“I’m actually not at all concerned with the emergence of NFTs and in a broader sense I think linking monetary/tradable elements to games/gaming is generally a bad idea. It fosters a connection between gaming and commerce, with gaming losing its innocence. For me, gaming is about having fun, relaxing and not about making money, getting rich or trading. A phrase like ‘unlocking gamers’ trading potential’ really gives me the creeps. I’m sure there are people who think it’s a great idea to connect gaming and commerce, but I’m not one of them.”
The above passage comes from an email I sent in the fall of 2021 to a PR agency that wanted to draw attention to the role of non-fungible tokens in gaming. That agency did this on behalf of Azerion, the maker of Habbo Hotel, which had just announced that it would introduce a large number of NFTs in that game. I didn’t need to know about it, nor did many others working in the world of gaming. The ‘shut up with your NFTs’ attitude has turned out to be predominant in many of the social media bubbles I’m in. Perhaps understandable, but also striking: it is undeniable that the play-to-earn market is growing. More and more people are coming into contact with it, trying it out and giving shape to the newest part of the game industry.
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