Impulse DAO - WASM developers community growth

Proponent: G2VxaAzR3THxGPXmANM7EEDo17KtmTKiKEKXMTVEe9W8T1X

Date: 06.04.2023

Requested KSM: 1807 KSM / $60,800 paid after the approval. The price was calculated using the EMA7 rate on Subscan.

Impulse DAO is a developers' DAO focused on creating a thriving ecosystem for on-chain WebAssembly (WASM) games and games for developers by leveraging Gear and ink! smart contracts. The project aims to address the limited number of WASM developers in the Web3 and Polkadot/Kusama community, showcase the capabilities of WASM smart contracts, and inspire developers to explore the untapped potential of 100% on-chain games.

Over the course of three months, Impulse DAO will fund and support five teams to build fully-functioning dApps, featuring WASM smart contracts, front-end, and design. All project components will be open-source. Impulse DAO will also host online and offline WASM tournaments for developers, engaging the Rust developers community and providing a competitive and gamified learning experience.

Problem

a small community of WASM developers concentrated within Parity, Gear, Astar, and Supercolony teams;
lack of products that showcase the difference between EVM & WASM virtual machines.

Bounty #19. The existing bounty is focused only on ink! smart contracts. While Impulse DAO aims to support both Gear & ink! smart contracts for growing the Polkadot/Kusama WASM ecosystem.

Proposed solution

Games for developers can be considered a solution to the stated problem because they offer an engaging and competitive way to learn and explore the capabilities of WASM smart contracts. By creating a gamified learning environment, these games can attract more developers to the Kusama ecosystem, showcasing the advantages of WASM smart contracts compared to EVM, and ultimately contribute to the growth of the developer community. This approach not only helps address the current shortage of WASM developers but also encourages the development of new tools, resources, and innovative on-chain gaming experiences, thereby demonstrating the potential and versatility of the Kusama network.

Scope of work

RnD ink! contracts
Validate hypotheses through JBTD interviews.
Find builders

Examples of games for developers

100% on-chain WASM game for developers made by Impulse DAO core members.

100% on-chain game made for a hackathon

Deliverables

5 WASM 100% on-chain games for developers:

Gear;
AlephZero;
Astar;
Polkadot/Kusama community choice;
DAO choice.

Final report that includes:

Learning outcomes;
Hypothesis verification;
Overview of projects built by grantees;
Online tournament results.

Success criteria

20+ engaged developers — players;

Players contribute user-generated-logic for enhancing gameplay;

40-60 learning-outcome survey respondents;

40+ participants in the tournament;

Full proposal

Impulse DAO Proposal Summary

Date: 06.04.2023
Requested KSM: 1807 KSM ($60,800)
Objective: Develop on-chain WebAssembly (WASM) games to attract more developers to the Polkadot/Kusama ecosystem.
Problem: Limited number of WASM developers and lack of products showcasing WASM vs. EVM.
Solution: Fund and support five teams to build WASM games, host tournaments, and make all projects open-source.
Deliverables: Five 100% on-chain WASM games and a final report detailing learning outcomes and tournament results.
Success Criteria: Engage 20+ developers, receive user-generated logic for gameplay, and have 40-60 survey respondents.
Examples: Existing 100% on-chain WASM games made by Impulse DAO core members.