I guess introductions are somewhat redundant now, but my username both here on Hive and in Splinterlands is Shaidon.
My introduction to Splinterlands was way back in May 2019 on the Steem block-chain. It was known as Steem Monsters back then and the only way to buy Alpha packs was with Steem.
It was there that I was introduced to Steem Monsters.
With the occasional rare exception, I have been going every month ever since.
The humble part of this story is that I was unemployed at the time and I knew absolutely nothing about crypto currency.
I had spent years struggling to pay either rent or bills and I would often go without food the day or two before a welfare payment gave me a small respite only for the cycle to begin again.
I survived by going to soup kitchens, seeing what I could get from churches and various charities. I still volunteer at some of these places as a form of gratitude for the food and advice given to me freely.
While I am working now, what Steem Monsters / Splinterlands represented to me at the time was a sense of hope. I could make a block-chain post and then buy a few packs or cheap second hand cards that I could possibly sell in an emergency in the future.
I could also play the mobile app while waiting hours to be called in for my Government mandated job search appointments.
Splinterlands uses mana points to summon cards and is a great way for me to practice my subtraction and other mathematical skills. I had a lack of schooling as a kid due to my parent's divorce.
Splinterlands has taught me so much about crypto, investing, buying and selling coins and tokens, staking assets, residual income, currency conversion and most of importantly of all: compound interest.
I've learned how to use softare such as Discord, Telegram, Slack, Zendesk, and a myriad of others.
I am always learning new things either about Splinterlands, the block-chain, crypto, and other things through team meetings.
The biggest lesson though is the importance of the community and team cohesion and it can be a massive mindshift as people often focus too much on the financial
side of things.
I am an independant contractor for Splinterlands, working in the Official Splinterlands Telegram and also helping with support tickets in the Zendesk application. This allows me to either work at home or on my phone while travelling.
This is my second full time job and I still have to pinch myself.
I've been with Splinterlands for 6 months and it still hasn't sunk in fully yet.
My card collection is currently worth US$50,000 (after initially peaking at US$90,000 a few months ago) and is generating a decent rental income every day.
I have nearly 27, 717 SPS currently worth US$0.137 each or US$3792.01 with and APR of 31.50%
There's about US$3000 worth of other tokens and coins on Hive Engine.
I also run the Wombat Warriors guild on an alt account.
It's going OK, but I need to get more cards!
First the first time ever, I have AU$20,000 in my primary bank account and I am looking at where I can invest my money for higher interest yields.
Splinterlands allowed me to travel to NSW for a Christmas party a few years ago, but I've never had the money or the opportunity to go overseas. Now I can at least consider it.
I can also consider things like an early retirement or even owning my own home. While a few years away, at least the possibility is there.
For now, I don't know what the future holds, but at the very least I know that I will never have to go on welfare again, and for that I have Splinterlands to thank.
Thank you 
That's all for now, so until next time,
see you in the Splinterlands!
Shaidon's Seal Of Approval
If you'd like to get involved, my affiliate link is here below:
https://splinterlands.com?ref=shaidon
I can walk you through the set up process.
