It’s a sad day when something as transparently awful and financially irresponsible as NFTs have become sufficiently ubiquitous that companies have to go out of their way to clarify they won’t be using them. Well, today is that sad day, so bust out the tissues; per IGN, Sony have made a point of saying the reward scheme for their upcoming PlayStation Stars platform won’t involve the format.
NFTerror
For those who’ve been living under a rock – and let me tell you, it’s a rock worth living under – NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, are a form of cryptocurrency which to this day have failed to make any kind of case to me as to why they should exist.
In essence, you pay a one-off fee for some kind of digital product, be it a picture or an animation or an audio file or whatever. You then, ostensibly, own a ‘one of a kind’ copy of that product. Never mind the fact that you can just hit copy and paste and have a never-ending stream of them, or that similar files can be doubtless found online.
What you’re actually paying for is a little code tied to the file that ‘verifies’ its uniqueness and authenticity. Kind of like a watermark or signature on a painting, except utter pants and basically meaningless.
Some folks online have convinced themselves that NFTs are the way of the future, and nauseatingly there’s been enough interest that a few organizations have dipped their toes into the foul water. Reactions to the practice have been mixed to say the least; something Sony, in this announcement, seem acutely aware of.
Vice president of network advertising, loyalty, and licensed merchandise Grace Chen “made clear that the ‘digital collectibles’ on offer were absolutely not related” to NFTs. Uh-huh.
“It’s definitely not NFTs. Definitely not,” Chen repeated, somewhat reeking of desperation. “You can’t trade them or sell them. It is not leveraging any blockchain technologies and definitely not NFTs.” For the unaware, PlayStation Stars will grant players odds and ends for “playing a PlayStation game, winning tournaments, or being the first person to unlock a Platinum Trophy.” Because a sense of gratification isn’t always enough. Players will earn points “they can spend in a rewards catalogue”. This will include “PSN wallet funds and other PlayStation Store products,” as well as these so-called digital collectibles that are certainly not NFTs.
It is worth noting that the prior description given by Sony to the collectibles sounds mighty suspicious, though. “Digital representations of things PlayStation fans enjoy, including figurines of beloved and iconic characters from games and other forms of entertainment, as well as cherished devices that tap into Sony’s history of innovation.” Feel free to draw from that what you please.
What’s your take on all this? Do you think Chen’s words are deflection, or legit? Let us know!
Via, IGN.
