Typically, NFTs are purchased using a cryptocurrency, such as ether (Ethereum's native cryptocurrency), although the price can also appear in dollars. It could be argued that one of the earliest NFT projects, CryptoPunks, has a community around it, and there are other animal-themed projects such as the Boring Monkey Yacht Club that have their own clique. The lack of exchangeability (fungibility) distinguishes NFTs from blockchain cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin. Note that the cryptocurrencies used to purchase the NFT may also be taxed if they have increased in value since you purchased them, which means you may want to consult with a tax professional when considering adding NFTs to your portfolio.
Investors who are supporters of the technology, a group that often overlaps with cryptocurrency enthusiasts, see NFTs as a way to financially support artists, flex their digital art collections and speculate in a market that is experiencing staggering growth. With a user base of over 200,000 players, Venly's NFT peer-to-peer marketplace, now in beta, allows registered users to create, buy and sell game characters, weapons and collectibles without having to worry about getting cryptocurrencies first. Described as the Metaverse, virtual worlds such as Decentraland, Sandbox, Star Atlas, CryptoVoxels and Somnium Space allow users to create galleries to showcase NFT art, clothing, real estate and attend live events with friends online. But we've seen big brands and celebrities like Marvel and Wayne Gretzky launch their own NFTs, which seem to be aimed at more traditional collectors, rather than crypto enthusiasts.
Almost anything can be coined as an NFT CryptoPunks, short films, domain names, virtual cannabis farms, but most of the recent excitement among investors has focused on digital art, sports collectibles and video games in which users build and rule alternative worlds or "metaverses". As with buying NFTs, you need to have a wallet set up, and it needs to be full of cryptocurrencies. Nike has patented a method for verifying the authenticity of trainers using an NFT system, which it calls CryptoKicks. Well, like cryptocurrencies, NFTs are stored in digital wallets (although it should be noted that the wallet has to be specifically NFT-compatible).
Public awareness of NFTs began with the success of CryptoKitties, an online game in which players adopt and trade virtual cats. Ethereum is a cryptocurrency, like bitcoin or dogecoin, but its blockchain also supports these NFTs, which store extra information that makes them work differently from, for example, an ETH coin. That said, cryptocurrencies have been stolen before, so it would really depend on how the NFT is stored and how much work a potential victim would be willing to do to get their stuff back. Sorare is a cryptocurrency-based fantasy football league where users can collect player cards as NFTs and then use them in online competitions.
NFTs work like cryptographic tokens, but unlike cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, NFTs are not exchangeable with each other, so they are not fungible.
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