement of core systems. However, the long-term vision is to transition towards a self-sustaining DAO, enabling the community to progressively assume control over governance and decision-making processes.
DAOball aims to bridge the gap between theoretical DAO structures and practical implementation by simulating various governance models within a gamified context. By participating in DAOball, users can gain hands-on experience with concepts such as proposal creation, voting mechanisms, and resource allocation, all while navigating the challenges of collective decision-making in a decentralized system.
DAOball is structured as a multi-layered governance simulation that mirrors the complexities of real-world decentralized organizations. The core concept revolves around two primary organizational structures:
- The League: An overarching DAO that governs the entire DAOball ecosystem.
- Teams: Individual DAOs within the league, each with its own governance structure and decision-making processes.
Crucially, both the League and all Teams are designed as open DAOs, allowing for permissionless participation and fluid membership. This open structure embraces the inherent chaos and unpredictability often seen in real-world DAO governance, making it a core feature of the DAOball experience.
Participants engage in the game by joining teams and contributing to both team-level and league-level governance. The game mechanics are driven by three key elements:
a) Matches: Competitive events between teams that test their decision-making and resource management capabilities.
b) Resource Management: Teams must efficiently allocate and utilize various in-game resources to succeed.
c) Entropy: A measure of organizational coherence and alignment with league objectives. Higher entropy represents increased chaos and misalignment, while lower entropy indicates harmony and effective collaboration.
Central to the DAOball experience are "Scenarios" - league-wide events that require each team to reach a consensus on how to address the given situation. These scenarios typically present predefined options, and the outcomes are determined by a combination of team decisions, game theory principles, and randomness.
The interplay between team success, resource management, and entropy levels creates a dynamic environment where participants can experiment with various governance models and strategies in a low-stakes setting. DAOball intentionally incorporates and celebrates the uncertainty and experimentation inherent in DAO governance, allowing players to learn from both successes and failures in a controlled yet unpredictable environment.
DAOball's primary objectives are centered around three key areas:
Create a playful and unpredictable game experience that embraces the inherent chaos of decentralized systems. DAOball aims to make involvement in DAOs an entertaining adventure, filled with unexpected twists, dynamic scenarios, and spirited team rivalries. The game thrives on spontaneity and emergent gameplay, encouraging players to enjoy the journey of collective decision-making, rather than focusing solely on long-term consequences.
Provide a low-stakes sandbox for a community to collaboratively explore and experiment with DAO concepts. DAOball offers a space where participants can freely propose ideas, test governance models, and collectively shape the game's evolution. The project aims to foster a culture of creative problem-solving and open discussion, where the community plays a central role in driving innovation and determining the direction of the game.
Serve as a dynamic platform for implementing, testing, and refining ideas, standards, and libraries that can support the broader Internet Computer ecosystem. By creating reusable Motoko libraries and practical DAO implementations, DAOball aims to be a valuable resource for developers and projects across the IC landscape. The goal is to lower barriers for DAO creation and participation, while also contributing to the development of best practices and innovative solutions that can be applied beyond the game itself.
DAOball incorporates several key features that define its gameplay and structure:
- League DAO: Overarching governance body for the entire game
- Team DAOs: Individual groups within the league, each with its own governance
- Regular challenges presented to all teams
- Require collective decision-making and voting within each team
- Outcomes influenced by team choices, game theory, and randomness
- Teams manage various in-game resources
- Strategic allocation affects team performance and decision outcomes
- Measures organizational coherence and alignment with league objectives
- Higher entropy represents increased chaos, lower entropy indicates harmony
- Affects team performance and league stability
- Permissionless entry allows anyone to join and contribute
- Fluid membership encourages diverse perspectives and ideas
- Teams can implement and test various decision-making models
- Ability to propose and vote on rule changes and new features
- Inter-team events that test decision-making and resource management
- Outcomes influence team standing and resource allocation
DAOball's governance structure is designed to simulate real-world DAO operations while providing a flexible environment for experimentation. The structure consists of two main levels:
- Oversees the entire DAOball ecosystem
- Initially managed by the creator (Benevolent Dictator For Now)
- Gradual transition to community governance as the project matures
- Responsible for major decisions affecting the whole game, such as:
- Rule changes
- New feature implementations
- League-wide scenario creation
- Each team operates as an independent DAO within the league
- Teams currently use a direct democracy model for decision-making
- Responsible for team-specific decisions, including:
- Resource allocation
- Strategy for league-wide scenarios
- Changes to team composition
- Some team decisions require league approval, such as:
- Team name changes
- Logo changes
- Both league and team levels utilize proposal and voting systems
- Currently implements a simple majority voting method
- Proposal creation and voting rights available to all team members
Note: Future implementations of various governance models and voting methods will be outlined in the roadmap section.
