I got a degree in game design over a decade ago (December 2014) and never made a single game since.

But this idea sat in my head the whole time...this stupid little honest critique of pay-to-win mechanics and MLM pyramids.

It felt too stupid to actually build. But I couldn't stop thinking about it.

Then I started learning to code at my day job, building tools for our WordPress. And something clicked. I realized I could actually make this thing pretty easily.

I'm a musician first. I tour with #BillyDoom. But touring doesn't pay all the bills (basically only covers the tour itself), and my day job hours will be cut short.

So I'm doing what I should've done years ago: making games, and software for musicians.

This is the first one I'm launching.

It's called Pay To Win, and it's exactly what it sounds like...you literally pay real money† for fake internet points on a leaderboard.

There's a referral pyramid.
There's a daily login bonus.
There are codes hidden online that unlock loot boxes.

The whole thing is a transparent satire of gacha mechanics, MLM schemes, and the attention economy.

And people are already playing it. They're climbing the leaderboard. They're recruiting their friends. Some are actually spending money on it (so far only my wife; thanks babe).

It just launched on Product Hunt. If you dig it, toss me an upvote. It helps more than you might imagine.

Here's the PH link: producthunt.com/products/pay-t…

This is the validation I need before I go all-in on making games and software for musicians while we tour.

Thanks for being here.
Garrett // megabyteGhost

P.S. If you want to skip the Product Hunt thing and just go straight to the game here's the link: paytowin.tech/

P.P.S. In February I'm launching the first of many WordPress plugins for musicians. Stay tuned.

†The game is called Pay To Win but it is free and you could *actually* win without spending any money at all just by referring people, getting your daily log in, and finding the codes I hide around the internet. Here's a hint: "hack" the dashboard.

SOUNDCHECK

#BillyDoom

Apparently The Kilograms got in too many arguments and broke up mid tour…so we are just playing with The Raging Nathans tonight.

#BillyDoom #musiciansofmastodon #musiciansofthefediverse #maschineplus #maschine

It’s going to be an exhausting night but this video is gonna be fkn sick

#BillyDoom

Anyway I gotta go get ready because we (#BillyDoom) are filming our second music video tonight.

So future stories of G's 20's:

- How Matt and I reconnected
- That guy that stole Matt's expensive vodka.

Both are short stories for the most part so I'll probably tell them together.