Reflection Paper- NFTs and the Metaverse

I have really enjoyed this class this semester in regards to the research and activities we completed. The NFT history project was interesting to research as I was assigned DeGods which has a rather interesting development story via the creator “Frank DeGods”. One of the key learnings I have taken away is the several aspects of business knowledge I acquired through writing the paper for the NFT history project, as well as listening to my classmates' presentations on the NFT projects they researched. As there were successful NFT projects such as Cryptokitties and then rather mismanaged projects like DeGods, thus me and my other classmates were able to retain some insight on quality business practices. We can also get insight on poor business practices(In my opinion), such as “Frank DeGods” being silent on Twitter/X for prolonged periods of time before teasing and releasing a disappointing Season 3 drop. Another key learning I have taken away from this class is the weekly class lectures and discussions. As the crypto market is changing every day, I found it very insightful to discuss what was potentially causing these changes as it relates to market prices, and entrepreneurial practices within companies. There have also been several legislative changes in regards to crypto, as more and more countries are accepting it as a legitimate form of currency. I believe that NFT blockchains and crypto will be the future in how many industries handle their assets and transactions. Additionally I also think that virtual spaces, augmented reality, or virtual reality will become a more common form of workplace or social environment. I don’t think it will necessarily be the norm in the near future, but rather more people will be utilizing these platforms and devices. Within the end of the century we will have technology and platforms to interact with the world we couldn’t have imagined now as it relates to AI, communication, energy, and currency. A third key learning I experienced this semester was simply learning how to utilize several NFT/crypto websites such as Zora, Open Sea, and OnCyber. I really enjoyed completing “The Last Bookstore” project as it was very interesting to come up with different characters and craft stories within a world I created. To then convert these original ideas into an NFT collection and virtual gallery was really exciting to see come to life and into fruition. Seeing all of my classmates’ finished NFTs and OnCyber galleries was really cool as each of ours were unique from one another, and each had its own qualities. From completing this project I can now be confident that I am familiar with NFT minting websites in regards to both creating and minting NFTs. I think it was great that we learned how to use MetaMask as this knowledge can definitely help in the future with anything that uses crypto. This is one of my favorite classes I have taken in my college career, and I am thankful for having enrolled in it.