NFTs — play-to-progress with Nuclear Nerds
NFTs and Web3 is giving me “early internet” feels, so I have been investing and deep-diving into the worlds of NFTs. I’ll write a separate article on “why” for those of you who are still skeptical of NFTs. For those in that category, much of this article won’t make sense…but for those already familiar with the NFT space, continue on!
Disclaimer: None of this is financial advice.
One of the topics that I love to ponder is that of tokenization.
Mo tokens, mo problems.
Currently, in most NFT projects, holding an NFT allows you passively generate a token (the most prominent example in my mind is CyberKongz and the $banana token). So, it is inflationary by design. The more of that token that is pumped in to the system (over time), the less value the individual token has. So, the project is then tasked with properly incentivizing the use of that token (and reason for holding it) and to build in a controlled burn mechanism to limit the supply. Without that, the token is in a race to zero, with the winners passing their bags to the losers.
The long term viability of this remains to be seen, and I know that a lot of solutions and ideas (many of which I am probably unaware of) are being explored in the space…which brings me to Nuclear Nerds.
A “Play-to-Progress” approach, on their way to building a franchise!
One of the projects that I am invested in is Nuclear Nerds. The short description is a post apocalyptic collaborative story.
If I were to pen an elevator pitch for the Nuclear Nerds, it would be this:
Nuclear Nerds is a collaborative story in true web3 fashion — it is the opportunity to co-author and co-own the next great entertainment franchise.
I love the art. I love the team. I love the community they have built. They have all of the key elements that make this a long term hold and a bluechip.
NFTChance, one of the devs, recently released an article talking about their approach and solution to the tokenomics problem:
The article is light on actual details (likely by design, because they don’t want to “show their hand” prematurely). But…it is out there now, which leaves us nerds to guess at it! 😈
I’ll detail my best guess and discuss why I think this approach is so interesting.
On mint, there were twelve 1/1 unique Nuclear Nerd NFTs, referred to as “The Twelve”. From day one, these NFTs had the highest trade value (as they are the obvious standouts, being the rarest).
While it remains to be seen, I assume they will be focal points to the story (but, keep an eye on the “Shield-Maidens of Route 666”…the holders are gonna make their mark! If you have a shield-maiden, hit me up!)
Next in value are probably the Mystery Traits. The caterpillars (who are currently transforming) will be the first to be revealed.
I’ll be honest, I try not to be jealous about the caterpillars, but I kinda hold out hope that they’ll poop out the butterfly from The Last Unicorn when they emerge!!
Sadly, my fragile ego will not be satiated, because I know that whatever emerges will be rockstar awesome Archer art.
So far, this is not that different from other generative projects, in that respect — rarity determines value and demand.
All of that makes sense.
However, this is where I believe they will deviate from the norm, and forge into the “play to progress” realm that Chance alludes to.
Disclaimer: I have zero insider information. This is all rampant speculation.
I believe they will generate not one, but several tokens…and all of them will have importance in the continuation of the story. Your NN will generate tokens that will be used as a “play-to-progress”, so EACH and EVERY nerd will have their moment in the sun, and will generate tokens that others will value and we’ll be able to buy and exchange. These tokens will be airdropped in a limited quantity to specific nerds.
If this is the case, I’m genuinely excited to see how this experiment will play out.
We’ll start with what I believe will be the 1st token, in accordance with their roadmap:
Nerds need to eat, even in the apocalypse!
Token: $food
I expect all of the girls with pizza boxes to receive $food tokens.
I expect the boys with a trap and a squirrel to also produce $food tokens, and I’m kinda anticipating that they’ll receive LESS up front, but more over the long term (because they can catch more food!).
Next up on the roadmap — transportation!
Tokens: $fuel, $batteries.
If the nerds are gonna have vehicles, they are gonna need fuel and batteries. Just sayin’.
Each nerd with a gas can and a battery will get tokens.
Maybe the nerds with wrenches will also be needed to complete the package (need a mechanic, yo!).
Then, if you have all of those tokens and someone with a wrench in your bunker to do the work, you get airdropped a generative vehicle NFT.
Last up — here come the Baddies! Fight to survive!
Token: $fight
Having weapons will be helpful. Basic weapons lower. Gold weapons get more. Contribute a certain amount of token to “win” fights in story prompts.
Having $ammo may be a way to regenerate $fight. You know those nerds carrying an ammo box? Helpful.
Other ideas further down the road — know all those guys with the wonderland mushrooms? What did the mushrooms do in Alice in Wonderland?! They changed her. Maybe…just maybe…all those nerds with mushrooms have a purpose and provide something akin to what the caterpillars went through?!
Honestly, the possibilities here are fantastic, and it now has me examining every damn nerd…”is that a lighter?! Are those matches?! What are those for?! Is that a wrench?! Why do some have umbrellas on their heads or rain slickers on?!”
Everything now seems highly intentional and purposeful from day one.
Everything here has value, and can be bought and sold, bringing continued value to the holders. All the while, the Nuclear Nerds team is building toward something else, which all of the holders get a piece of — the next great entertainment franchise…and who knows what shape that will take. With folks at the helm who have film industry connections, it could be like owning a Star Wars character. Kinda weird, right?!
The other benefit in this tokenization approach is the participatory nature of it. The more time and effort that the holders put into this, the more vested they become…therefore, the less likely they will be to let go of their Nuclear Nerd NFT, thereby driving the floor price into the stratosphere.
Again, NONE of this is financial advice, so please don’t take it as such.
Suffice to say, I’m extremely interested to see this play out.
Hope you enjoyed the read! It is my first Medium article. If you have other insights on what is being explored with tokenomics, give me a shout in the comments!
