Forums / Discussion / Q & A

Plenty of noncancerous use is already in existence and being developed. The problem is that it's being overshadowed in the public sphere by what the collector market is currently invested in – effectively these "bored ape" "stoned ape", "lion", etc. What you're not seeing is the integration of NFTs into a video games, software, even media. Because NFTs aren't just jpegs. They are also sound files, which can be used and distributed to other media, or used to collaborate and have easy contractual ownership over collaborated work. There are also 3D files which allow artists to have their work be bought and resold across multiple games, or even just one game, and with controlled limitations of the 3D file, it gives increasing value to the 3D art the scarcer it becomes. Imagine an MMOrpg where you can buy a cool as hell outfit for your character that another 3D artist made, and there are only 30 of those outfits available, so you know that by owning one you own something very rare. Well, imagine if after a while you tire of it, or someone in the game is offering you a lot more for it, you can then sell it to them, and the artist get's a residual from the sale.

This is why an increasing amount of NFTs are becoming utilitarian in metaverses. And also why the big push for the next stage in Web development and online spaces is integration of digital asset ownership and distribution (which is what NFTs provide).

For some, this is a terrible thing. I get it. There are a lot of worries, concerns and there are a lot of things that are changing. And change can be very disheartening – especially if you feel like you may be at a disadvantage.

The millennia-old model of simply commissioning artists for their work has left thousands, if not tens thousands of artists utterly destitute. I don't know why anyone sits here and pretends like this was some great model for artists across millennia. It wasn't. Only a select few artists were able to find good patronage, and the vast majority did not. And many artists didn't even benefit from the value of their art until well after they died.
Scarcity of an item that has no in-game advantage or gameplay mechanic except visual bravado is extremely different than a scarcity of an item that has major in-game advantages such as an artificial limit on player housing. And even then I think the problem is less to do with the artificial scarcity and more to do with a game design system that didn't accommodate the size of the player base versus the availability of an a must-in game function like player housing. If there are only 5000 player housing plots, but the server has an average active player base of 40,000 people that means that a solid 35,000 of those players are missing out on a core gameplay feature and with such limited availability makes housing an impossible expensive endeavor. At the same time I've played games where player housing was unlimited, which made any actual "real" estate value, virtually articial or worthless. If the purpose of a scarcity is to create value and a goal for a player to achieve something the balance is making that goal realistic, yet challenging. That's good game design.
Regardless my hypothetical was dealing strictly with vanity items which serve no in-game core feature except personal vanity.

1) Online NFT-Bros can be insufferable bunch, who, are often, just collectors with no realistic vision for what NFTs can be.
2) There is a lot of misinformation around NFTs drummed up by click-bait articles, with vested interests who stand to lose on using other people's content, or platforms which profit directly from content creator's work (YouTube, Patreon, TurboSquid, etc).
3) Legitimate fear of what an NFT based internet can mean in the near future – with people no longer having the ability to utilize easy to attain digital content in any meaningful online way.
4) Fear of missing out – as more and more content creators go this route, similar to missing out on the crypto boom early on, and being adamantly against it because you'd hate to see anyone else succeed.

Thing is, hardly anyone engages in it.
In terms of digital trends and tech trends no other topic is so reviled on KYM as NFTs. Whenever I mention my support for it, try to defend it, etc, I get downvoted to oblivion, with hardly anyone responding as to why. Makes me think it's a very irrational thing to hate if you're not even going to voice why you'd hate it.

¯\(ツ)/¯

I'll keep fighting for it, though. Because I truly believe it is a great means for creatives to directly benefit from their own work – without having to depend on the good graces of third party platforms like YouTube's moderation policies, or the whims of your patrons on Patreon.