Features / 303 posts found
To Fund Prison Reform, Artists Heno and Andre Oshea Turned to NFTs
The United States is home to less than five percent of the world’s population, but houses nearly 25 percent of the world’s total prison population. Chances are you’ve encountered this shocking statistic in some form within the past decade. Dictated most notably by Hillary Clinton during a speech on criminal justice in 2015, this unfortunate fact has since been verified by scholars and news outlets with the prestige of The Washington Post. Yet, while these figures, by some estimates, have dropped to roughly four and 16 percent within the last few years, respectively, recidivism rates have continued to create a […]
Tattoo NFTs? Here’s Where Metaverse Ink Stands in Web3
When we die, what happens to our tattoos? Are pictures the only viable way to commemorate the beautiful, sentimental, and often expensive pieces of art that we have permanently affixed to our skin? Of course, you could have someone remove your flesh to preserve your tattoos, which is a process that happens more often than you’d think. But placing a piece of your loved one’s body on display might be a bit too macabre for most. So what is the best method for maintaining the legacy of someone’s tattoos? Asking your artist for a physical or digital version of the […]
Can Blockchain Gaming Be Good? A 90s-Era Nintendo Legend Weighs In
In the early 1990s, game industry exec Tony Harman was sitting on a long flight to Kyoto, Japan. After publishing a report questioning the then-widely accepted dogma that only Japanese studios could make good games, word spread from his U.S. office to its Japanese headquarters. While he didn’t know it then — Harman was headed for a date with destiny. Upon arriving in Japan, he had only one place to go: Nintendo’s global headquarters, for a meeting with the man behind the legend: Shigeru Miyamoto — one of the creators of the Italian plumber named Mario. But what was Harman […]
Magic Eden Makes Creator Royalties Optional. We Got Community Feedback
The debate surrounding creator royalties in the NFT space has yet to find a conclusion. Considering the fast-paced nature of the market, it comes as no surprise that key players in Web3 are changing their position on royalties and other hot topics, and breaking news that creates normalizing waves throughout the ecosystem. One such key player is Magic Eden. In September, the Solana NFT marketplace giant announced the launch of MetaShield, a new suite of tools designed to help NFT creators protect their royalties. Now, the platform has doubled back, stating that creator royalties will now be optional on the […]
How Nude Art NFTs Combat Censorship and Destigmatize Women’s Bodies
Few art subjects are more ancient, enduring, and controversial than the nude female form. From early prehistoric figurines like the Venus of Willendorf to Praxiteles’ Knidian Aphrodite statue, Botticelli’s Birth of Venus, and Manet’s Olympia, art depicting nude women has not only served as a vector of creative expression but as a mirror of society’s attitudes toward women for thousands of years. Tellingly, the reflections in that mirror have not always been pleasant and often reveal long-standing biases with which societies worldwide are still grappling. The Italian Early Renaissance artist Masaccio’s Expulsion from the Garden of Eden is a prime […]
Here’s Why the Path to Decentralized Marketplaces Won’t Be Linear
On March 3, 2022, NFT marketplace giant OpenSea initiated a large-scale ban and removal of accounts associated with an Iranian IP address in an attempt to comply with U.S. sanctions law. OpenSea had no choice but to obey the federal requirement, though many critiqued the platform for having communicated and executed the move poorly. Several Iranian-born artists who no longer reside in the country found themselves locked out of their accounts or had their collections removed entirely. The move reinvigorated a debate that is as old as crypto itself. “We need a truly decentralized marketplace, NOW,” one Twitter commentator wrote […]
Internet Game Brings Game Shows to Life in Web3
What is it about game shows that makes them so hard to turn away from? Is it the prospect of winning big prizes that gets home viewers’ blood pumping? Or maybe it’s the frustration experienced from watching contestants fail challenges that seem like a walk in the park? Of course, we know exactly why game shows are so popular, because through watching others’ successes or failures, we envision ourselves being able to succeed if given the chance. Yet, because of their popularity, it’s notoriously difficult to get your name on the short list for a playing role on a game […]
WTF Are POAPs? The Intriguing Power of Proof of Attendance Protocol
In the last few years, the Proof of Attendance Protocol, commonly referred to by the acronym POAP (pronounced “poh-ap” or “poe-app”), has grown in leaps and bounds alongside the NFT space. Once perceived as a simple platform used to issue commemorative NFTs to Web3 communities, in 2022 alone the protocol leveled up, completing a $10-million funding round and incorporating. Yet, while POAP has proliferated to the farthest reaches of the non-fungible ecosystem, the general NFT enthusiast remains unaware of the true power of the unique platform. While many are happy enough to click a link, collect a commemorative badge and […]
Regulations and SEC Investigations Might Actually Be Good for NFTs
It’s time for everyone to wake up from the dream of decentralized immunity to regulatory powers. While the fight against centralization and the advocation of anonymity has long characterized the NFT space, throughout 2022 the United States Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) has made it clear that crypto and NFT regulation is imminent. With the recent news of the SEC’s probe into Yuga Labs, it feels like the delay between metaverse actions and real-world consequences is vanishing. Many in the space are wondering what the future holds for NFTs as they enter into the world of government-regulated assets. But should SEC […]