Building and Earning in @thesandboxgame $Sand Giveaway

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Ekeson⚡
@ekeson_wtbAug 27, 2025

The Spaces focused on how to build and earn in The Sandbox ecosystem with a strong spotlight on Sandbox Africa’s community-driven approach. Speakers shared personal journeys into grants, DAO governance, and game creation, emphasizing no gatekeeping, cultural inclusion, and creator empowerment. Daddy Mufasa contrasted traditional engines with Sandbox’s easy Game Maker, while Damian detailed real-world challenges migrating to Game Maker v0.12 and how DAO support (notably Alice) helped debug and ship. The conversation mapped practical earning paths—grants, bounties and quests, tutorials, workshops, and virtual real-estate/UGC—plus clear onboarding steps: join Sandbox Africa’s Telegram, the DAO forum, and upcoming cohorts. Hardware and network guidance (Core i5/i7, discrete GPU, stable internet) was offered for both players and creators. Announcements included live bounties (~$7k), a major Friday Spaces with the Sandbox team, and community content like a Sandbox comic and tutorials, with a recurring call to be active, collaborate, and bring African culture on-chain.

Twitter Spaces Recap: Building and Earning in The Sandbox (Africa focus)

Overview

A community Twitter Space focused on on-boarding, building, and earning within The Sandbox ecosystem, with a special emphasis on the growing Sandbox Africa community. Hosts and guests shared their personal journeys, practical advice for newcomers, developer insights, current challenges (notably after Game Maker 0.12), and upcoming opportunities including grants, quests, workshops, and community cohorts.

Participants and Roles

  • Edison (aka Akasin) – Host; creator and Sandbox grantee; community organizer driving engagement, workshops, and giveaways.
  • Prof LC (Professor LC) – Co-host; researcher/writer/content educator; leads structured Q&A and emphasizes diversity and creator enablement in The Sandbox.
  • Daddy Mufasa – Game developer; shared technical/developer perspective on Game Maker, performance, UX, and future directions.
  • Sandbox Africa team representative – Official voice from Sandbox Africa; outlined vision, grants cadence, and upcoming official Spaces with Sandbox leadership.
  • Build Enugu team (speaker: developer-builder; partnered with Phenomena Buddha) – Shared hands-on challenges building a city experience in Game Maker 0.12 and how they overcame them.
  • Mr Right Now – Sandbox grantee; community builder (Crypto Elites founder); contributed recommended PC/network specs and on-boarding notes from mentoring learners.
  • Community participants and supporters: Lanny (creator), Freddie (community advocate), Grams (new builder troubleshooting setup), Charles and Kiki (newcomers seeking on-boarding), Ozichi (community organizer), Graphic FX/Gucci (creator of a Sandbox-themed comic series), and many others.

Goals and Agenda

  • Share journeys into The Sandbox DAO/ecosystem and what made the community sticky and supportive.
  • Explain concrete ways to build and earn in The Sandbox, both for non-developers and developers.
  • Surface recent challenges (notably Game Maker 0.12 migration) and how the community resolved them.
  • Provide on-boarding guidance: communities to join, training/cohorts, hardware/network requirements, and where to find help.
  • Announce upcoming Sandbox Africa activities, including an official Friday Space with Sandbox leadership and African lead Victoria.

Key Discussions and Insights

1) Why The Sandbox? Diversity, acceptance, and no gatekeeping

  • Edison (Host) and Prof LC emphasized how The Sandbox welcomes creators “as you are,” including support for native languages (Pidgin, Igbo, French, etc.) and diverse cultural expression. No need to “code-switch” or mimic another culture; diversity is deliberately valued.
  • Community vibe: “no gatekeeping.” People openly onboard newcomers, share how-tos, and give constructive feedback. Delegates are approachable and responsive.

2) Paths to build and earn (beyond coding)

  • Not just game developers:
    • Creators/content: Tutorials (e.g., VoxEdit/Game Maker), explainers, data/governance analysis writeups, videos, and storytelling earn visibility and can be funded.
    • Designers/asset creators: Avatars, wearables, props/voxel assets for experiences.
    • World builders: Design environments, quests, and cultural city experiences (e.g., Lagos, Enugu).
    • Community educators: Workshops, cohorts, mentorship; potential to get funded to host/teach.
    • Brand/storefront operators: Build digital shops/kiosks; potential to connect on-chain experiences with IRL commerce.
    • Land owners/operators: Build experiences on land, rent spaces, monetize like virtual real estate.
  • Earning avenues cited:
    • Grants via The Sandbox DAO (application windows; supportive reviews and feedback culture).
    • Seasonal and ad-hoc quests/bounties with SAND rewards (one call-out noted “over 100,000 SAND” in current experience rewards; approx. ~$7k described in the session).
    • Commissions/partnerships for workshops and integrations (APIs, events, branded experiences).

3) Developer experience: from Unreal to Game Maker ease-of-use

  • Daddy Mufasa (dev) migrated mindset from Unreal Engine to Sandbox creatives:
    • Game Maker + VoxEdit makes character/logic creation far easier and faster (low-code/no-code patterns) vs. traditional engines.
    • “Game inside a game” mechanics are straightforward; prototyping is faster; documentation and UI improvements (in 0.12) simplify logic wiring.
    • Cultural/brand presence is rich: speakers mentioned creators, IPs, and brands with land/experiences (examples cited include Snoop Dogg, “Minions”-like vibes, and Meta avatars interplay), underscoring a “multicultural Disneyland” feel.

