Reversal as a model
Nothing new in this world. Just things happen in silos, and at different paces.
If we look at this convergenceo f gaming and fashion and art, it's more than just a meeting of different scenes - it is a glimpse into the past, and into the future.
The gaming community has its own forms of art going on.
VR chat - how are assets seen? are thye rare, are they shared, freeware? etc.
Art - kids art, school art, public art, museums, contemporary art, pay to own art, art in freeports
Fashion - the clothes you make, the clothes you received as gifts, military clothes (can't buy those), exclusive brand clothes (can buy), price tag for membership.
Gaming - buy to play, play then buy, games that fall apart when you can buy everything. things that were soulbound, so only you could use them and couldn't resell. Status items, functional items, items that represent your guild, names that represent your guild ,again through merit and not through purchasing power.
DAOs more aligned with the gaming side of things, of earning rank through proving different commitment, also the idea of roles is more familiar - that a good team must be balanced, have a tank, have a healer, have a booster, have long and short distance DPS, etc.
But we can't forget the objective - when the objective is just obtaining new items or killing the next highest boss, are those the same objectives in fashion? in art? is it about that? is it all about money, or is it about exploring inner realms, figuring out who you are, changing roles, etc? Having that flexibility through action?
Why am I writing this article: because I believe that fashion is becoming more like gaming, and that gaming represents a desire for people to feel like they have a mission, a role, a purpose. I would LIKE it to be applied more to rules that we create ourselves, or discover as more attached to the world at hand, rather than rules a developer creates (because that feels like a simulation embedded within a simulation, which is ultimately a revocation of personal power), that we're at that point in the cycle where there's so much money, it's not exciting what money can buy, it's exciting what you could have that no one else could get EVEN if they're willing to throw money at it.
That fashion will start to explore the concept of soul bound items, or items that lose their gloss/shine/meaning if they are sold on the open market. Items of rank, however instead of military rank, more like elder/artisan/etc. ranks that are interoprable and not defined to a local jursidiction or geography. Immediately recognizable as something of import, across the entire globe, maybe through an electronic signature as opposed to a universal symbol which we're still somewhat far from (because of the relativistic approach to art and symbolism which is imo wrong).
If fashion understood this trend better than it could capitalize on it with the metaverse. Simple enough. In fact, the current convergence is around this second generation of tokens * that are about merit and are not tradeable on the open market. It's not a good gatekeeper just to have aesthetic inclination + financial borders. While I believe there are connections between aesthetic inclinations and values, it's not the strongest bond since the surface level is so deeply affected BY financials. If something like a bored ape is worth that much then many people will grow to like it. On the other hand, there
An interesting comparison that this makes me think of is geometric art among nomadic people and figural/nature art among city dwellers. If we apply this laterally to the infatuation with pixel art, probably because there's so much high graphic complexity that people are looking for something to balane that out. Meanwhile the people who abhor pixel art probably are still looking to be brought out of some mundanity to experience a totally revolutionary, high concept scenery. Would have to investigate this more, but yeah I find it super interesting.
used to be buy game then play
now play, then buy
same with clothing, though applied to wholesale / inventory and also rental clothing / try on first, see it on your avatar,
the return industry is so stupid
instead of returns, how to bolster connection to the clothing first of all (so it's not all about first impression) and secondly how to do all the trying on on your character, or make it not so costly to keep.
lower cost -digital - liquidity, not losing value,
[images from player one]