# Reward Pools

In Rise of the Pixels players receive rewards based on how good their games are. But contrary to other Web3 games that allocate a fixed pool distributed among all players, we decided to adopt a different approach. 

The game reward pools in Rise of the Pixels are dynamic, adapting token emission to the amount of players receiving rewards in a specific moment.

The base size of each reward pool is determined by the amount of $PXL Token and PXL Coins spent by all players for game development and other actions. 

> Example: If 3 players start creating a game roughly at the same time and each player spends 150 $PXL to pay their team, the initial reward pool size will be 450 $PXL

On top of the base pool, there are some extra rewards (computed as a percentage increment) that will be distributed in each round. For more information on rewards distribution you can refer to [](https://rulebook.riseofthepixels.com/economics/game-rewards "mention").

Multiple reward pools exist to keep the rewards fair for various [game-dev-studio](https://rulebook.riseofthepixels.com/gameplay/game-dev-studio "mention")s of different scopes and sizes.

### [project-categories](https://rulebook.riseofthepixels.com/gameplay/games/project-categories "mention") Pools

In the **8-Bit** **Era** the main reward pools are:

* **Solo** projects, one pool for each game development Platform (PC, Console, Arcade)
* **Small** projects, one pool for each game development Platform (PC, Console, Arcade)
* **Starter pools** that are designed to help make the early game rewarding
* Once Medium projects are unlocked, another three pools will likely be created.

### Common Pools

There also exists a common reward pool that is shared among all game categories. This pool is funded by token spent on [research-and-development](https://rulebook.riseofthepixels.com/gameplay/research-and-development "mention") and [training](https://rulebook.riseofthepixels.com/gameplay/training "mention").

Rewards from this common global pool are distributed at a slower rate to all games that qualify for a reward round.

## Starter Pools

If a new account only purchases a few packs, they are often using Common Workers and Accessories to start off. It is hard to create a game with high enough rating to compete with Players who have more advanced assets.

To help balance this, a Player's games will participate in a special Starter Pool if they meet some conditions:

* Using only Commons (or at least two Commons in a Small Project)
* Only cards that have come from packs opened by the Player (reduces alt abuse)
* Fewer than six Accessories equipped to the team
* No more than one Research tech used, capped at Mark 1
* Studio License is less than 30 days old
* Studio Rep below 10

The Starter Pools were created shortly after launch in April 2024. We will continue to monitor the early game economy in order to ensure a fun experience for all Players.