What is The Innovation Game (TIG)?

TLDR The Innovation Game (TIG) is a decentralized protocol designed to accelerate algorithmic breakthroughs by incentivizing global collaboration, transforming computational research into an open, competitive ecosystem.

1. Open innovation engine – Harnesses decentralized contributors to solve complex problems in AI, cryptography, and climate science.
2. Dual reward system – Incentivizes both code optimizations (Algorithm Implementations) and foundational method innovations (Breakthrough Algorithms).
3. Token-driven governance – Uses TIG tokens to align incentives, reward contributors, and govern protocol upgrades.

Deep Dive

1. Purpose & Value Proposition

TIG addresses inefficiencies in traditional R&D by creating a permissionless ecosystem where innovators collaborate on algorithm development. It focuses on computationally intensive challenges (e.g., Quadratic Knapsack Problem) with real-world applications, using crypto-economic incentives to attract talent. Recent achievements include outperforming peer-reviewed methods in speed and efficiency.

2. Technology & Architecture

Built on Ethereum L2 Base, TIG combines:
- Challenge modules: Convert computational problems into verifiable proof-of-work tasks
- Benchmarking system: Objectively measures algorithmic performance through adoption metrics
- Decentralized governance: Token holders vote on Breakthrough Algorithm approvals and protocol parameters

Unique identifiers (UAIs) track algorithmic lineages, ensuring proper attribution when contributors build on prior work.

3. Tokenomics & Governance

The TIG token serves three core functions:
1. Rewards: 30% of protocol rewards split between code submissions (15%) and breakthrough methods (15%)
2. Governance: Token-weighted voting determines Breakthrough Algorithm status and treasury allocations
3. Access: Contributors must burn tokens to submit Breakthrough Algorithm proposals

Breakthrough Rewards persist across iterations, creating long-term incentives for foundational innovations over incremental tweaks.

Conclusion

TIG reimagines algorithmic research as a competitive, open-source game where contributors are rewarded proportionally to their impact. By aligning financial incentives with technical breakthroughs, it aims to democratize access to high-value innovations. As the protocol scales to new challenges, can it maintain quality while preserving decentralization?