Comment by foxfluff

> So who are the early investors here

"Gameplay requires the purchase of three Axies, which currently cost in the hundreds of US dollars each."

> what's the legitimate business

"By blurring the line between “player” and “worker”, the game has effectively built a Ponzi scheme with built-in deniability. Sure, some users will be net gainers and other users will be net losers, but who am I to say the net losers aren’t in it for the joy of the game?"

So I guess the "legitimate business" is making the game interesting for people who.. enjoy it?

> and how are we taking money from later investors to give to early investors

I don't know how the in-game mechanics work but later investors also purchase Axies and somehow that money ends up in the hands of the former investors. Maybe not automatically, I guess it depends on what in-game actions you take, but given that you first have to invest before you can play...