So far in this series of articles, I have covered getting paid in crypto while you browse the web using Brave browser and getting started with Alien Worlds; a free-to-play digital card-game which occasionally pays out random NFT prizes. I've also covered the process of trading in your mined TLM virtual ore for other crypto or actual cash.
The Invasion
=============
Wow; what happened? I can only describe it as the Earthling invasion! As a result of the intercrypto link between the Alien Worlds game and Binance, there was a bit of a gold rush (or should that be dollar or wax rush?). People were even posting videos on YouTube about how they were making $200 per day playing Alien Worlds. The result was a lot of down-time as the system appeared to struggle to cope with the increased number of players and a few changes such as the addition of Google's reCaptcha which has now pretty much killed the game for me.
The Binance investors will have their free trillium and NFT drops for 30 days but they may not get the big pot of alien gold they thought. The gold rush saw the price of tools used for mining 'go to the moon' to use the current most fashionable expression in crypto. So, those receiving any of these NFT's may not understand that prices have become inflated and are likely to start a massive downward trend. Why is this? Well with all the new miners, the planetary pots of mineable resource (TLM) have been well and truly plundered. It's unlikley that anyone who had huge quantities of TLM staked to the 6 planets resisted the urge to unstake and sell it. The result is those resource pots are now looking very depleted. Roughly about half as full as pre-gold rush levels. They may still replenish on a daily basis but I'm convinced they are not refilling to the same levels as before, or maybe they are just becoming depleted so much quicker.
And the new planet? Well planet Binance has not yet appeared. It will apparently be a gas planet (with no land ownership). It will be interesting to see if the market-place starts to fill up with mid-quality NFT's once it appears. If so the value of those currently 'hodling' is likely to be affected. I'm sure that whenever it appears, it will coincide with something that gives benefits to investors which will be denied to those who maybe just spent possibly hundreds of dollars on over-priced tool NFT's. From my perspective, it was fun and the gold rush was exciting but now it's not really worth my time investment any more. As I started to earn wax, I reinvested this into NFT's from new artists via the marketplace and there were occasional free drops which mean I'm now a digital art collector. It is however becoming too annoying to have to keep clicking on buses, traffic lights and crosswalks especially when some of those images are so grainy and unclear. I would like to set-up a gallery of the NFT's I've obtained as I think that would be cool but I don't think I'll be investing much into WAX while I'm battling with reCaptcha so much.
My top tip for anyone creating NFT drops on wax right now not to rush. There are literally hundreds of new drops every day. Also, avoid creating packs full of 'parts' which combine to create the full item (very annoying with the reCaptchas). Ask yourself 'what value does this give to the potential buyer?'. If you're only selling to make money, the chances are buyers are only buying to flip. At the same time consider how your art should be perceived. Is it a Monet or a Van Gogh, a one-off where some day people will possibly pay millions; or is it a girl in a white tennis dress where everyone could own a copy without breaking the bank. I'm sure digital NFT frames and personal galleries are coming - iFrames for all? probably combined with an app so you can show and trade from your mobile all day.
I personally would like to keep my NFT's for ever as I curated the collection myself. I do however realise this is unfair to the artists if they released them for less than they are worth to other buyers. It's something I will need to consider further. At least with NFT's, the artists will get a cut of any future sales if I ever do sell any of them. I think it will become a normal part of life. When we get double-sided phones and the back displays our personality and we'll be able to switch in & out new NFT's just like changing our ring-tones. We will all become art-dealers and NFT's will replace post-cards. That is the future I suspect.
As for Alien Worlds? I might have another look in the Autumn to see if I can buy back the slightly-above basic tools I sold off to fund my NFT collecting (I hope to pay a lot less than I sold them for). Good luck if you're trying to persist with the gold rush.
Usual Disclaimers
=================
Don't use this articla as a replacement for qualified advisors. My opinions are my own and do not constitute any sort of financial, medical or legal advice.