4) Current challenges (Game Maker 0.12) and how they were solved

  • Build Enugu team described major hurdles during the 0.12 transition:
    • Quest/NPC logic broke or changed; previous tutorials (for older versions) were no longer sufficient.
    • Scarcity of updated tutorials for 0.12 on YouTube.
    • Solution: direct collaboration with Sandbox DAO support (notably “Alice”), who provided forum threads, screenshots, and step-by-step guidance. The team also relied on internal debugging and long build sessions to reverse-engineer new patterns.
    • Opportunity: creators can fill the content gap by producing updated 0.12 guides.
  • Edison (Host) also highlighted non-technical production challenges: logistics (speakers, studios), video editing, cinematography, equipment sourcing.

5) Hardware and network realities (players vs. builders)

  • For players: The Sandbox is highly optimized and should run on modest devices with stable internet.
  • For builders: Specs matter more. Community-shared practical baselines:
    • CPU: Core i5 minimum (Core i7 recommended). AMD Ryzen CPUs are fine.
    • GPU: Discrete GPU (GTX/RTX or similar) helps Game Maker/VoxEdit run smoothly.
    • RAM/Apps: Close heavy background apps to avoid lag.
    • Network: Stable internet is critical; packet loss/latency will affect play/build. Consider robust ISPs; Starlink recommended where feasible. As a rough guide, maintain a minimum of ~100 KB/s stable throughput while testing.
    • Simple self-test: if your system can handle a basic 3D game and enter a virtual space while streaming a video, you’re likely okay to at least play. Building benefits from stronger hardware.

6) Community, documentation, and learning

  • Join the Sandbox Africa Telegram for:
    • Cohorts and workshops (for gamers, builders, and content writers—cohorts for content writers explicitly planned).
    • DAO forum onboarding: learn the governance process, grants, and proposals. The community will provide links and help you set up.
    • Early alphas/opportunities: job leads, bounties, beta tests, and mentorship.
  • Teach what you learn: creators who document their journey (threads, videos, comics, data explainers) grow faster and get noticed by delegates and peers.

Projects Highlighted

  • Legend of Lagos (team includes Daddy Mufasa): a Lagos-inspired experience focusing on cultural representation and city life in The Sandbox.
  • Build Enugu (developer + Phenomena Buddha): Enugu city experience, including Oba market, coal mine, and university campus areas; beta testing planned; collaborating with Legend of Lagos.
  • Sandbox Metaverse Comic Series (Graphic FX/Gucci): free, public comic explaining Sandbox elements to newcomers; link shared for community engagement.

Upcoming Events and Calls to Action

  • Official Friday Space with Sandbox leadership and African lead Victoria: deep-dive into strategy, success stories, and next steps for Africa.
  • Grants: recent cohort closed; next grants window TBD. Follow Sandbox Africa channels and the DAO forum for dates and instructions.
  • Quests/bounties: current reward pools (reported as >100,000 SAND in this session) available via official Sandbox site. Players are encouraged to jump in and start earning.
  • Local activation: Community advocates (e.g., Freddie) called for regional workshops to onboard young builders and gamers; Sandbox Africa to support expansion across cities.

Q&A Highlights

  • Newcomer orientation (Charles, Kiki, others):
    • What is The Sandbox? A metaverse where anyone can play, build, express culture, and earn; not limited to coders. Start by joining Sandbox Africa Telegram, then the DAO forum; follow training cohorts.
    • Is there a video guide? Community is curating and producing content; updated 0.12 materials are in demand. Cohorts and links will be shared in Telegram.
  • Network/spec issues (Lanny, Grams):
    • If installs fail (e.g., package downloads), check PC specs, update OS/GPU drivers, close background apps, and ensure stable network. Seek help in Telegram; the DAO forum has active troubleshooting threads.
  • Content writers and creators:
    • Cohorts for content writers are planned. Opportunity to produce needed 0.12 tutorials and ecosystem explainers; community will amplify.

Community Practices and Culture

  • No gatekeeping. Use your own language and cultural context in content.
  • Cross-promotion is expected: retweet, bookmark Spaces, engage posts, and help smaller accounts build visibility.
  • Teach by doing: build something small, share progress, accept feedback, refine.
  • “Build your city” ethos: you know your city best—recreate it authentically in The Sandbox.

Actionable Takeaways

  • Join now:
    • Sandbox Africa Telegram community (for cohorts, workshops, links to the DAO forum).
    • The Sandbox DAO forum (grants, documentation, feedback, support threads).
  • Explore and learn:
    • Play existing experiences (Legend of Lagos, Build Enugu when beta drops) to understand mechanics and cultural possibilities.
    • Try Game Maker and VoxEdit; start with small prototypes.
    • Fill the content gap: create Game Maker 0.12 tutorials (high demand).
  • Prepare your setup:
    • Aim for Core i5/i7, discrete GPU, stable internet; close background apps.
    • If you can run other 3D games and virtual spaces, you can likely play Sandbox; building benefits from stronger hardware.
  • Engage the community:
    • Attend Friday’s official Space with Sandbox leadership.
    • Participate in quests/bounties (noted rewards in SAND are active now on the official site).
    • Ask for help early—delegates and community respond with docs, screenshots, and step-by-step guidance.

Noted Gaps and Opportunities

  • Documentation/tutorial gap for Game Maker 0.12 (logic, NPC/quest patterns). Strong opportunity for educators and content creators in Africa to lead.
  • Regional outreach: More localized workshops requested to seed builders in additional cities and universities.

Closing

The session reinforced that The Sandbox is a creator-first, multicultural metaverse where Africans can build, showcase local culture, and earn—without needing to be traditional coders. With cohorts, DAO support, and a “no gatekeeping” ethos, newcomers can quickly move from curiosity to shipping experiences, content, and education. Start with the community, take a small step (play, build, or teach), and iterate with feedback. Friday’s upcoming Space with Sandbox leadership is the next must-attend milestone.