Pixels player pays university tuition with in-game earnings!
Congratulations, Chef Cariño 🤌
Key Points
Pixels player pays university tuition with in-game earnings: Derek Cariño is a certified chef in the Philippines. He earned about $PIXEL rewards in last year’s Play-to-Airdrop campaign, and used these funds to pay off his culinary school’s student tuition. He also used some of these earnings to purchase a scooter, shortening his commute to work!
Interview with Derrick: Wondering how Derek did it? We asked him how he got started on Ronin, which allies helped him offboard to fiat, what he’s up to now, and more. Full details below.
How to get started on Ronin: Check out YOUR Ronin Wallet’s Discovery Page to see what’s happening on Ronin right now. New opportunities to earn rewards pop-up every day, and this is just the beginning. Remember: blockchain technology is experimental and has inherent risks. While it’s possible to earn rewards, it’s also possible to lose funds.
Last year, Derek Cariño earned a Diploma in International Culinary Arts. Congratulations, Derek! This is a commendable achievement on its own, and there’s even more to the story than meets the eye. This freshly-minted chef paid his entire tuition with in-game earnings from Pixels! Here’s how he did it:
How Derrick went from Pixels player to certified chef
Derek joined our movement in 2021 during the early days of Axie Infinity. He started off as a scholar, which gave him the chance to borrow other players’ axies and share the rewards. Around that time, over two million players just like him were just discovering Play-to-Earn gaming via Axie.
Fast-forward to October 2023, and Derrick heard about a new game on Ronin – Pixels. Curious, he checked it out. He joined an informal guild and jumped into the Play-to-Airdrop campaign as soon as it kicked off. Less than eight months later, he was paying off his university tuition using his in-game earnings!
Remember: blockchain technology is experimental and has inherent risks. While it’s possible to earn rewards, it’s also possible to lose funds.
Here’s a timeline of Derek’s Ronin journey:
• March 2020: Onboarded into Web3 via Axie Infinity
• March 2020 - March 2021: Played axie as a scholar while collecting NFTs
• October 2023: Discovered and started playing Pixels one month the game’s migration to Ronin
• January 2024: Started grinding the Pixels Play-to-Airdrop campaign
• March 2024: Sold in-game earnings and offboarded via Ronin allies Binance and GCash
• June 2024: Paid for tuition and scooter using Philippine pesos
• Today, 2025: Became a Ronin and Fishing Frenzy creator
Derek’s journey went deeper than in-game earnings – he also forged new friendships with Web3 gamers around the world. Together, they shared strategies, celebrated each other’s wins, and developed deeper blockchain knowledge. Jin, Ronin’s mascot, sat down with Derek one-on-one to talk about it.
Exclusive: Jin interviews Chef Cariño
Jin: Thank you for your time, and congratulations on your big victory, chef.
Derrick: Thank you! I’m happy to be here.
Jin: Let’s start at the beginning. How did you join the Ronin movement?
Derrick: Sure, yeah. I got started in the early days of Axie Infinity. Back in 2021, I guess? I became a scholar, and was earning more by playing the game than my regular job. All of my friends were playing Axie too, and it became huge in the Philippines where I’m from. Ever since then, I’ve been a believer in Axie’s and Ronin’s potential to change lives. Axie was my introduction to Web3 and a massive community of onchain gamers.
Jin: How did you hear about Pixels?
Derrick: My brother told me about it. I had just resigned from my job, and I was waiting on some backpay. When I heard there was an opportunity to earn rewards by playing a game, I remembered what it was like during those early Axie days. So I started playing! Sometimes that’s all it takes to onboard someone. I try to pay it forward and tell my friends about what’s happening on Ronin like that, too.
Jin: How much did you earn in Pixels?
Derrick: I had about earned over 6K $PIXEL after the Play-to-Airdrop campaign, and even kept earning after that. I swapped most of it which was enough to pay for my university tuition and buy a secondhand scooter to commute with to work. It’s hard to keep track of my total earnings, because I also spent some in the Pixels ecosystem itself. For example, I minted a Pixels Pet just to show my support for the game!
Jin: How easy was it to offboard from $PIXEL to fiat on Ronin?
Derrick: Honestly it was pretty easy. I withdrew my $PIXEL earnings from the game into my Ronin Wallet, and swapped to RON on Katana. Then, I sent those tokens to Binance and swapped to stablecoins. From there, I withdrew my stablecoins to my GCash account, and used that cash to pay for the tuition and the secondhand scooter.
Jin: What are you up to in the Ronin ecosystem today?
Derrick: I still play Pixels, and recently I’ve started getting into Fishing Frenzy as a player and creator. I’m a Ronin creator, too. You can follow me on X at @imdrkc! I’ve also made tons of friends in the Ronin community, and we help each other stay up-to-date on the latest launches.
Jin: What advice would you give a new player joining the Ronin movement in 2025?
Derrick: Try everything. Get a Ronin Wallet and just start playing the games. It’s so much easier to get started now because there are so many more opportunities. NFT mints, token launches, new game migrations… There’s a lot going on and the community is very welcoming!
Jin: Thanks for your time, and all the best with everything!
Derrick: Thank you!
How YOU can earn rewards on Ronin today
There are more ways to earn rewards on Ronin than ever. However, most opportunities are only available for a limited time. Check YOUR Ronin Wallet’s Discovery Page every day so you never miss an opportunity. Catch key game announcements, trending tokens and NFTs, as well as LIVE and upcoming events. Think of it like a real-time Ronin menu.
Final Thoughts
RONers, we’re on a mission to spread economic freedom to users of the internet – starting with gamers. It’s a bold vision, and one that can test our faith at times. However, stories like Derrick’s are a real-world reminder that we are forging ahead on the right path. Stay tuned for the next Scholar Series interview. This is just the beginning.
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