our world: welcome to the metaverse? axie infinity is a hugely popular online game in which players breed, battle and trade fantasy creatures. but for many people, it's now much more than that. around the world, a new type of worker is emerging. they make big profits for companies but rarely leave home or break into a sweat. they generate millions, playing a new breed of online video game. for me, it comes as a blessing. in a virtual world where work and play are one and the same... ..could this be our future in the metaverse? the philippines has been hit by its deepest recession since records began. dom lumabi rescued his family by playing an online video game called axie infinity. with millions of others, he earns money breeding and battling fantasy fairy creatures called axies in their digital universe, lunacia. in his first month, he doubled the money he made in his previous job as an accountant. to play you must form a team of three axies. you then do battle, and if you win, you are rewarded and in—game currency called smooth love potion. when you have enough, you use it to breed more powerful axie fighters. to make hard cash, you can sell your love potion and axies on online exchanges. but before you can make a cent, you must first buy your axie team from the game's owners, sky mavis. this can cost hundreds of dollars, more than most can afford. but kookoo tv is here to help. a lot of people are cheering and shouting my name. he's one of the philippines�* most influential axie manager is recruiting players to the game. also, they love games, they want to compete. he works with the yield guild games or ygg, a group of investors who buy axies and rent them out to players. these players are known as axie scholars. and every time they produce smooth love potion, the guild takes its cut. we have 20,000 plus scholars. most of them are from the philippines. we are all born in different places. they have the opportunity to earn while they are playing and eventually, they can buy their own axies. playing axie can be yourfull—timejob. the game has given him wealth and fame, but for kookoo tv, it's about more than just the money. so, yeah, it's like running a business that you're actually helping other people providing opportunities. seeing the results, for example, from the parents who are buying milk or paying their bills from their earnings makes us so happy. and when a typhoon struck in 2021, kookoo tv and the guild stepped in. that's actually my vitamins to keep positive, keep energetic and also do not think about what i am doing. i think that is my compensation. that's my reward of helping people, yeah. kuya kevs was signed up by kookoo tv to be a scholar. he desperately needed money to replace lost revenues from his ailing holiday lets business. he is one of kookoo tv�*s most ambitious players. but recently, axie players were rocked by crisis. it has been quiet for too long. slp has been going down and down and down. smooth love potion was hit by inflation, wiping out as entire value. many scholars refused to produce love potion and were sacked or left the game. however, others, like kuya kevs and dom, remained loyal. for me, it comes as a blessing. and now he is doing his part, to recruit players to the guild to work in the axie economy. this is gail, dom's sister. kuya kevs has enlisted his own brother to work as a scholar for the guild. so it is a win—win situation for us. kabee is unable to get a job using his computer science degree. but his axie earnings have taken a nosedive and kuya kevs must rely on side hustles to pay the bills. however, axie infinity is still worth over $2 billion and remains one of the most popular play—to—earn games in the world. this success is down to its ingenious design that has transformed everything in the game into a financial asset that can be owned and bought and sold. every bouncing axie is, in fact, a non—fungible token, or nft, a unique piece of digital data that represents ownership and value. and every drop of smooth love potion is actually a unit of crypto currency, or digital money. stop both exist on a blockchain, an online ledger that is stored on computers around the world and is protected by powerful cryptography. making axies and love potions digital assets that can be owned and traded incentivises players to invest their time and money into the game. and, as they are exchangeable assets, axies and love potion can be traded for other crypto and traditional currencies, such as dollars. every time this is done by its millions of players the game's owners charge a fee, turning play into a highly efficient way of making profits. many think that the fusion of play and work in virtual economies like axie infinity is our future... ..and a new business opportunity for the philippines. other countries have silicon valley. in korea there is samsung. in vietnam, a lot of people are creating new technology. so in the philippines, we want to be known as the centre of the play—to—earn concept. it changed the narrative that philippines is notjust for call centres or 0fws. now we are becoming the centre of the play—to—earn metaverse games. by 2018, venezuela's economic crisis pushed nearly 