The Playbook.
ZABAL Gamez is the ZAO's 3-month Build-A-Thon - a build event, not a video-game contest. June is workshops, July is open build, August is Finals. Here is how it works and how to start.
Pick a track
Three tracks, one event. Pick the one that fits what you make - or cross over.
Artist
Musical and visual creators. Make the thing - songs, art, motion - and bring it on chain-native rails.
Builder
Developers and aspiring builders. Ship a tool, an app, an agent, or a Snap the community can actually use.
Creator
Media and distribution. Streams, shows, writing, clips - the reach layer that carries every build further.
What you build
Something real for a real community. You build for The ZAO - a group that has run weekly sessions for 100+ weeks and needs the tools - not a throwaway demo. A ZAO mentor rides along as your teammate. The build is the application: there is no separate pitch, the thing you ship is the entry.
The rails you build on
Live rails the ecosystem already runs. Use what fits your build.
See each in action in the session recaps and the ZAO Graph.
The July bar
A submission is something shipped and usable by August Finals - a working build, a released body of work, or a distribution engine with reach to show. Finishers keep the repo and a 1% trade cut that flows after the Finals, plus a share of the prize pool and a commemorative collectible. Every finisher gets paid.
How to start
- Claim the collectible to register for the season and pick where we reach you.
- Join the /zabal channel and the group chat - say what you are thinking of building.
- Watch the workshop recaps and catch what is on now.
- Pick your track and start building in the open. Ask for a mentor when you want one.
- Ship by August. The build is the application.