As handy a metaphor as the Emperor's New Clothes is about speaking truth to power, I feel like the relative ease of conning people who are desperate to be seen as wise and in the know is an under-discussed aspect of it.
https://twitter.com/Nibellion/status/1487035376581726208
In the story, it's not just the threat of going against the Emperor socially that keeps the crowd going along with the illusion. The core of the swindle is that the ability to see the miraculous, magical garments is held up as a test of the viewer's intelligence and competence.
NFTs and crypto currency generally grow via cult-like dynamics, one of the key ones being the appeal of secret knowledge that elevates the holder and makes them special and powerful.
https://twitter.com/dynamicsymmetry/status/1485379379375050759
"But just insulting your critics isn't going to sway them."
Yeah, but trying to win over critics is hard. They're not talking down to their critics, they're talking down *about* their critics, in hopes of making the critics' side less appealing, and their side more.
Yeah, but trying to win over critics is hard. They're not talking down to their critics, they're talking down *about* their critics, in hopes of making the critics' side less appealing, and their side more.
A couple of things about NFTs that many of us have remarked upon critically are actually in their favor here.
Like, many of us went through a phase when learning about NFTs where we felt like we *must* be missing something, because they just made no sense otherwise. Remember?
Like, many of us went through a phase when learning about NFTs where we felt like we *must* be missing something, because they just made no sense otherwise. Remember?
The people who are still in that twilight realm are the ones who are targeted by this "Maybe this is more of a Shelbyville idea." routine from Ubisoft. The people who feel like they *must* be missing something... that implies the boosters know something they don't, doesn't it?
And maybe right now it seems like there are more critics than there are people on the sidelines waiting to pick a direction to break in, but... the people on the sidelines haven't had any reason to make any kind of unified noise.
I suspect it's a pretty safe bet that the number of people who don't know what to think about NFTs (including people who don't know there's anything to think about) outnumber the people who hate NFTs, and I suspect that's the bet Ubisoft is making.
None of this is to say that it's the NFT-based future of gaming is a done deal or that we should stop making noise. The boosters aren't going to stop boosting. The pushers aren't going to stop pushing. The scammers aren't going to stop scamming. Critics should keep criticizing.
"But Ubisoft's customer base is orders of magnitude higher than the NFT userbase so it makes no sense to cater to NFT users against the wishes of the majority of their customers."
My point is the majority of their customers don't have discernible wishes in this area yet.
My point is the majority of their customers don't have discernible wishes in this area yet.
The backlash against NFTs was loud and forceful but it isn't anything close to a user census. A person with little knowledge of NFTs and no strong opinions has no reason to have participated in the backlash, and is also a potential NFT customer that Ubisoft can market to.
Honestly, the NFT-agnostic existing Ubisoft customer who can be made susceptible to NFT hype is a better target than someone who is already into NFTs because their emotional investment is in Ubisoft, not the idea of NFTs. All they'll know about NFTs is what the marketers say.
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