DAOball provides a streamlined, mobile-first experience for participants to engage with DAO mechanisms in a gamified environment.
- Beta phase: Invite-only access
- MVP phase: NFT-gated entry
- Post-MVP: Planned token model/staking or equivalent system
- Login via Internet Identity or alternative methods
- Cyclical progression: Scenario(s) -> Match Group -> Scenario(s) -> Match Group -> ... -> Season Complete
- Scenarios and Match Groups alternate throughout the season
- Scenarios created and presented by the Benevolent Dictator For Now (BDFN)
- Two types of scenarios:
- Majority vote on pre-defined options (with tradeoffs and/or requirements)
- Proposing and voting on specific values (e.g., resource allocation)
- Teams must reach consensus or face consequences if time runs out
- Scenario outcomes determined after all teams respond or time expires
- Resources acquired through scenario outcomes and match results
- Resource allocation decided through team proposals and consensus
- Match Groups involve simultaneous simulations for all teams
- Instant results displayed after simulation, no live matches
- External collaboration tools chosen and managed by each team
- Links to team collaboration spaces provided within the app
- App optimized for mobile devices
- Desktop version mirrors mobile interface
While DAOball is designed to be engaging and functional in its current form, here are some potential ideas for future expansion and improvement:
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Governance Models:
- Implement various structures for teams to experiment with, such as representative democracy, meritocracy, liquid democracy, or hybrid models
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Enhanced Match Experience:
- Develop live match simulations with real-time updates and interactions
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Community-Driven Scenarios:
- Explore methods for community involvement in scenario creation, such as:
- Proposal-based governance for scenario approval
- Random or procedural scenario generation
- Delegating a 'Game Master' role for scenario or season management
- Explore methods for community involvement in scenario creation, such as:
-
Advanced Resource Management:
- Introduce more complex economic models and resource interdependencies
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AI Integration:
- Scenario generation to create diverse and challenging situations
- Match summarizing and commentating to enhance user engagement
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Expanded Tokenomics:
- Reputation system
- NFTs for achievements
- Staking mechanisms
- Prediction markets
- Soulbound tokens
- Dynamic NFTs
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Technical Improvements:
- Implement ICRC standards (NFT, Token, event system, etc.)
- Develop social recovery mechanisms
These ideas are potential directions for DAOball's development and may be implemented based on community feedback and project priorities.
While DAOball presents an innovative approach to DAO experimentation and community engagement, several key challenges and unknowns need to be addressed as the project evolves:
Adoption: This game is best when there are many people. How does an open source project get that?
- Attracting a critical mass of users to ensure vibrant gameplay and meaningful DAO interactions
- Developing effective marketing strategies for an open-source project
- Balancing accessibility with depth to appeal to a wide range of users
Project Focus: Should the project focus more on adoption, implementation of ideas or being a place to build infrastructure for other projects?
- Determining the optimal balance between user growth, DAO concept implementation, and ecosystem development
- Aligning project goals with the needs of the broader blockchain and DAO community
- Adapting focus as the project evolves and the ecosystem changes
Scenario System Viability: Can the scenario system be fun, engaging and controlled via a DAO?
- Ensuring quality and consistency in community-generated content
- Balancing creative freedom with the need for structured gameplay
- Developing mechanisms for fair and effective DAO control over scenario creation and selection
Low-Stakes Environment: Is a 'low stakes' environment even possible or is it just creating potential issues/design constraints that can be abused?
- Designing incentives that encourage meaningful participation without significant personal investment
- Preventing exploitation of the low-stakes nature of the game
- Maintaining user engagement in the absence of high-value rewards
Team Consensus: How to handle team consensus in a low stakes environment if people can easily drop out?
- Developing systems to encourage commitment and active participation
- Balancing the need for team stability with the desire for fluid membership
- Creating mechanisms to handle decision-making when team composition is volatile
Long-term Sustainability: Can this be sustainable in the long term?
- Adapting to changing user needs and technological advancements
- Maintaining relevance in the fast-paced blockchain and DAO ecosystem
- Developing a roadmap for continuous improvement and innovation
Funding Model: What is the funding? Grants? Ticket sales? Taxes on usage?
- Evaluating various funding options to support ongoing development and maintenance
- Balancing the need for resources with the open and accessible nature of the project
- Ensuring transparency and community input in financial decisions
Addressing these challenges will be crucial for DAOball's long-term success and its ability to contribute meaningfully to the DAO and blockchain ecosystems.