bivnft's favorite things

Guess what time it is?

As is tradition (one I just made up), it’s time for BivNFT’s Favorite Things - the annual holiday newsletter where I list…you guessed it…my favorite things in the space.

Right now, I’m seeing a lot of negativity, FUD, and people having meltdowns on Twitter. It’s not the happiest of places. So what better way to spread some holiday cheer than being gifted alpha?

We need to pump each other up (also, I wouldn’t be opposed to having each other pump our bags up too while we’re at it). What should we be targeting and excited about during the new year? Don’t worry fam, I got you.

ALPHA

The writing is on the wall. It’s so obvious, even a “boomer” degen like me can see it. We know what the next chapter in NFTs will be already; will you capitalize on it, or sit on your hands and do nothing (my favorite activity)?

NFT gaming is primed to explode in 2022. Builders have been working on their projects for months now and the ecosystem has matured (relatively) enough where their launches could be big.

We have Cool Cats readying their P2E game which now officially launches in January (think NeoPets). There is the much anticipated Treeverse making strides (think Runescape). And most likely, there will be gaming projects that come out of nowhere and hit us across the face (kind of like Wolf Game did).

There are a lot of us (myself included) that are children of World of Warcraft and Runescape. I mean, Vitalik himself was so upset with the centralization of World of Warcraft that he made Ethereum; we’ve been waiting for this moment. Not only that, there is a younger generation who will grow up knowing nothing but internet gaming and more specifically, NFT gaming.

Before we would play games for nothing but our own enjoyment. Questing for loot that had no real-world value and catching Pokemon that meant nothing on the open market were the norm. Now? The blockchain has offered a way for gamers to make some actual cash off this stuff. It started with Twitch streaming and in 2022, the space we now occupy might be the next thing that shakes up the gaming world.

Why not use the position you have now to capitalize on this inevitable boom. Remember, if you’re reading this, you’re early.

BETA

I see another opportunity knocking, but a much riskier one - non-ethereum based NFTs.

During the Summer of Solana, there was a brief moment where their NFTs were gaining some real traction on Twitter. Copycat projects and rugs mostly ruined that momentum. While that particular craze petered out a bit, there is no denying that the lower fees attracted users and builders alike.

I’m partial to Tezos NFTs for the same reason. Art and talent are moving off the mainnet and into these “alt-NFTs”. Ethereum NFTs offer us the ability to have decentralized products, but for many, gas has become a big enough deterrent that they’d be willing to compromise that security. If you are operating at a much smaller scale, putting your NFT project on Ethereum makes no sense. If you’re a buyer, do you really want to buy something for .02 ETH only to pay almost double in gas? Probably not.

Speed and cost are more important for indie projects, and I see more of the art moving to Tezos, Avalanche, and Solana in the new year.

Will the culture move to other chains though? That is the big question and what makes “investing” in these alt-NFTs riskier. However, if the art goes, I imagine a lot of the culture will too. What will be the first major NFT project not on ethereum? It’s for you to search for!

DELTA

I pushed this newsletter out a bit because today something historic happened. Yes, Apes finally flipped Punks.

After months of smack talk, the Apes now have the upperhand and will surely be rubbing it our face forever.

So why am I including this in one of my favorite things? Well, for one, I’ve always wanted a CryptoPunk so maybe there is a chance I can finally get one in 2022. Mainly though, the flippening legitimizes the rivalry of the two most famous and iconic NFTs to date. And this space needs rivalry because it breeds competition.

What is Bird without Magic? Apple without Microsoft? You need rivalries to get the best out of everyone.

Much was made of Larva Labs doing nothing as Apes continued to build. Now, that building has been recognized by the NFT community and Punks are being left in the dust. This is how the rivalry looks now. But the great thing about rivalries is they change over time. Who is to say a rival to Apes doesn’t show up on the scene in 2022?

I’m selfishly and biasedly thinking that Cool Cats have a shot of being that next rival, but perhaps it’s a project we are not expecting at all. What we know is that if you’re going to come at the king…you best not miss. 2022 will bring on new incumbents and they will ALL need to continue innovating and pushing the space forward. That’s good for everyone except CryptoPunk maxis (RIP).

Keep ya head up frenz, 2022 is going to be another wild ride.