We share many infographics, jokes, artwork, memes, and other digital assets with our peers and family for enjoyment, information, or to make the public aware of any event since we are tech-savvy and digitally sociable. But have you ever questioned who created those materials or where that digital property came from? NFT is the answer to these debriefs. It all started in 2017, when Crypto Punks, the first-ever non-fungible token, was published on the Ethereum Blockchain by the American studio Larva Lab. Back then, it was a two-person team consisting of John Watkinson and Matt Hall. Another project called Crypto Kitties was released in the same year, and it became viral almost quickly. It is expected to bring in $12.5 million in investment.

In this article, we’ll look at non-fungible tokens and how they came to be, as well as their appeal among the general public, how to develop non-fungible tokens, the qualities that set them apart, their benefits, risks, and prospects.

What is NFT?

NFTs, or Non-Fungible Tokens, are digital assets or a sort of digital certificate for possessing things or an asset that symbolizes a wide range of intangible and tangible commodities such as paintings, virtual real estate, postcards, films, and so on. NFTs cannot be duplicated or compared to a similar item because each NFT is unique in its own right. Let’s use the example of a game ticket to help you understand what’s going on. If you were given a baseball game ticket, you would certainly accept the baseball game ticket. Is that correct? Will you accept a movie ticket if that person returns it to you? No, you won’t, because a movie ticket isn’t worth the same as a baseball game ticket.

If we use this example instead of NFT, we can see that the game ticket (an NFT) cannot be changed or traded with any other ticket because each baseball game ticket has a unique identity. The same is true of NFT tokens, which cannot be exchanged or traded with tokens of equivalent value because each token is distinct and has its rarity and uniqueness.

Non-fungible Tokens Examples

The advantages of owning a digital collectible versus a real item like a stamp or rare coin are several. Each NFT contains distinct information that distinguishes it from other NFTs and facilitates the authentication of a collectible’s authenticity. Because the original object can be easily traced back to its lawful user, it renders the circulation of imitation artifacts pointless for an artist. You also can’t exchange NFTs directly with anyone, unlike other cryptocurrencies, for the same reason — they’re all non-identical/dissimilar. For example, despite being part of the same collection and having the same size and color, two NFCs on a single platform will not be identical. Let’s look at few NFT project examples:

• Blockchain Heroes– It’s a unique trading card series that draws parallels between people in the crypto and blockchain industries.

• Decentraland– In this game, people can purchase the virtual worlds held by other players. The virtual space owner can monetize their world by setting up shops, advertising, and so on.

• Prospectors.io– It is a blockchain-based game in which participants receive their owned assets in Blockchain and earn NFT based on their gameplay.

• Gods Unchained– It’s a digital collectible card game or an online collectible card game in which the cards are in the form of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) that may be freely purchased and sold.

• CryptoKitties– It is a well-known NFT game that entails cat breeding and collection. These digital cats popularised NFTs by giving each token its own set of “cattributes.”

How did it all start? 

There are some debates on when NFTs originally appeared. The initial NFTs are thought to have been colored coins. Colored coins are blockchain representations of real-world valuables. Colored Coins were first mentioned in a blog post by Yoni Assia in early 2012, titled “bitcoin 2.X (aka Colored Bitcoin) – first specs.” Colored Coins are thought to have encouraged experimentation and paved the way for NFTs. Then came the trade of Rare Pepes on Ethereum, followed by the launching of Crypto Punks, the world’s first non-fungible token.

Following that, Rare Bits, a marketplace and trading gateway for NFTs, was founded and raised $6 million in funding. The NFTs’ mindset allowed for creating a collectible card game known as Gamedex, which raised almost $800,000 in its first few days. Beeple, a digital artist from the United States, just released his piece “Every Day. The First 5000 Days,” which sold for $69 million (42329.453 ETH). It’s one of the first NFT works listed in some of the world’s most prestigious auction houses. In addition, NBA and Dapper Labs recently announced cooperation to deliver the beta edition of NBA TopShot Collectible and Tradable NFT-based apps. They started working on it in 2018, and it was released in the first part of 2020. In the form of packs, the collection contains tokens containing data and multimedia mashed together.

Cause of Rising Popularity of NFT 

NFTs have been used in various businesses over time, and they are now generally referred to as Ethereum Tokens based on ERC-721. NFTs are popular these days for a variety of reasons:

• NFT’s whole data is securely saved in Blockchain, ensuring that tokens can never be deleted, destroyed, or reproduced under any circumstances.
• The scarcity of NFTs is their primary source of value. Although NFT developers can create a limitless number of tokens, they are intentionally limited to retain their value.
• NFTs are completely inseparable, which means they can’t be broken into smaller denominations like Bitcoins.
• NFTs can be readily traced back to their true owner thanks to Blockchain’s capabilities, eliminating the need for third-party verification forever. 

*Fun Fact* Bitcoins are entirely fungible and can be traded while maintaining a consistent value even after the exchange. Unlike normal cryptocurrencies such as Monero, Ethereum, and Bitcoin, NFTs cannot be directly swapped.

Characteristics of NFT

1. Non-Interoperable

NFTs are considered non-interoperable since they adhere to the ERC-721 standard, which means the data stored in them cannot be exchanged or used in any way.

2. Indestructible

The NFTs are stored and controlled via Blockchain, which gives them a higher level of security. This implies they can never, ever be destroyed or erased.

