I recently spoke with someone and we discussed the cost of rent in her college area; apparently, the cost of houses available to university students is very high.
This is obviously because a university was strategically located there, so it makes sense for local property owners to raise rents because the college is constantly attracting university students. Long story short, rent has more than tripled, and there are still insufficient housing options for students in the area. Local landlords are becoming wealthier simply by building their homes in an area where a university was later established.
Rental property in a place with endless demand equals inelastic profit.
So I told her that this was a smart business opportunity, and that if I could secure an empty land in the area, that I was going to erect a four or 5 flat that will become a rental property for me.
Now the rental income is certain because demand is high; even if I raise the rent, the building will still rent out, and even if I continue to raise the rent, as long as demand exceeds supply by default, I will be able to recoup the cost of building the property in 8 to 10 years, with the remainder profit.
We must understand that demand is a necessary component of business.
Why do you need to be able to predict your customer's pocket? Because how rich or poor they are determines whether you're going to make it except you have a situation where demands will always perfectly exceed supply.
When you are building, think about the pockets of your potential customers, not just how much money you need to make. Try to understand their psychology: will they jump in due to FOMO? Did their salary just increase? Will they buy because they have no other option? Are there goods or products that are less expensive than what I have?
All of these are questions that a potential producer should consider, because unless you live in an economy where people can either adapt or die, your product is not disposable. If you live in a FOMO economy, people will buy even if they do not have the money. Because they believe they will miss out, they will do everything possible to obtain funds to purchase.
There are some consumers who will buy regardless of whether they have or not. Their need to buy is motivated solely by the need or necessity to survive.
The Water Case-study
For example, if water were a universally limited commodity and we were all reliant on a single massive reservoir in the United States or Israel that would most likely run out within the next 100 years, water would be expensive because wealthy people would buy in bulk to secure an allocation they could drink for the rest of their lives, leaving the rest of the population with let's say only 30 years of water.
Now, the remaining 30 years will be hoarded by criminals, with some people attempting to secure some allocation to sell on the black market when water runs out. Even poor people will compete because it is not just a fight between the rich and the poor, as both need water to survive.
Splinterlands
This is why I believe Splinterlands INC released Conclave Arcana (the most recent card edition) too early on Splinterlands. Let's be factual adoption doesn't happen at the top, it happens at the grassroot.
If you want to release a card edition, you must consider your prospective players/customers. Unless you are releasing the edition only for whales, you will need to create a comfortable financial environment in which the average player can afford a pack to play the game.
Demand is important in any business, and when considering demand, you must imagine yourself in the shoes of your potential customer.
Market conditions are currently only beginning to change, but we haven't still experienced that face-melting pump that is typically synonymous with an alt season
Because playing the game is not a do-or-die situation, many people will have no choice but to sit it out. So, even though they love the game and want to buy the cards, the market simply is not printing enough for them to participate.
I understand that this is a presale, and a regular sale is still coming up. I also understand that the idea is for people to believe in the game when some others might be FUDDing, but it's simply practical not to buy what your pocket cannot afford.
Personally, I believe Conclave was released too early from a player's perspective. Now the team can also deploy something like this: release presale when they did, and monitor the outcome before setting a date for the general sale.
Or, better yet, they can release presale and postpone general sale for 3-4 months. Why this period? Because this is when people will have sufficient liquidity. It's that time of the market where almost everyone is buying anything that's pumping because of FOMO.
This is exactly what happened with the CHOAS LEGION SET. The timing of the set and presale were ideal; the only issue with CL was the terrible tokenomics and overprinting.
I now understand that the team wants to raise funds. It is difficult to sustain a game without funding, but if this was the case, they could have simply released the presale, added a lot of juicy incentives, and then moved the general sales to four months later.
This is because it is critical to consider a regular player's psychological and financial situation; the team requires every Tom, Dick, and Harry to participate and be optimistic while maintaining a preferred position for new players to enter.
Someone mentioned that January 2026 would have been a better time, and I agree, but the team can also make it in August or September, when people are already bullish and willing to buy. This is to take advantage of FOMO which was obviously there in 2021.
Conclusion
The game's dynamics are constantly changing with each card set, which is why it is critical to please everyone from the largest investors to the smallest players. Every single person is important; you do not want to be an Oligarch DAPP, and you need players to attract more players.
You have to target people when they have money. This is why people send out reminders at the end of each month to those who owe them money. They do not do it at first because, even if the debtors want to pay, they can not until the end of the month. Business is business, and CEOs must be inclusive. Even those who are poor must be considered. If you're building an inclusive business economy, every 1$ matters as much as 100k$ does.
Interested in some more of my posts
Why Is the grind getting harder?
Monopoly Is the Death of Civilization
Survival: Choas and Scarcity
Crypto: Gut & meaningful Connections
What is the primary barrier to entry in Web3?
What Are Some Things You Should not Do During A Bull Market Year?
