Blocklike Panel: NFT as an Identity Proof in the Metaverse World

In recent years, the ecological development of the metaverse and the continuous improvement of blockchain underlying infrastructure have expanded new application values and growth spaces for the continuously growing NFT market. How to integrate NFTs into the metaverse virtual world and Web3, and leverage the value of NFTs in diverse scenarios, will become a question that every blockchain project needs to consider in the future.

On April 19, Blocklike held a Blocklike Panel video roundtable live broadcast themed "NFT: Proving I Am Me in the Metaverse World," discussing topics such as the diverse value construction of NFTs, innovative use cases of NFTs in the metaverse, cross-chain and multi-chain ecosystems. The event invited organizations such as Realy, CyberConnect, MetaFriends, The Bird World, and Rocki to explore the opportunities and challenges of NFT 2.0 in the metaverse world. Nearly 10,000 people watched the event, and here are some excerpts from the guests' wonderful speeches during the roundtable discussion:

1. NFT products and services are not limited to simple "Avatar profiles"; market demand and application scenarios are gradually diversifying. The core value of NFTs is closely tied to Identity and Ownership. How can NFT developers explore more scenarios to help users gain their own social value and digital rights from NFTs?

Yomiko, Realy, CMO: In our view, the metaverse represents the future of the internet. In this decentralized economic system of the metaverse, people can socialize, trade, and create content. Anything people do in reality can be mirrored in the metaverse. Through the metaverse, we open up an immersive "second life" and can prove our identity through easy login and exclusive IDs.

Bjorn Niclas, Rocki, CEO & Co-founder: Content creators and fans on the platform can be verified through DID and integrate with their social systems. This is our first step to ensure that all users have the right to upload and create NFTs. On the platform, everyone will feel that they are not just a trusted source of information, but can also obtain authoritative identity verification through the company.

Marsh Mallow, MetaFriends, Community Manager: Our users can connect directly to their wallets through NFTs. We focus more on the sense of value and personal rights that NFT utility brings to the community. Users can customize NFT clothing props in the metaverse according to their style, enhancing their sense of belonging to the community.

Wilson, CyberConnect, Co-founder: We hope users can have their own social graphs, establish potential social connections, and use addresses on Web3 to find potential friends. By integrating the CyberConnect protocol, users on the platform can follow others. We store user data under a decentralized ID system architecture on IPFS (InterPlanetary File System).

Marcos, The Bird World, CEO: We provide users with NFTs that have asset retrieval functions. Through wallets, users can browse and record block information. Everyone can access the system and own their own NFTs.

2. Single-value and empowering NFT projects can easily be eliminated by the market, while NFTs built on DID (Decentralized Identity) infrastructure in the metaverse can serve as exclusive props, character costumes, avatars, background music, and more. What opportunities does the metaverse bring for NFT development? Is it the scenario where NFTs can maximize their value?

Marcos: NFTs have enormous application potential in the metaverse, bringing infinite possibilities to users in the real world. We will have a fully functional economic system that integrates the current physical world and the digital virtual world.

Bjorn Niclas: This is a field full of opportunities, and many exciting projects will be born in the metaverse. For participants in the NFT market, metaverse integration will become a valuable platform. By expanding into the metaverse, we can showcase digital goods such as music NFTs to hundreds of thousands of consumers—not just music lovers—and further allow users to showcase their music in various virtual worlds.

As an application platform, our coverage in the metaverse depends on the integrated blockchain. We hope to provide various services in as many metaverses as possible. In the next 5-10 years, everyone will have access to the metaverse and consume various products and services within it.

3. When it comes to interoperability, what kind of underlying technology would you choose for launching NFT projects, and why? What should the perfect underlying technology look like? If NFTs cannot cross chains, they may not flow meaningfully. Please discuss the application prospects of NFTs with cross-chain and multi-chain technologies.

Marcos: Our NFTs and smart contract data are stored on different blockchains, which helps reduce asset storage costs and brings more liquidity. This more secure design ensures users' ownership of assets, prevents property damage, and ensures that smart contract content is immutable, which helps enhance NFT cross-chain compatibility.

