Our Big NFT Guide 2021

What are NFTs?

The crypto hype is huge, and NFTs in particular are currently receiving a lot of attention. But what exactly are NFTs?

NFT stands for Non-Fungible Token and can fundamentally be defined as a non-interchangeable, unique cryptographic token. A token is a digital certificate, stored on a secure and distributed database.

Admittedly, this definition doesn’t make one much wiser. Let’s take a closer look at the whole thing. NFTs can be created and traded wherever virtual goods are traded as unique items. There are no limits or rules as to what constitutes an NFT.

Examples of NFTs include:

• digital artworks
• collectible cards
• music
• in-game items
• memes

The NFT market is particularly booming in digital art.

An NFT is, so to speak, a digital certificate of ownership that states who the owner of this unique item or artwork is. NFTs are stored on the blockchain.

So, if I buy an NFT, it is recorded on the blockchain. However, the artwork can still be downloaded and distributed by others online. So, after the purchase, I do not own a physical object.

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So where does the NFT hype come from?

NFTs create something that did not exist on the internet before. Through NFTs, virtual goods become genuinely scarce, and a true owner can be identified. Thanks to the blockchain technology used, no forgeries can occur. Virtual art thus becomes a unique collectible.

Digression: What exactly are cryptocurrencies?

So, are Non-Fungible Tokens a cryptocurrency? No, NFTs are not a cryptocurrency, because unlike crypto money, such as Bitcoin, NFTs are unique and cannot be exchanged for something of equal value.

But what are cryptocurrencies again? Cryptocurrencies are digital currencies. They are not centrally controlled by a government or a financial institution. You can acquire and trade cryptocurrencies through exchanges. The tokens are stored in so-called “wallets.”

Crypto trading is regulated decentrally and supported by a network of computers; this network also creates new crypto tokens. The underlying principle is called blockchain. In short, a blockchain is a digital and complete record of data. In the case of cryptocurrency, these are the transaction processes.

How do NFTs work?

What technology is behind NFT trading? Many NFTs are stored on the Ethereum blockchain. The protocol behind it is called ERC-721.

The Ethereum blockchain stores not only transaction details but also other information, the so-called “Smart Contracts.” The rights to an NFT are recorded on these Smart Contracts.

Thanks to blockchain technology, NFTs are also quite tamper-proof. The blockchain is stored on many computers in a network. Data sets are grouped together in individual blocks. The information is encrypted, and only one block has the key for the next block in the chain. You can read more about the topic of blockchain here.

Deep Dive

The Ethereum blockchain currently still works with the Proof-of-Work principle. Ethereum can be generated using mining. A special algorithm called “Ethash” is executed on the CPU. This algorithm then tries to solve a cryptographic puzzle by trial and error to create a key that can connect a new block to the chain.
The computer that solves the puzzle then receives new cryptocurrency. The failed computers get nothing and have wasted the energy expended for nothing. More on this later.

In short, NFTs are very secure and protected against piracy.

NFT Trading

Would you like to participate in NFT trading? NFTs range in price from a few cents to several million dollars.

Theoretically, anyone can buy NFTs. The largest platform for NFT trading is currently OpenSea.

Other marketplaces for NFTs include:

• Decentraland: A virtual world where NFTs can be traded. Users also have the option to acquire land and customize it to their liking.
• SuperRare: Here, super rare art is traded in the form of NFTs.

Since most NFTs are stored on the Ethereum blockchain, the cryptocurrency Ether (ETH) is usually required to purchase NFTs.

News Flash: NFTs coming to eBay soon?

eBay announced a few days ago that users will soon be able to trade NFTs. New options are to be added to the platform in the coming months. When and if NFT trading will also be possible on eBay in Germany is not yet known.

Become an NFT Artist Yourself: Create and Sell NFTs

Anyone can buy NFTs, so anyone can become an NFT artist, right? Yes, anyone can jump on the NFT hype and express themselves artistically. Those who are particularly lucky can also make a lot of money from NFT trading.

Artists can also profit from their art after an NFT sale. Artists receive a small percentage with each resale. This will make NFTs a more profitable business for many artists than traditional art trading.

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Additionally, artists can not only sell an NFT once, but also copies of it. How sensible this is, is debatable. After all, NFTs are only worth as much as the buyer attributes to them.

Guide to Becoming an NFT Artist: How to Create Your Own NFT Art

If you’re now eager to experience the NFT hype yourself, you can create your own NFT art in a few steps:

1. Crypto Wallet:
Create a crypto wallet, for example with MyEtherWallet.

2. Buy Ether:
To sell NFTs on marketplaces, you first need to buy Ether. This will later be needed to pay the transaction fees that add your NFT to the blockchain.

3. Select NFT Marketplace:
As already mentioned, there are various marketplaces for NFTs, each with a different focus.

4. Create Art:
Before you can sell an NFT, you must, of course, first create an NFT. There are no limits to your creativity here.

5. Upload & Pay Transaction Fees:
Now you can upload your NFT and pay the transaction fees. After that, your art will be available for everyone on the internet to find and buy.

Transaction fees fluctuate. Sebastian Meinberg paid around €120 in transaction fees in the PLUS report.

NFTs and Environmental Protection

NFTs are climate killers. They consume a lot of energy, and this energy is mainly produced with fossil fuels. Consequently, NFTs contribute to extremely high CO2 emissions.

But why is that?

Due to the Proof-of-Work principle by which the Ethereum blockchain is operated, a lot of energy is produced to generate a new block.
As described above, since only one computer can win the race to decrypt the puzzle, the energy expended by the other computers is wasted.

What do high CO2 emissions mean?

An article by Memo-Akten analyzed this and showed that a single NFT sale consumes 240 kWh and thus generates 211 kg of CO2 emissions.
This amount of emissions is produced on average by an EU resident in an entire month. More information about energy consumption is available here.

That’s a pretty drastic number. Can NFT trading become more environmentally friendly?

Yes, NFT trading can become more environmentally friendly:

Switching to the Proof-of-Stake principle in the Ethereum blockchain: Here, a computer is selected to create the next block in the chain, which significantly saves energy.

There are already Green NFTs, which are stored on more environmentally friendly blockchains. For example: Algorand, Tezos, and Polkadot.

It’s hard to say if and how environmentally friendly NFT trading will become. However, for those interested in investing in NFTs, it certainly makes sense to take a closer look at ECO-NFTs and green cryptocurrencies.

Honorable Mentions: Known NFT Projects

Before we conclude and look into the possible future of NFTs, here are two well-known NFT projects/sales:

First 5000 Days:
This artwork by Beeple sold for more than 69 million. The well-known art house Christie’s offered the artwork in an online auction.

The Most Expensive Tweet:
Jack Dorsey (Twitter founder) sold his first tweet as an NFT for 2.5 million dollars.

NFT Hype: What Does the Future Hold?

NFTs are certainly an interesting prospect, especially for artists. NFTs will probably not replace the traditional art market. Some crypto experts are sure that NFTs will be traded like houses and stocks in the future. We will see how NFTs establish themselves in the financial market.

Experts also have a “practical” use for NFTs in mind. NFTs could later be used to issue certificates for our property.
For example, diplomas could be stored as NFTs on a blockchain. This would save a lot of paper and provide a tamper-proof system.

Whether we will soon have our possessions (car, house, diplomas) as NFTs in our “wallet” on our phone in the future remains to be seen.