# The evolution of NFTs (Part 2)

**Published by:** [Durwin](https://paragraph.com/@durwin/)
**Published on:** 2022-12-06
**URL:** https://paragraph.com/@durwin/the-evolution-of-nfts-part-2

## Content

Will NFTs ever be truly considered real art by mainstream collectors?We spoke about how it started with the OG CryptoPunks, then Meme culture, then the 10k collections, then scams and grifts. Here is the part 2 on the Evolution of NFTs. NFTs were booming in 2021 and suddenly, it became a viable, serious business to trade, collect, own and build NFT projects. It generated a massive subculture and economy complete with marketplaces dedicated for it, new talents rushing into the scene and celebrities endorsing them with brio. But when there is much money to be made, you can bet bad actors will arise. People were losing their precious NFTs to discord scams, getting their wallets drained, watching project owners disappear after raising millions. Suddenly, the collective market decided that they had enough of this nonsense and demanded NFTs with real utility. Utilitarian NFTs became the rage.Since they launched in July, Reddit Avatars have seen some big numbers. There are now a total of 4.4m total Digital Collectible Avatars.Just having a digital graphic as an NFT isn’t going to cut it anymore. The NFT has to confer a membership to a physical club, a restaurant, a ticket to a concert, a supercar or the opportunity to purchase future collections. I thought we should have already started with that, but oh well, it is an improvement. Then recently, cc0 NFT projects were the rage. GoblinTown was all the rage, allowing people to mint and own the NFTs for free, and they can do ANYTHING with it.GoblinTown burst into the scene out of nowhere and nobody knew who was behind it, until Truth Labs came out to stake their claim.That includes owning the copyrights, making movies, songs, printing merchandise and profiting from it. The project owners simply make sweet juicy royalties from the sale of the NFTs, and watch the brand grow stronger each day as more people share, build and use it. Pretty radical. Oh how NFTs have evolved so beautifully over the years. We had the OG CrpytoPunks, Meme culture, 10k collections, PFPs, utility NFTs, cc0 projects… Each one more interesting, innovative and adorable than the last.Except for Kevin, from one of the worst NFT project ever: Pixelmon, which earned a whopping USD $70 Million.Now there is NFT rentals, IP licensing and a deeper focus on high-utility community-building. Underlying it all, is the community and membership that will continue to grow. Sure there will still be scams and obstacles, natural things that will come and go. The road ahead won’t be smooth, but it will be fun. Go forth and have fun. - Are NFTs still cool? - #startups #business #startupx #growth #success #socialmedia #culture #entrepreneurship #strategy #eth #bitcoin #cryptocurrency #bayc #nft #airdrop #branding #evolution #revolution #web3

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