As the season of Sunflower land comes to an end, I took some time to reflect back on what I learned (and earned) from my first couple of months in the game. For those which aren't familiar. Sunflower land is a causal farming game on polygon network. 

Those interested in the game can check it out here - https://sunflower-land.com/

If you like my content please use my referral link - https://sunflower-land.com/play/?ref=162071

Ease of access:

The game was fairly easy for me to start playing. I already had a Metamask wallet set up for Polygon chain. I simply had to get a few extra matic to cover the $5 mint fees and I was good to go. Others that I invited to play didn't have such a smooth experience. When using Sequence wallet on phone, the initial set up was tough due to their browser having trouble opening a "pop-up" of sorts to the sequence wallet. After installing two browsers they finally found one that worked. In hindsight, perhaps I would advise using the Metamask app on phone instead of sequence for those comfortable maintaining private keys 

Gameplay:

Sunflowerland is a blast to play! I like that it's easy to play on the go, and it's time commitment is flexible based on the crops I'm planting. If I have a lot of downtime I can plant quick growing crops which take 30 seconds to grow; all the way to 2 day crops! Besides the crops, there are building resources to gather which allow upgrading of your island, both in size and also buildings. The season reward currency means there's some degree of planning needed to time your crops based on your needs, but depending on your play style you can ignore this.

The team has recently introduced a MMO style feature which has been fun to try. In the future season I understand tasks will need to be handed in on a shared area, which will make the game feel more alive

The Concept of "Game" vs "Play to Earn"

This is something I see come up often in the discord. Web 3 gaming has somewhat created this idea of playing a game only to earn. Personally, I like blend of what Sunflower land has created. By using the block buck (BB) tickets they create a need to continue to earn a little something in the game, while not making it a large priority. You can comfortably play with around 2 USD dollars a season (which lasts 2 month), if you are being careful with your BB by waiting for a full refresh.

NFT boosts - This is a slightly dividing factor in the community. Those that are willing to pay more for top dollar NTF boosts will get better returns in game, which slowly turns the needle from "Game" to 100% "Play to Earn". As long as you focus on your own game you can earn enough to enjoy the game at the same time.

Because of the boost aspect I found that there is little focus on completely cosmetic NFTs and nearly forget where to craft them myself. I was able to craft a Eggplant Grill before the end of the season, I hope more people remember to go check the customization page to craft their own. There are a couple other options to make as well. This is likely be withdrawable at the end of season too.

Thank you for reading my first publish0x blog, have a great day!