Introduction and Context
This page provides an overview of the impact and metrics for Optimystics Tools, a suite of open-source software designed to empower communities with innovative governance solutions on the Superchain. Our toolkit, centered around the Respect Game, includes applications for decentralized decision-making, reputation management, and collective action.
The purpose of this page is to showcase the realized impact of these tools on Optimism Governance, particularly in the context of our application for Retroactive Funding Round 6. For more details on our work, please visit our Optimystics Tools application, our open-source repositories, and our tools articles.
Table of Contents
- Introduction and Context
- Development Team Support
- Important funding clarification
- Impact Measures and Metrics
- Respect Game Usage
- Software Development and Infrastructure
Development Team Support
This application aims to support several dedicated developers who have contributed to building and maintaining these tools throughout the past year:
- One lead developer who has contributed full-time for the entire year towards development and maintenance of the core infrastructure
- Three additional developers who have contributed either part-time or full-time for several months building key components and features
- A growing ecosystem of developers who have made valuable smaller contributions to various aspects of the tooling
This grant application aims to support a development team that has grown significantly since the initial toolset was created. For a broader understanding of our work across different projects and our funding context, please refer to the Optimystics Projects and Funding overview.
Important funding clarification
The 30,000 OP listed on this application represents the total funding received by the Optimystics team for multiple projects in RetroPGF Round 3, not solely for Optimystics Tools. Due to the application structure, there was no dedicated field to explain how previous funding was distributed across projects. To ensure transparency and avoid disqualification, we felt it necessary to note the full amount in each related application.
Therefore, the funding specifically allocated to Optimystics Tools is significantly less than the total 30,000 OP grant. The development team that built the initial toolset, composed of Tadas and Vlad, received approximately one-third (10,000 OP) of this total grant for their work. The remaining funding supported other aspects of our work across different initiatives. At the time of the previous funding round, our tools had only been used once at an Optimism Fractal event, with development and implementation still in early stages.
Impact Measures and Metrics
To assess the impact of our software, we've categorized various measurements and metrics, which are outlined in the table of contents below. These categories include both quantitative metrics and qualitative assessments, providing a comprehensive view of our tools' impact on Optimism Governance.
Our software's impact extends beyond traditional governance tooling, offering a multitude of benefits that aren't easily captured by a single metric. To fully appreciate its value, it's crucial to consider these diverse impacts holistically. This approach allows for a more nuanced understanding of how our tools contribute to the Optimism ecosystem.
We invite you to carefully review these measurements, considering both the quantitative data and the qualitative insights they provide. Your thoughtful examination and any subsequent feedback are greatly appreciated, as they help us continue to refine and improve our tools for the benefit of the Optimism Collective.
Respect Game Usage
The Respect Game is at the core of our tools, providing an innovative way to measure contributions and foster collaboration within the Optimism ecosystem. Here's how our tools have supported Optimism governance through the Respect Game between October 2023 to September 2024.
Participant Quantity and Transaction Impact
- Over 50 unique builders have participated in onchain governance experimentation via the Respect Game at Optimism Fractal events using our software
- Each participant has created immutable onchain attestations of their contributions to Optimism governance
- Verifiable on-chain through OPF token holders: Token Holders
- ~350 consensus-based governance transactions recorded onchain (October 2023 - September 2024)
- Each transaction represents a full breakout room reaching democratic consensus on contributions to Optimism
- Each consensus decision involves 3-6 governance participants evaluating each other's impact
- All consensus decisions are permanently recorded on the OP Mainnet for governance analysis
- Verifiable through contract transactions: Contract Transactions
Our smart contract that has facilitated all Optimism Fractal events so far can be found here. Several deployments of new versions of our software on OP Mainnet and Base can be found on the grant application.
Governance Participant Quality
Our tools have attracted and retained high-impact governance participants:
- Core Infrastructure Builders: Leading developers of Optimism governance infrastructure and tooling regularly use our software to coordinate and evaluate contributions
- Delegates and Thought Leaders: Several active Optimism delegates and prominent thought leaders have used our tools to experiment with novel governance processes
- Council/Commission Members: Multiple members of the Optimism Grants Council, Code of Conduct Council, and other key governance bodies have participated
- Cross-Chain Leaders: Governance experts and business leaders from Base, Mode, and other Superchain networks have used our software at events
This diverse set of governance leaders demonstrates the broad appeal and utility of our tools for Optimism governance. Videos of their participation and impact are available in our event recordings, with timestamps provided for easy navigation. You can gain a better understanding of the outstanding quality of governance leaders and builders who’ve used our software on our draft contributors page and verify token distributions on the block explorer.
Sustained Governance Engagement
The Respect Game has shown strong retention metrics demonstrating sustained governance engagement:
- Weekly Event Cadence: Consistent governance experimentation at 43 events
- Long-term Participation: Many top contributors have consistently participated for 6+ months, as evidenced by their accumulated Respect scores following the Fibonacci distribution (55, 34, 21, 13, 8, or 5 Respect per consensus)
- Growing Implementation: Several other communities are now using our governance tools, including the ZAO Fractal with 20+ events
- Expanding Impact: Each retained participant has helped onboard 2-3 additional governance contributors on average
We're working on finding blockchain analysis tools to include statistics on repeat participants and long-term engagement.
Software Development and Infrastructure
Since October 2023, Optimystics Tools has provided and maintained essential infrastructure for decentralized decision-making: