It is an odd one. There doesn't seem much point to it... you play so you can level up so you can get higher up the leagues and level up faster so you can level up faster.

But that's not quite correct is it... it's more like that's what you do to prevent yourself levelling up slower relative to everyone else. Which i think is what makes it a bit shit: it makes you feel like a pawn in someone else's game.

Of course all pay-to pay to play games are like that, it's just more obvious with steem, even though I'm sure that was never the reason it was created, it's what it feels like.