Marsh Mallow: ERC 721 on Ethereum is chosen as the underlying technology by most NFT projects due to its relatively low Rug Pull risk. We have built our own project and community based on Mirror. On-chain interoperability technology will make us better, which is an example of the metaverse empowering NFTs.

Yomiko: In the future, there will be many metaverse ecosystems that are interconnected, making decentralized trust systems even more important. People can interact directly without additional authorization and participate in social activities. NFT projects can have their own ecological roadmaps, but I believe that as Web3 culture permeates, NFTs will eventually be compatible with different virtual reality worlds, ultimately achieving the circulation of asset NFTs. Let us look forward to its realization together.

Wilson: Interoperability will become a future trend. Our plan is to allow developers to create relevant use cases based on different types of NFTs, regardless of the chain or type of chain. To achieve user-friendliness and on-chain security, we choose distributed storage and autonomous management of data nodes, which is an unusual approach.

4. Buying and selling popular NFTs, participating in auctions, and collecting have always been popular in the NFT field. Currently, NFT DApp project parties often rely on the reputation of authoritative brands and KOLs, using cross-border marketing methods such as brand collaborations to attract fans and traffic. As NFT use cases diversify, is this kind of "going out of the circle" still a mainstream choice? Will future marketing strategies change?

Bjorn Niclas: We are collaborating with KOLs, hoping to bring NFT platform brands into the mainstream market. Collaborating with big brands means many opportunities to connect with a large number of consumers and establish relationships; this connection is real and effective. For example, KOLs on Twitter can attract many fans and followers, bringing traffic to projects in the metaverse.

Yomiko: In fact, I believe that in the early stages, brand collaborations can improve user awareness. However, afterward, project parties must shape their own culture and stories, allowing their brands to play a primary promotional role. Future marketing strategies should consider the characteristics of the overall development of the metaverse and changes in user behavior. For now, using brand collaborations and cross-border marketing to attract consumers inside and outside the crypto industry can take many marketing forms.

Marsh Mallow: We can use KOLs to build brand awareness and attract new users. During the transition to NFT 2.0, I believe companies should take on the responsibility of educating users more. This is not easy, as we need to convert new users into part of the community, which sometimes requires significant effort and cost, but it is important. I believe community marketing can achieve demand conversion better than KOLs, bringing more benefits. The community should be our top priority in marketing.

Wilson: We aim to create an open protocol design for projects to choose independently. We have our own developer community that listens to opinions and needs, helping them develop the solutions they require. For users, we return data ownership and utility to Web3 users. Therefore, we do not need to replicate the data monopolization practices of traditional tech giants, nor do we need too many marketing techniques.

5. The ultimate realization of the metaverse requires presenting a simulated state of the real world at the front-end application layer—including the restoration of people, objects, and social relationships. What requirements does this pose for the implementation of NFTs? What technical challenges are there?

Wilson: In my view, the metaverse is a broad concept that can be seen as a new upgrade of the internet based on blockchain technology and the Web3 background, encompassing various digital asset rights. We are jointly expanding the ecological space of the metaverse, allowing platforms and applications to run on smart contracts and building virtualization solutions for the real world, which is a challenging process. Specifically, I believe the challenge facing NFTs is how to make them more easily accepted by people and user-friendly. Many traditional tech giants are developing towards virtual reality and automation, facing greater challenges and more problems to solve.

Marsh Mallow: Technically, we need to ensure that the smart contracts of the project are defect-free. The challenges faced by the community are not just technical; for example, when we consider the applications of the metaverse and NFTs, we must find ways to connect NFTs with real-world scenarios. Educating users is an unprecedented task that requires us to grasp its uniqueness in design and be prepared to face all of this.

Host:

Erika Lou

Guests:

Founder

Yomiko, Realy, CMO

Wilson, CyberConnect, Co-founder

Marsh Mallow, MetaFriends, Community Manager

Marcos, The Bird World, CEO

Bjorn Niclas, Rocki, CEO & Co-founder