Free To Learn

PRINCIPLE: Universal access requires multiple ways to pay.

Every system that aims to be universal faces a fundamental challenge: How do you make something accessible to everyone while keeping it sustainable and improving? The answer may lie in a powerful principle. Universal access requires multiple currencies of value.

This isn't a new idea. It's woven throughout history. Traditional apprentices traded labor for training. Medical residents exchange years of reduced wages for world-class education. PhDs do research and teach in exchange for education. Open source contributors offer expertise for recognition and opportunity. Language learning platforms let users teach their native language to learn a new one. But perhaps no industry has perfected this principle better than gaming.

The Power of Free-to-Play

Free-to-play gaming has been wildly successful, now accounting for 78% of mobile gaming revenue, up from 20% in 2010. The model is simple: games are free to download and play, but include optional in-game purchases that can enhance or speed up progression. Think of games like Fortnite, League of Legends, Pokemon Go, and Roblox. If you've played a mobile game recently, it was probably free-to-play.

And it's incredibly profitable. In fact, all of the top 10 grossing games on the app store are free to play. Individual titles like Honor of Kings, Pokemon Go, and Candy Crush Saga have each generated between 5 and 11 billion dollars. Free can be very profitable indeed.

There are two main reasons why this model has become so dominant:

The first is price discrimination, or the ability to charge each person the maximum amount they're willing to pay. When you set one fixed price, you miss out on people who would have bought at a lower price point, while leaving money on the table from those who would pay more. In games, some players may only spend a few dollars while others, called "whales," spend tens of thousands of dollars per month.

The second is that the free entry point makes it easy for anyone to try the game. Once they're playing and enjoying it, they're more likely to want to keep playing and eventually spend money. This creates powerful momentum. More players share the game, it performs better in app stores, generates more revenue to improve the game, which attracts even more players. It also creates an incentive for the game developers to keep improving their game, which leads to game franchises that have improved for years, which then leads them to build more momentum.

From Free-to-Play to Free-to-Learn

What if we could apply this model to education? What if we applied this principle to education? Imagine a learning system where people could participate through multiple currencies of value:

Some pay with money because they have more money than time. Others contribute by mentoring, answering questions, or creating content. Still others build games and learning experiences that educate more people.

When someone provides helpful feedback, mentors a peer, answers questions in forums, creates valuable learning content, or games that get played and assets that get used, they earn credits they can spend on their own education. The system becomes self-sustaining. Learning leads to earning which enables more learning. Some people have more money than time. Others have more time than money. Those who have money pay cash. Those who have time can earn it as they contribute to the community. Collectively, this creates an “in game economy” that turns a flywheel for people to get educated, and thus build games and learning experiences that then educate more people.

Ironically, one common criticism of free-to-play games - that they force non-paying users to "grind" through repetitive tasks - becomes a strength in education. In our world, every action you take is part of a learning journey. When you "grind" to earn currency in our community, you're actually learning and developing skills. Those who put in the most time become our most capable participants.

We've already seen validation of this concept in what the crypto community called “Play To Earn”. During the pandemic, Axie Infinity showed that millions of people in places like the Philippines would play a game to earn cryptocurrency. Many were making more money playing than working traditional jobs. That was basically a pyramid scheme, but it proved the massive potential of platforms that let people earn through games, as have gig work platforms like Fiverr and Upwork. Imagine attaching that earning platform to a learning platform. The two work together. In symbiosis.

A Vision of Universal Access

The implementation isn't easy. You need robust ways to measure and exchange different forms of value. You need safeguards against exploitation. You need to ensure quality doesn't suffer. But the potential is enormous. When systems accept multiple currencies of value, they can become both accessible to everyone and sustainable for those who create them. For me, this isn't just about building a sustainable business model. It's about democratizing access to technology and education for everyone, whether they're in Indonesia, India, or Indiana. All of them must all be able to step into a learning ecosystem without a penny and access everything.

If that flywheel really works, there is a chance to become wildly profitable to funnel significant earnings back to pay people who need it to build better lives. Your education itself becomes their first job while preparing them for their second job in the real world.