Ubisoft’s NFTs Show That There is No Depth Too Low
Ubisoft has announced that they are doing NFTs, a move that has almost universally been met by a prolonged jerking-off motion.
This blockchain-based technology, called Ubisoft Quartz, is added to Ghost Recon: Breakpoint. It allows users to trade digital goods, known as Digits.
They should add Ghost Recon to Breakpoint because this is the breaking point in the gaming industry. This is the only endorsement that the rest of the industry needs to plunge into full-time crypto nonsense. If you want to feel even more miserable, there’s a trailer below.
What are Non-Fungible Tokens, or NFTs? The Non-Fungible Tokens (or NFTs) differ from traditional cryptocurrency and regular money in that one can always be equal to the other. A dollar is equal to one dollar, just as a Bitcoin is equal in value. Although Bitcoin’s value fluctuates, one Bitcoin will never be more valuable than another.
This is the point where NFTs are different. Each item has its digital signature. It means that no two NFTs, regardless of whether they’re the same image or a collectible, have the same value. It’s an opportunity for artists to increase their income by selling directly to consumers. Still, the result is that the consumer is only buying a receipt for someone else’s work. It’s a complicated mess that allows people to sell virtually nothing at exorbitant rates.
NFTs can generally be considered harmful based only on the potential environmental damage they cause. A 2018 study found that cryptocurrencies generate large amounts of energy. It also claims that Bitcoin emissions could increase the Earth’s temperature by 2 degrees Celsius in 30 years.
NFTs generally operate on a proof-of-work blockchain. This means that the system in question verifies every transaction stage. This creates an unsustainable energy output, especially if it is primarily coming from fossil fuels.
There are also concerns about NFTs being a scam because they’re a new unregulated market. This allows people to lie and manipulate to maximize their profit. Stephen Diehl has a great Twitter thread that discusses how NFTs can be a scam. It explains the situation much better than I could. But suffice it to say that NFTs provide a breeding ground for bad actors who want to con people out of their hard-earned cash.
Ubisoft is now normalizing NFTs in general by approving the grift with the introduction of Quartz. Ubisoft has given a gift basket to the bad actors who profit from the ignorant. The poor fool about to lose a lot of money by buying a link for a jpeg says, “Surely, NFTs have to be good.”
Ubisoft has stated that Quartz will be powered using Tezos. This uses proof-of-stake rather than proof-of-work and is less energy-intensive than proof-of-work mechanisms like Bitcoin or Ethereum. You can only have one Digit at any given time. This means that you cannot keep ten “Epic Neon Skull Helmets” items in your possession and then sell them off as their value increases.
It is hard not to feel that these instances are mere lip service to the many concerns people have had in the past about NFTs. It just feels like Ubisoft wants to be the first one with an “AAA NFT,” so they have jumped at any notions that will earn them the minimum amount of brownie points. They still support a practice that causes actual harm to the environment and people.
These items will not be removed from Tezos if they aren’t available on NFT marketplaces using proof-of-work. The environmental impact pledge doesn’t apply if the community refuses engagement with the site that uses proof-of-stake.
You can see the similarities between NFTs and CS GO skin betting if you want to see unchecked bullshit in action. In a way that makes my eyes roll back in my skull, players can gamble with their skins to get more valuable skins. Skin-gambling takes place outside of Valve’s control via third-party apps. Ubisoft’s desire to create a community where players can gouge one another to get tactical ammo clips with unique serial numbers is beyond belief.
