Linkin Park frontman Mike Shinoda has talked about NFTs and how they could benefit video game players in the long run.
Shinoda, who shared the four-track project ‘ZIGGURATS’ after the 5,000 NFTs of it sold out in minutes, took to Twitter to provide a balanced view of the potential of NFTs in the gaming space.
“I’m surprised by so much negative sentiment by gamers about NFTs. Can we chat?” started Shinoda.
“Of all the applications, gaming is a place that *players* can benefit a LOT from blockchain. Do they not know yet that there are eco-friendly NFTs? Let’s talk, keep it civil!”
Real Saturday convo. I’m surprised by so much negative sentiment by gamers about NFTs. Can we chat?
Of all the applications, gaming is a place that *players* can benefit a LOT from blockchain.
Do they not know yet that there are eco friendly NFTs?
Lets talk, keep it civil!
— Mike Shinoda (@mikeshinoda) January 8, 2022
In his thread Shinoda then provided links to some relevant articles, adding that “people are still learning that an NFT can be more than a .jpg, it could be a skin, a song, an item, a movie, a character, an environment, or a game itself.”
“Imagine taking your favourite skin from Valorant, and using it Fortnite. And not paying extra, because you own it. Then using it in CoD, Minecraft, even Twitter, IG,” wrote Shinoda. “In game items are basically just NFTs you’re not allowed to sell or move out of the game. What if you could?”
He went on to say that the current set-up of buying skins means they “have limited use and value because you don’t really own them. They’re stuck inside that game. The version that’s possible is: your stuff isn’t stuck. It’s yours, outside of the game. Even if the game goes away, your stuff stays yours.”
He added that NFTs are “fundamentally different” to microtransactions.
Summing up the conversation, Shinoda said: “Gamers don’t trust the devs. They see ‘NFT’ and think ‘this is another way to squeeze a dollar out of us.’ The games that win will be the ones who GIVE to the community, not TAKE.”
“Crypto miners have bought up a lot of hardware resources and driven up prices, which left a bad taste in peoples’ mouths,” he continued. “Game quality in blockchain isn’t there yet. More than anything, people want it to be fun.”
Ah! So here’s something people aren’t explaining: NFTs don’t have to be jpgs.
Imagine taking your favorite skin from Valorant, and using it Fortnite. And not paying extra, because you own it. Then using it in CoD, Minecraft, even Twitter, IG.
So many possibilities, no? https://t.co/cJTA6E0z69
— Mike Shinoda (@mikeshinoda) January 8, 2022
He added: “There are also so many great creators and projects in the space, too many to list here. Keep an eye out for them—don’t write off everybody yet. If you keep an open mind, you’re going to be on the front lines of something really incredible.”
In recent weeks and months, NFTs in the realm of video games have either been unsuccessful or met with a massive pushback from the community. Square Enix president Yosuke Matsudsa shared the developer’s NFT plans, which included the sentiment that “play for fun” gamers would be outweighed by “play to earn” gamers, which greatly upset quite a few fans.
In other news, an Apex Legends developer has suggested some plans to tackle visual clutter in the game.