90% of its citizens into poverty. and forfirst—time dad miguel margo, scarcity became a way of life. with hyperinflation rampant, alongside millions of others, miguel tried to escape his misery abroad. he hitched and walked 2,000 kilometres to peru, but was unable to make a living. but on his return to venezuela, he discovered the axie promise. venezuela's government has even set up its own axie academy, to give people like ana a way of surviving and to earn ..and to earn cryptocurrency for itself. but until recently, the regime saw the game as a threat. however, for miguel, doubts crept in when he realised the axie economy is no more stable than venezuela's. it made him question the whole idea of play—to—earn gaming. some even think that axie is a form of digital piecework, but done when you think you're playing. and what use is an axie asset if there is no axie game? so he turned to another job to survive. miguel is a very efficient assassin in his home town. he grinds away up to 15 hours a day playing an online video game called old school runescape. although never intended to be a way for players to make money, today, many venezuelans rely on it to survive. miguel does this for wealthy, mostly foreign players, who pay him to boost their avatars�* status in the game. he completes missions, defeating monsters and other players in battle, and collects valuable items such as armour, weapons and gold that can be sold to other players. and runescape is much better suited to miguel�*s world than axie infinity. venezuelans endure constant power blackouts, high data costs and low—grade computer hardware supplied by the government. but this is no problem for runescape, which uses simple, old—fashioned graphics to please its nostalgic players. miguel works long hours to provide for his son. but playing is taking its toll. however, runescape is much more than just work for miguel. a better way to escape... ..with one catch. even though runescape, a game madejust for having fun, is a safer bet than axie infinity, miguel knows he can take nothing for granted. we will be heading through the remainder of the weekend on a dry and settled note before more rain comes from the north—west by monday. for the hero now, this is how we ended saturday evening, beautiful sunsetin ended saturday evening, beautiful sunset in east ayrshire and through the course of sunday, we are looking at another largely dry and settle with some sunny spells around. just a few isolated showers. a week where the front is trying to nudge in from the front is trying to nudge in from the north—west but not making inroads because high pressure is in control out to the east. the lowest temperatures sunday morning will be in eastern scotland and eastern england, mid—single figures. further west, most places starting just about in double figures. any early morning mist and fog will live fairly quickly on the day will warm up fairly quickly on the day will warm up as the sunshine spreads across the uk. a little cloudy in the far north—west of the western isles, the northern isles as well. through the day, fairweather cloud bubbles up and that might be enough to produce one or two isolated showers for wales, parts of south—west england, northern england into southern scotland but most places will avoid any of those showers. temperatures in the mid teens around the east coast but we could see 20 degrees inland. sunday evening and overnight into southern scotland but most places will avoid any of those showers. temperatures in the mid teens around the east coast but we could see 20 degrees inland. sunday evening and overnight in the and things are remaining largely dry and clear. some south—west england, northern england into southern scotland but most places will avoid any of those showers. temperatures in the mid teens around the east coast but we could see 20 degrees inland. sunday evening and overnight into monday and things are remaining largely dry and clear. some mist and fog patches but front spreads rain into northern ireland and north—west scotland to start monday morning. mild, breezy and rather damp in the north—west, cooler and clearer conditions down towards the south—east. monday's weather will be dominated still by high pressure out to the east but these more active weather fronts are starting to move on from the atlantic. they will bring more cloud in northern ireland and scotland with outbreaks of rain from the word go, heaviest over coasts and hills in the west, slightly more patchy that there is. much of england and wales keeping dry weather with some sunny spells was that it will be a little warmer, particularly for eastern england, 20-22 particularly for eastern england, 20—22 here, but typically the mid—teens across scotland and northern ireland. tuesday, the front tends to make its way further south and east and a return to sunny spells and scattered blustery showers for the north—west. temperatures coming down a little in the south, still about 20 or so, typically the mid—teens across the north—west of the uk. through the week ahead, some showers around, especially towards the north and west. things looking drierfurther south and east. goodbye for now.