Derrick Cariño, a certified chef based in the Philippines, paid his entire university tuition using earnings from the blockchain-based game Pixels. After earning a diploma in International Culinary Arts, Derrick covered his schooling costs with in-game rewards from the Play-to-Airdrop campaign on the Ronin network. He also bought a secondhand scooter with part of his earnings to ease his daily commute.
Derrick's web3 gaming journey started in early 2021 when he joined the Axie Infinity community as a scholar, borrowing Axies from other players and splitting the rewards. Axie Infinity introduced many Filipino players to Play-to-Earn gaming during that period, giving Derrick his first taste of how blockchain games could generate real income. That experience convinced him the Ronin ecosystem offered genuine economic opportunities.
Pixels Pays University Tuition with Game Earnings
Pixels pays university tuition with game earnings
In October 2023, Derrick's brother told him about Pixels, which had just migrated to the Ronin blockchain. Derrick joined an informal guild and participated in the Play-to-Airdrop campaign, a program that rewards active players with $PIXEL tokens. Over several months, he accumulated more than 6,000 $PIXEL tokens through consistent gameplay and community events.
Derrick converted those tokens into fiat currency by transferring his $PIXEL rewards from Pixels into his Ronin wallet, swapping them for RON tokens via Katana, then converting to stablecoins on Binance. He withdrew the funds to his GCash account, a popular mobile wallet service in the Philippines. That process let him turn in-game rewards into usable cash, which he applied directly to tuition fees and other expenses.
Pixels Pays University Tuition with Game Earnings
Derrick's web3 journey and community impact
Derrick values the community aspect of his Ronin experience as much as the financial gains. He formed friendships and collaborations with gamers worldwide, sharing strategies and navigating the web3 space together. Derrick has also become a creator in the Ronin game Fishing Frenzy, continuing to engage with the platform as both player and content creator.
He actively promotes Ronin and web3 gaming, encouraging new users to set up a Ronin wallet and try different games. Derrick points out that the ecosystem now offers NFT mints, token launches, and new game migrations that weren't available during the early Axie Infinity days.
Pixels Pays University Tuition with Game Earnings
Ronin's role in play-to-earn gaming
Derrick remains optimistic about Ronin's future and its ability to offer economic opportunities through gaming. As a creator in Fishing Frenzy and an active Ronin participant, he continues exploring new avenues for growth and innovation. He advises aspiring gamers to use Ronin's platform for NFT mints, token launches, and community-driven events, highlighting its accessibility and potential for financial independence.
