After many years of spending oodles of moolah on cosplay and gaming, Kapuso actress Myrtle Sarrosa has found a way to actually use her money as a profitable investment.
READ: How Myrtle Sarrosa got past "I did not feel good enough" stage
In an interview with PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal), she spoke about getting into NFT gaming where she invests in assets or items on the digital world that she can own and earn from.
This is what happens with the concept of NFT (non-fungible) token or a non-currency asset that has a unique code encrypted into a blockchain wherein its value depends on demand or how it is perceived by the market.
With NFT gaming, Myrtle explains that she invested in a yet-to-be released play-to-earn-game called Metagods.
She actually bought a digital plot of land in Metagods worth seven digits!
This is where she spent a huge chunk of her earnings from her recent acting stints.
She said, "Ito yung kahit yung parents ko naloloka sa akin, like, for example, yung mga kinita ko sa taping from last year.
"Lagi nila sinasabi sa akin, 'Myrts, mag-invest ka na lang sa lupa.' Lagi ko sinasabi sa kanila, 'Sige, mag-i-invest ako sa lupa.' Pero yung binili kong lupa, sa game.
"Sobrang mahal niya. Naka-cryptocurrency siya... Oh my gosh, nag-invest ako ng 7 digits sa mga NFT na lupa [sa Metagods]. Ilalabas pa lang yung game. Excited na ako dun.
"Nag-invest ako ng 7 digits into sa mga asset ko dito sa iba-ibang play-to-earn games na galing siya sa personal [savings] ko. 'Tapos ngayon, nilalagay ko siya sa iba-ibang game na pinapasukan ko."
Myrtle, for her part, learned about NFT gaming from her exposure to different online gaming, which she plays herself or where she gets to be the ambassador.
"Dahil din sa Call of Duty, and dahil sa play-to-earn games, nagkaroon ako ng malawak na audience na hindi ko in-expect. Nag-i-invest ako ngayon sa games.
"Yung one of the most famous YouTubers, si Mr. Beast, kasama ko siya investing in this game. He has 96M subscribers on YouTube. We are both investors sa Metagods.
"Aside from streaming and being an ambassador, I also went behind the scenes as an investor.
"Ipapalabas pa lang yung game. Excited ako makagawa ng game na yung mga Pilipino puwede kumita habang naglalaro sila.
"Kasi yung game para siyang Diablo or Ragnarok, maglalaro ka lang, pag napatay mo yung mga boss, may mga drops. Ma-e-enjoy nila."
How does she earn money from that NFT purchase?
Explaining how the game Metagods works, Myrtle told PEP.ph: "Yung binili kong lupa nandun sa isang dungeon sa game.
"Kung sa Ragnarok [online multiplayer role-playing game] merong mga dungeons, sa dungeons na iyon may mga boss.
"So kung may players na pumatay sa boss na iyon, kikita sila ng mga 'drops.' Yung drops na iyon could be a weapon, could be an armor.
"'Tapos, yung excess drops pupunta sa owner ng land. Let's say 80 percent pupunta sa nakapatay sa boss, 'tapos yung excess drops pupunta sa land owners.
"Kaya ako, sina Mr. Beast, pumasok into investing into this game kasi naniniwala kami na eventually, kapag marami nang taong naglalaro ng game, kikita sila.
"Pero yung mga taong tulad ko na nag-invest into the game, kikita rin kasi part-owner kami into the game. Ta's anuman kitain nila, meron din kami percentage of what they earn."
The Mr. Beast that Myrtle is referring to is an American millionaire and highest-earning YouTuber known for creating elaborate content featuring expensive games, pranks, and giveaways.
HOW MYRTLE'S PARENTS REACTED
Myrtle admitted her parents were initially worried about investing her hard-earned income into gaming.
"Siyempre ang gastos ng hilig ko talaga. Siyempre scary din sa parents ko na, 'Okay, grumaduate ka sa U.P., cum laude ka, tapos pumasok ka sa paglalaro?'"
Myrtle graduated cum laude with a degree in Broadcast Communications from the University of The Philippines Diliman in 2017.
She joined showbiz after she became the big winner in the Kapamilya reality franchise Pinoy Big Brother Teen Edition 4 in 2012.
Myrtle then transferred to GMA-7 in February 2020.
While she remains active in showbiz, Myrtle underlined she's been happy to be doing something different in between acting projects.
"As a celebrity, hilig ko maging kakaiba. Pero sa cosplay and gaming, siguro nahanap ko sa yung niche ko sa space nito. Dito ko nahanap yung followers ko.
"Feeling ko mas connected ako sa followers ko kasi nakaka-relate sila sa iba-ibang animé characters na ginagawa ko.
"That's the reason din bakit ako bumaon sa gaming."