---
title: 😶 The Coming of MetaGame
image: https://cdn.substack.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbd6756ff-8bb3-482a-8043-0a6be1d14532_1920x1080.png
---

[![](https://cdn.substack.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbd6756ff-8bb3-482a-8043-0a6be1d14532_1920x1080.png)](https://cdn.substack.com/image/fetch/c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbd6756ff-8bb3-482a-8043-0a6be1d14532_1920x1080.png)

## Out of nowhere?

Well, not really. I have been waiting for someone to do it, ever since my brain was first occupied by this “_Ethereum world computer_” meme;

> “Holy shit! This is the software infrastructure layer we need for a fair socioeconomic system of the future!”

It is only now that I said: _I’ll be damned if I don’t at least try._
## Why now?

Back in May, Peter published a call-to-action article titled “[Rising threats to Ethereum’s first-mover advantage](https://medium.com/metacartel/rising-threats-to-ethereums-first-mover-advantage-6138bd6c860)” which introduced me to the colorful bunch you might know as the _MetaCartel_.

He receives my message, and a week later, he’s onboarding me to the _MetaCartel_ — over a burrito and some ale, after the “Year of The DAO” meetup in Ljubljana, where I set out to meet him.

Coming into _MetaCartel_ looking for problems — I noted a few things missing that would be useful for a rapidly expanding network:

-   Some sort of a guide — introducing people to what we’re about, and how to find your place among us,
-   Repositories of ideas, solutions, members — and their needs and offers,
-   A map of the whole thing.


## MetaCartel Blackpaper v0.1

[![](https://cdn.substack.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa6040c71-8657-4627-bfba-ec54dbc3c3a9_376x574.png)](https://cdn.substack.com/image/fetch/c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa6040c71-8657-4627-bfba-ec54dbc3c3a9_376x574.png)

You may, if so curious, go and scroll through this [original paper](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RZw3l3wDxrZuyVW0j-ipbFDyy-_xUtmMqSd4wo2STjQ/edit) including the illustration above — but it has been long abandoned.

I must have been writing it for no longer than 3 days, when Peter contacted me again, saying:

> _“Hey, I like what you’re doing, here’s 1k DAI of the funds Binance gave me!”_

It’s not a lot of money, but it’s a lot of affirmation — getting money without asking for it? Usually not even in crypto.

## Onwards

As my work on the paper progressed, more crucial elements were added:

-   Titles — knowing who’s accountable for what keeps things moving and makes it easier to navigate the cartel.
-   Achievements — knowing who did what, also pretty useful.


And with the idea growing from a simple way of making the _MetaCartel_ easier to understand and oversee, into… this; I needed to go out and meet more fellow _carteleans_, get some feedback and some apostles.

So I got my ticket, helped put together the “_MetaCartel Mansion_” and boarded the plane to Berlin.

[![](https://cdn.substack.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fedb1e41c-5983-43af-90b7-e11edfdf262c_1279x647.jpeg)](https://cdn.substack.com/image/fetch/c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fedb1e41c-5983-43af-90b7-e11edfdf262c_1279x647.jpeg)

Besides the _MetaCartel Demo Day_, my pilgrimage went around _DappCon_, _Token Engineering_, _Governance Games_, _ETHBerlin_, and whatever smaller event wasn’t too far off the trail — the folk seemed receptive to my meme, to say the least...

Not having known I needed to register, devious tactics had to be deployed.

-   My debt towards the folk of _ETHBerlin_ was wiped by my helping the Odyssy _([DAOHaus](https://daohaus.club/))_ team, not just shillin’ muh own shie’.


During the final hours of the hackathon, while waiting for the team presenting to the judges — my hand started sketching up the UX flowchart... This is what came out:

[![](https://cdn.substack.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb5198a5b-57bc-404f-a077-5e52b15bb2ee_4000x2250.jpeg)](https://cdn.substack.com/image/fetch/c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb5198a5b-57bc-404f-a077-5e52b15bb2ee_4000x2250.jpeg)

> The left represents some of the components, the middle 1/3 represents the player journey, and the right side is the value proposition.

Thinking through this complex system where not just people, but an institution, may join — it became obvious there was a problem…

-   If the _Moloch DAO_, _Ethereum Foundation_, or _ConsenSys_ wanted to join, they would probably not want to be under the _MetaCartel_.
-   Let alone some people from outside crypto…


It became apparent that _The Game_ has to be a layer above. _The Game,_ was no longer to be called _MetaCartel;_

-   The game is to be called _**MetaGame.**_
-   The concept behind it coined; “_**A Massive Online Coordination Game”**_


[![](https://cdn.substack.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcf13f30a-9850-4f74-b166-e43c65c93369_595x294.png)](https://cdn.substack.com/image/fetch/c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcf13f30a-9850-4f74-b166-e43c65c93369_595x294.png)

## Genesis

The first _MetaGame_ presentation was held by a lake with a wooden stick pointing at _the paper_ laying on the ground — and that’s about all you need to know about that faithful day…

I traveled back home, almost missing my flight;

-   The following day, awakening from my 16-hour slumber, MetaGame was *ON*


And that’s how MetaGame was born;

[![](https://cdn.substack.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5625496b-3565-43c3-ae04-38c53c701f72_1595x808.png)](https://cdn.substack.com/image/fetch/c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5625496b-3565-43c3-ae04-38c53c701f72_1595x808.png)
