If we've been hanging out in this space for more than a couple months, we've all heard of WAX by now. The WorldWide Asset eXchange is pioneering many aspects of blockchain technology, not just in the accessibility of DAPPs, but putting NFTs and blockchain in terms the world can actually understand.
With the upcoming KOGs project, the WAX blockchain may just pull the nostalgia cords and tug at the heart strings like nothing has before. It's starting to look like WAX had an idea where all this was headed a few years ago. They made a solid plan, and although they were fairly quiet about it, now their plan is (one piece at a time) coming to fruition.
The WAX 2020 NFT Recap
GPK - The first big step they took toward making NFT collectibles mainstream was teaming up with Topps for the Garbage Pail Kids on WAX. Just releasing earlier in 2020, this Series 1 set was historic. They sold out quickly, but not as quickly as the trendy GPK Goes Exotic" Tiger King set that followed. I guess people were hoping to strike some of the gold that Series 1 collectors found, and I guess that Topps and WAX had the right idea by appealing to that kind of FOMO.
Visit Topps GPK
Shatner - If you haven't heard of this yet, you're in for an amusing treat. The Hollywood icon that we all know as Captain James T. Kirk decided to be the first celebrity to create his own line of NFT memorabilia. They're basically trading cards that added some new collecting rules to the mix such as sharding and cards that can actually be exchanged (burned) for physical items. These Shatner cards were an excellent example of how badly people want non-physical collectibles in their lives. They were also an excellent example of they can't all be winners (in terms of secondary market value).
Visit Shatner Cards
The user base for these WAX collectible NFTs is always growing as one by one, new projects and sets are added to the mix. Several secondary market that make interacting with the WAX blockchain simple and convenient have risen quickly, like...
https://gpk.market/
https://shatner.market/
https://heroes.market/
https://collectables.io/
https://simplemarket.io/
These markets are also ready to start trading Blockchain Heroes as soon as they come out on August 8th at 12 noon EST. These releases are fast and frantic, fun times for collectors. Not only do they capture the nostaligic excitement of trying to get the limited edition stuff or waiting in line for the scarce concert tickets, but they are satisfying in new mysterious ways. It's clear to me after having watched the first few NFT sales on WAX, we're all onto something pretty big.
KOGs on WAX: The One I've Been Waiting for
KOGs are not just designed to look like Pogs, which I unashamedly loved throughout the early nineties. They are much more than trading cards, which is something I've been waiting for. I am the content director for Splinterlands, a digital trading card game that has been pioneering the NFT space. The vision of Splinterlands is greater than a drafting collectible card game. The vision involves a gaming universe with NFT cards that can be played and used in different and new ways for years to come.
KOGs stands for "Keys to Other Games." This set of NFTs from WAX will be different than those before in a few ways. The most important of these is that it will come with an actual game that is ready to play. So like Splinterlands cards, you can actually use your KOGs for something. The game will resemble the cardboard disc-slamming game of Pogs from the nineties, but I think that is only the beginning.
Keys to Other Games. That pretty strongly implies that there will be other games. In the last couple weeks, the company has shifted their message a bit to avoid this kind of talk. This is understandable. When it comes to NFTs that will be tradable for real cash value, you cannot be too careful. At least that's what the lawyers would say.
Here's what I'm imagining. This is pure speculation and it's based entirely on the name: Keys to other Games. I think that each of these early edition KOGs will literally be a key that you can use to unlock a special or unique game. With blockchain, this is very possible. We just need to help regular people understand that it's possible. KOGs on WAX may be the first ones to do this.
Adding Layers, One at a Time
Without a doubt, in addition to all the horrible things for which it will be remembered, 2020 will be known as the year of the NFT. Within the course of a few months, WAX has essentially broken down the barrier of non-physical collectibles by showing everyone how easy it can be to trade them. With brands like Topps and GPK and the celebrity weight of William Shatner, these first mainstream collectible NFTs were bound to attract some attention.
Already, just a few months later than the idea of NFTs was first introduced to mainstream collectors, WAX is hitting them with the big POW: The fact that these NFTs can actually do things. Splinterlands has of course been exploring this aspect of playable non-fungible tokens for years now. Not only can NFTs have great collectible value to those who hold them, but they can be pieces, characters or items within a game. They can even be keys that unlock entire games. I have a feeling this last thing is what WAX will demonstrate over the coming months and years with KOGs.
Nostalgia is a Big Part of it
I guess we have to face it; most of us are grownups now. We will never collect things for the same reason again. Most of us collect cryptocurrency, but we don't really tend to think of it as collecting. We call it saving, investing, backing,or supporting. Maybe we're collecting an idea (as much of it as we can hold) that we can actually achieve financial freedom.
When I was really young, I collected things that were shiny or heavy, and things that reminded me of places that I loved. The earliest thing that I collected was tokens from my favorite arcades. Arcades are mostly a thing of the past now, and custom tokens are hardly ever used anymore. But even as a child, the idea of taking that collectible home and cherishing it for the rest of my life (I still have them, by the way) was even more important to me than playing one more game at the machines I loved. And they say kids don't have any will power.
I collected baseball cards, Magic cards and POGs. I will always remember these 3 as the trifecta of collecting from my youth. I dabbled in the collection of other things from time to time, but nothing really stuck. Baseball card were for sorting and flipping through binders, Magic cards were for playing until they were so worn I could no longer read the flavor text, and Pogs were straight up awesome.
The fact that WAX has tapped into that powerful feeling of nostalgia in which I've just indulged gives me incredible hope for the future. We all long for lost memories and reminders of the past, and when we can combine a cutting edge tech wonder like NFTs with something as childlike and innocent as collecting milk caps in a better time, it can be a truly beautiful thing.
There will even be a game with Slammers and KOGs, with game play that resembles the actual Pogs game. My brothers and I used to build our own (non-regulation) slammers filled with various heavy objects from around the house.
History is Being Made with NFTs
As someone right in the thick of the blockchain gaming revolution, I am extremely excited to be witnessing a paradigm shift in collectibles. It is incredible that so many people have recognized in such a short time that collectibles do not have to be physical items. In fact, keeping them in the realm of the physical is literally limiting their true potential, especially when blockchain technology allows them to be smarter, faster and more secure.
How to Pre-Register for KOGs
To pre-register, simply visit https://wax.kogs.gg/ and enter your email. There will also be a giveaway for 1 of 25 limited edition KOGs, only to those who pre-registered.
Don't forget, the KOGs sale begins on August 18th!
KOGs images source
