A Dilemma: Artists Using NFT's & Vetting

[overgeeked]

How do you deal with artists that still insist on using NFT's?

Don't. Simple as. Same with companies that use NFTs. To the point where I dropped several Kickstarters because the companies were dabbling in NFTs, like Chaosium. They have since "walked back" their position, but in such a non-committal way that I don't trust them to not proceed anyway. So, that's me never buying Chaosium stuff again. Anyone who's willing to intentionally trash the environment to make a few bucks isn't worth working with. There are other, more ethical artists and companies.

It's a personal choice. If you feel that strongly about NFTs, don't work with people doing NFTs. You'll get crap from people no matter what you do, so might as well be able to look at yourself in the mirror.

 

[Art Waring]

What other "large companies" in the gaming sphere do you feel haven't been scrutinized?

Well I didn't want to name any names.

But since you asked, while not directly related to ttrpg's and without directly calling out any company, the gaming industry is taking steps to address the issue with NFT's

Game devs and publishers are signing an anti-NFT pledge

 

[Blue]

If you don't want to support creators that do other work with NFTs, don't. Considering how payout to payout many creative types are, it is not surprising that many welcome the additional income.

But your "How do you deal with artists that still insist on using NFT's?" comes across as ridiculously presumptuous though. To the point I would not want to purchase what you produce. It comes across as "I have made a moral judgement about part of what you do that does not impact what I would like to hire you for, but I feel that since I paying you I can make demands outside the scope of our contract, and then feel outraged when you 'insist' on not obeying."

Look, you don't have to hire them. But nothing gives you the right to inflict your beliefs on them and then be outraged when then don't comply. That's just massive entitlement on your side.

 

[Art Waring]

...

Edit: Thank you Blue for giving me the chance to apologize, It was my mistake and I really appreciate you giving me the chance to clear things up.

As an artist, I respect every individual artists choice to earn a living as they choose.

I myself have had to face difficult choices as an artist, and making a living as an artist, part or full time is truly challenging and stressful at times.

I am sorry that we got off on the wrong foot, thank you for your patience and understanding.

 

[Umbran]

Well I didn't want to name any names.

But since you asked, while not directly related to ttrpg's and without directly calling out any company, the gaming industry is taking steps to address the issue with NFT's

Game devs and publishers are signing an anti-NFT pledge

Videogames are a much bigger business than RPGs, so again, I think the scale matters.

 

[Baron Opal II]

Should I have to be accountable for an artist that I hire, and ensure that they aren't involved in NFT's?

No, not in the least.

You hire a professional for a job, they do it, you pay them, you receive the work product. Done.

Now, if I was in your shoes, I would think about what rights I would want for the art. If I was getting sole rights, then the artist agrees to not make an NFT of the art. If not, hey, that's their business.

 

[Umbran]

Thread closed at OP's request.

Edit.. thread reopened at OP's request.

 

[Blue]

Had a good chat with @Art Waring. Some of the original language of the post seemed to me to be rather entitled and demanding and I called that out. But on talking with Art that was simply a miscommunication, and they are just looking for advice. It looks like the language in the first post has been radically cleaned up to avoid the misunderstanding.

 

[Lanefan]

Don't. Simple as. Same with companies that use NFTs. To the point where I dropped several Kickstarters because the companies were dabbling in NFTs, like Chaosium. They have since "walked back" their position, but in such a non-committal way that I don't trust them to not proceed anyway. So, that's me never buying Chaosium stuff again. Anyone who's willing to intentionally trash the environment to make a few bucks isn't worth working with. There are other, more ethical artists and companies.

The linked video in the OP is well over two hours long; way longer than I'm going to slog through just to answer my one simple question:

What is it about NFTs that trashes the environment?

So, is there a short-form answer?

 

[Jfdlsjfd]

The question was: am I, an indie creator, responsible for what artists produce beyond what I have hired them for?

No. You're buying from them. Sure, you could make ethical decisions when purchasing, but I find "mints NFTs" a very low bar for influencing your buying pattern, akin to boycotting one for not having a strong and public stance on pineapple pizzas.

So, is there a short-form answer?

The video is 2 hours long because half of it is discussing the mortgage speculation and 2008 banking crisis, then going on to crypto-currency and how NFTs are a gateway drug to make one's buy crypto-currencies. The chapter about NFTs starts around the 1h33min mark, where he reveals that NFTs as access passes will turn the Internet into a dystopia, where people whose account has NFT for giving to a charity supporting a specific group would be denied selling products by companies (because probably in the meantime all consumers and privacy laws will be revoked, so companies could check the blockchain to identify you as supportive of product A so they can deny you access to their product B, or charge more than if you hadn't bought product A in the first place). Even if there is something related to thrashing the environment, I'd take it with a grain of salt. I guess the strongest point would be that crypto-currency mining requires electricty and energy that could be put to better use, but I am not convinced NFTs transactions are on par with crypto mining as an industry. They could, at some point, though (and, to be honest, even a modicum of energy wasted is still wasted).

At no points he seems to address the use of NFTs to create numbered copies of an original artwork and how it might be inherently evil. Which artists have been selling, as hand-signed lithographs, for centuries. And which caused speculation (copy numbered #7 is often less expansive than #1 and more expansive than #473) for centuries without anyone batting an eye. And which might be the exact behaviour of the RPG artist creating NFTs for his drawing. Sure, it might encourage speculation, and scams that appeared around NFTs, but we didn't stop making new houses after the housing bubble.