3. Indivisible

Because non-fungible tokens are non-fungible and have no set value, you can’t send a piece of them to anyone (unlike other cryptocurrencies). For example, one bitcoin will retain its worth after a transfer, while NFT will not.

How does NFT Work? 

NFTs are one-of-a-kind blockchain-based crypto tokens. As a result, Blockchain serves as a decentralized ledger that tracks the ownership and transaction history of each NFT, which is identified by a code and a unique ID, as well as additional metadata that no other token can match. With the right tools and support, the process of building NFTs can be done on contract-enabled blockchains. Ethereum was one of the first widely used EOS, and it currently contains NFT standards as well. In conjunction with their smart contracts, the tokens allow for the addition of additional details like the owner’s identity and so on. When combined with digital media, this method gives NFTs the characteristics of scarcity and royalty that make them appealing:

• Shortage

When we talk about the shortage, we mean that the owner is in charge of determining how scarce their assets are. If we consider a ticket to a sporting event or a concert, the owner determines how many tickets will be sold. In the same way, the creator of NFT can decide how many duplicates should be present. As a result, these duplicates exist, each with a slight variation. In another case, the owner can only make one NFT token, making it a unique and valuable collection. In any event, each NFT will have its distinct identification, such as a bar code on every fabric or ticket that appears to be identical but is not.

• Royalties

NFTs are programmed with software code (known as smart contracts) that governs aspects such as ownership verification and NFT transferability. Also, like any software product that combines various applications and capabilities, NFTs can be developed beyond the basics of ownership and transferability (which also involves the linking of NFT to other digital assets). For example, a smart contract may be written so that some NFTs automatically distribute a portion of the proceeds from any NFT sale to the original owner, effectively paying royalties.

When someone establishes an NFT, they write the smart agreement code that governs the NFT’s properties, which is then added to the Blockchain where the NFT is controlled. NFTs can be handled by various blockchains, including Ethereum (which uses the well-known ERC-721 and ERC-1155 smart contract principles), Flowchain, and Wax, which all use similar procedures. Certain NFT markets, for example, work with specific blockchains. Therefore the Blockchain used for NFT can have significant consequences for the seller if correct judgments are not made.

Benefits of NFT 

• Ownership Rights

In both the digital and real worlds, a non-fungible token can be used to address something unusual. This has been used in the digital world for collections and gaming (to show that someone owns a specific CryptoKitty or object). Still, it could also be used in the real world for distinctive goods such as houses, vehicles, craftsmanship, or even personalities. It might also be used to grant restricted access, such as to Airbnb on specified dates or to purchase airline tickets.

• Customization Approach

Non-fungible tokens, unlike non-fungible tokens, can be traded safely. Smart contracts and fungible tokens may be able to perform some of the duties of non-fungible tokens. In the non-fungible token market, however, the token itself holds all of the information. Additional information can be assigned to the token, which could include standard options like name and ownership. Still, it could also include things like the token’s history and related data, such as an image of the house the token represents, previous owners of a vehicle the token represents, or the number of character skins in a game with a similar model type the token represents.

• Secure Trade

Transferring ownership of physical or digital goods is generally fraught with fraud risk, and as a result, is either difficult to carry out or outright forbidden. Exchanging anything addressed by the token would be a far less complex and effective operation thanks to the security of Blockchain and the uniqueness of non-fungible tokens. As a result, it may be possible to transfer ownership of objects across platforms or even be interoperable between different services such as games or NFT marketplaces. When it comes to the qualities of NFT, there is an array of them. Every benefit has hazards that must be considered to demonstrate it.

NFT Risks 

• Valuations 

Purchasing an NFT, like any collection, is a dangerous proposition because its value is rising. Unlike Blockchain asset tokenization trading cards or purchasing a real asset, NFTs are a new market. Therefore there is no guarantee that demand for digital assets will be similar. If there is no market for the NFT you purchase, you risk paying an exorbitant price for something that depreciates or is just unsellable. You could even create your own NFT, but there is no guarantee that you would find a buyer, resulting in a waste of effort and money.

• Storage

NFT sales are tracked using blockchain technology, which establishes ownership. Marketplaces and platforms like Open Sea and Rarible are where genuine NFTs are created and kept. If these sites are shut down, there is no guarantee that you will still access the work. This makes it less secure than real art on a wall, game tickets, or trading cards that aren’t going to vanish.

• Regulation

Because NFTs are not regulated, a high level of trust is required. You must consider that the NFT are buying is a one-of-a-kind piece of art or work that hasn’t been duplicated elsewhere.  Also, if regulators and administrators get concerned about this booming industry, platforms may be shut down, and collectors’ contributions may be limited. This could lower the value of the NFT coin on the market.

• Hot Potato Effect

NFT games may have a “hot potato” effect. The players buy an asset to sell it for a profit, but they could lose a lot of money if the market crashes. For example, suppose you own a gaming sword and want to sell it for a better price than before. Now, as long as someone is willing to buy, you will profit; however, if no one is willing to buy or if the market crashes, you will lose money.

Conclusion 

You may have already deduced that it’s still in the early stages of development. As a result, in the future years, you can expect a slew of cutting-edge platforms based on NFTs. In terms of the present, it’s moving away from Crypto Kitties and gaming and into digital identification, painting, and other applications. This means that in terms of experimenting, the market is still in its infancy. For a new-age entrepreneur, this means a plethora of options to enter and dominate their industry.