Why IRL Items Will be an Important Part of the Metaverse Economy

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In my first article for New Tokyo Rumors, I offered my views on how important 10KTF’s crafting system is going to be in a MetaRPG. I then covered the connections we’ve seen between 10KTF and Otherside. To make a long story short, I’ve speculated that 10KTF is going to be one of the “worlds” in M2/Improbable metaverse, probably sitting next to Otherside. In this article I’m going to explain why I think IRL/physical items are going to be needed to help balance the game economics.

Crafting is a crucial aspect of RPGs. Using items gives different abilities to our avatar–it could be something to increase fighting stats or it could have a particular utility in the game. This word “utility” is a crucial word in the NFT space–it has become a buzz word, but aside from the art, it’s the only other thing that gives real value to a digital asset. There are examples of NFTs projects where holding a token gives you special access to something you wouldn’t have access to otherwise, like a live event or the opportunity to buy some physical items (usually apparel).

We’ve seen Nike, Adidas, and, more recently, Puma, launch projects where you can buy a particular NFT to eventually enable you to buy some limited edition sneakers. Usually, there are burning mechanisms and airdrops to get you access to the physical drop. Ultimately, it just looks like a more complicated way to be on a whitelist with the only goal being to buy a physical object. There’s nothing innovative there but rather a marketing move to drive attention using this new tech (NFTs).

Here is where I think 10KTF is going to differ. I speculate that this is not going to be a more complicated version of a whitelist–instead, I think we are going to win/craft physical items while playing in the MetaRPG where 10KTF and Otherside will be.

From this point on, put your tin foil hat on and bear with me…here are the points upon which I base my speculation:

  • We know there is going to be a MetaRPG
  • We know crafting items is big in RPGs
  • We know the MetaRPG is going to be a Play 2 Earn or some similar model
  • We know Otherside and 10KTF are somehow connected (I’m sorry, you can’t call it speculation anymore 😉)
  • We know there is a Gucci Vault material and probably other Gucci materials are on the way
  • We know the Gucci Vault material is a limited “physical material” and we also know it is going to have some other digital use in 10KTF ecosystem
  • I speculate there are going to be also Puma materials

A MetaRPG based on crypto is pretty much a videogame where the currency and the items have real value, which implies you need to have a very balanced economy to make the game playable and, at the same time, reward the winners–this is very hard. If you build a very successful game, the in-game currency and the rare items will keep growing in value, but to be successful, you need to have high adoption where newcomers can enter and compete in the game with a relatively small amount of money.

I have never built a game, but I’m getting a headache just trying to think through how they could manage to do all of this. Just meeting regulations in each country is going to be a nightmare. Usually, to offer monetary prizes you need to be a casino, but if the prize is an item it’s much simpler.

When 10KTF airdropped us the Gucci material (from entering a mission with Gucci Grails), I had an “aha” moment as to how they’ll do it–they’ll give the opportunity for players to win digital assets that can be exchanged for real life items. It may be hard for people outside of Web3 understand why an NFT is so highly valued, but it’s quite simple for everyone to understand why a Gucci bag is so expensive.

Let’s consider an example. You are a citizen of New Tokyo. You wander the streets and slay Toadz NPC with your avatar and they drop $NTD (yes, I think it’s gonna resurface again eventually) or $APE and various items that you can use in-game or that you can use to craft physical items. Now scale this with other fashion brands and with any other brand in pretty much every industry–computers, phones, furniture, cars, bikes, etc. You see where I’m going? Think about going on a quest slaying monsters in a dungeon with your friends and looting a Lambo after killing the boss monster. Think about buying Gucci materials from adventurers and crafting physicals to sell in your shop in New Tokyo. Think about spending time mining, lumberjacking, or collecting any kind of resources to then build items that are produced by your favorite big brand and shipped to you or to your clients at their home in real life. I can keep going on for days, the possibilities are endless…

This has to be balanced, and it’s challenging, as I was saying. I know what are you thinking–“Who’s gonna pay for these physical items?” It’s very complicated to explain, but I’ve asked myself the same question, and I thought of multiple ways to make it sustainable.

  • Players that are going to try to kill monsters will die sometimes, let them pay to resurrect.
  • Brands that are going to have their physical items featured in the metaverse would pay marketing fees, and they will sell directly to players or use other players as crafters, sellers, or representatives, recouping their marketing spend in no time.

I’ve read Ready Player One and Ready Player Two recently, and I suggest these books (you can also watch the movie–it is good, but the books are better) to anyone that is trying to understand what a MetaRPG is going to be. I’m very convinced that my speculation is going to be very close as to what the game is going to be. I’ve always been a gamer–videogames as a kid and I’ve been playing poker professionally for 15+ years. I really can’t wait to play it and to see what this MetaRPG will be like!

I know you may still thinking it’s hard to make it sustainable and I would be happy to answer your questions, so feel free to ask here or on Twitter. Either way I’ll try to address that further in my next post.

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