The optimist in me agrees that creativity and community are irrepressible human qualities. The realist/pessimist in me observes the way corporate interests insist on 'monetizing' those qualities for the gains of their shareholders. It's why, for example, in the past 10-15 we've looked up and noticed that so many of the conversations that were happening in a decentralized ways on forums and blogs have moved to social media platforms which direct those conversations in particular directions, to the immense enrichment of their owners.
Chaosium, sometime in the last year, had a plan to make NFT digital collectibles, which was a line in the sand for a lot of people. But it sort of makes perfect sense for them: geek culture generally goes to such lengths to defend conspicuous consumption and brand (over)identification, with any criticism or even hesitancy subject to badwrongfun accusations. Making that consumption digital instead of physical is a difference of degree, not kind.
