This week we are going to focus on Dapper Labs.
Now, if you remember, this blog series is focused on how blockchain can change the world. So you may ask me why are you focusing on a for profit company that is, arguably, the most successful NFT company out there right now... And you're right, this isn't a company that is out to make change in the world, but what they are doing is vital, in my opinion, to making the coming change possible.
So who is Dapper Labs?
To lay the groundwork we need to start from the beginning...
During the first blockchain craze of 2017, Dapper Labs released CryptoKitties. CryptoKitties is a blockchain based game where you are able to collect, and have true ownership of, virtual kitties. Each kitty has unique traits that allow for rarity levels within the game. In addition to rarity levels, if you own two or more cats you have the option of 'breeding' them. Once you breed two kitties together that will give birth to a completely new, completely unique, kitty that has traits based from their parents. As the game progressed, Dapper introduced hidden traits that could appear in newly born kitties if their parents had the required traits. This again led to even more rarity and desire to own a large selection of kitties.
CryptoKitties was so successful during the height of 2017 that the game itself caused massive congestion on the Ethereum network and at one point accounted for ~25% of all network traffic. The popularity of the game has led the resale value of kitties to sky rocket. At the time of this post the most expensive kitty ever sold topped at 600 ETH (which at current market is over 1 million US dollars).
The success of CryptoKitties led Dapper Labs to one of the biggest partnerships in the NFT world by pairing up with the NBA to create NBA TopShot. TopShot is a user friendly NFT collectable website that offers fans, collectors, entrepreneurs and everyone in between the opportunity to own virtual trading card moments from top plays during the NBA season. The popularity of NBA TopShot continues to grow and be at the top of all NFT sales of any given week CryptoSlam.
Okay, so why this matters (IMO)
When people talk about blockchain it is often in terms of cryptocurrency; bitcoin, ether, doge (unfortunately), or any of the many other coins out there today. This is all fine and good, but most people when they hear about crypto it is due to crazy price swings, ransom attacks requesting crypto as payment, and a slew of other negative news. People who aren't aware of how blockchain technology works or what it is, often see blockchain / cryptocurrency as a negative thing. Which I can't blame them for thinking that, we as a community are not doing enough educational outreach.
This is where the importance of Dapper Labs comes in, and in this writers opinion, to play a key role in the adoption of blockchain technology by the masses.
Trading cards are one of the oldest sport traditions. For example, baseball cards have a rich history dating back to the 1800's and to this day some of the most prized cards will often sell for millions of dollars. In addition to value of these collectables, a lot of people will have fond memories of collecting these cards from their youth. For me, I still remember the joy of going down to the local card shop to pick up basketball packs (and then eventually Pokemon packs) in search of cards with my favorite players or ones with shiny backgrounds (the rare ones). The moment you rip into a pack and discover what treasures it contains is a powerful feeling that is emulated in modern video games through things like loot-boxes and now with NFTs with TopShot's packs.
Now, in conclusion
What Dapper Labs has achieved is the ability to tap into a timeless tradition fused with modern technology. The importance here is that a collectable such as a TopShot moment can be used as a teaching tool to the general public who have no tech background. We can use these collectables to teach what blockchain technology is about on its most fundamental level and change those negative impressions to ones of positivity and remind people of the feeling from their youth when they rip into a pack see which moments they got.
As I said in the beginning, Dapper Labs is not directly changing the world. While they may be in it for the success, what they are doing at a fundamental level, whether consciously or not, is a vital step in normalizing blockchain to allow for mass adoption so real change can occur.
This project
Thanks for reading along this week. Next week we will dive into another blockchain project that is directly affecting the betterment of our fellow humans.
Wanna chat blockchain? Feel free to reach out -
cjohansen11@me.com
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