# NFT Canon

> The NFT Canon is a go-to resource for artists and creators, developers, corporations and institutions, communities, and other organizations seeking to understand or do more with non-fungible tokens. It’s a curated list of readings and resources on all things NFTs (inspired by the a16z Crypto Canon),...

- URL: https://a16zcrypto.com/posts/article/nft-canon
- Authors: [Sonal Chokshi](https://a16zcrypto.com/team/sonal-chokshi), [Chris Dixon](https://a16zcrypto.com/team/chris-dixon), [Denis Nazarov](https://a16zcrypto.com/team/denis-nazarov), [Jesse Walden](https://a16zcrypto.com/team/jesse-walden), [Linda Xie](https://a16zcrypto.com/team/linda-xie)
- Published: 2021-04-02
- Updated: 2024-09-09
- Focus areas: tech trends
- Tags: what we're reading, NFTs, how innovation happens

---

The NFT Canon is a go-to resource for artists and creators, developers, corporations and institutions, communities, and other organizations seeking to understand or do more with non-fungible tokens.

It’s a curated list of readings and resources on all things NFTs (inspired by the a16z [Crypto Canon](https://a16z.com/2018/02/10/crypto-readings-resources/)), and is organized from the big picture of what NFTs are and why they matter to how to create, collect, build on top of and with them — including FAQs, ecosystem overviews, and various applications such as art, music, gaming, DAOs, social tokens, community tokens, and others.

We will continue to update this as more people try out new things, share their work, or publish resources for learning about NFTs. \[If you have suggestions for quality pieces to add, please let @smc90 know.\]

\*   \*   \*

### The Big Picture & Key Concepts

**Life Is Non-fungible: The Evolution of Ownership, Assets, and Us**  — ownership is deeply human; collectibles for self-expression, identity, money, trade  
by Roham Gharegozlou  
[https://youtu.be/u894J50AqOs](https://youtu.be/u894J50AqOs)

**NFTs and a Thousand True Fans** — evolution of the internet and better economics for creators  
by Chris Dixon  
[https://a16z.com/2021/02/27/nfts-and-a-thousand-true-fans/](https://a16z.com/2021/02/27/nfts-and-a-thousand-true-fans/)

**Stories, Scarcity, and Mimetic Desire** — how NFTs turn millions of stories into scarce assets  
by Nick Tomaino  
[https://thecontrol.co/stories-scarcity-and-mimetic-desire-c4a344fa74e1](https://thecontrol.co/stories-scarcity-and-mimetic-desire-c4a344fa74e1)

**NFTs invert the ownership model of media** — offering creators, their audiences, and developers who build for them a viable alternative to platform-driven monetization  
by Jesse Walden  
[https://variant.mirror.xyz/T8kdtZRIgy\_srXB5B06L8vBqFHYlEBcv6ae2zR6Y\_eo](https://variant.mirror.xyz/T8kdtZRIgy_srXB5B06L8vBqFHYlEBcv6ae2zR6Y_eo)

**NFT subculture** — properties of disruptive subculturesby Denis Nazarov  
[https://d.mirror.xyz/OQrTGdbiDDKs-7it-URF2NYRG9xLMYEQcNnET8fah3I](https://d.mirror.xyz/OQrTGdbiDDKs-7it-URF2NYRG9xLMYEQcNnET8fah3I)

**Creators, communities, and the gray space in the middle where they meet** — the next evolution of communities (belonging and stakeholders); how creators can create their own markets; programmable art  
by Nichanan Kesonpat  
[https://www.nichanank.com/blog/2020/10/9/gray-space-in-the-middle](https://www.nichanank.com/blog/2020/10/9/gray-space-in-the-middle)

**Proof of passion** — connecting the history of the social internet to NFTs today  
by Tal Shachar and Jonathan Glick  
[https://tals.substack.com/p/proof-of-passion](https://tals.substack.com/p/proof-of-passion)

**Crypto changes value, NFTs change society** — how NFTs change internet, work, economics, business models  
by Andrew Steinwold  
[https://andrewsteinwold.substack.com/p/crypto-will-change-value-nfts-will](https://andrewsteinwold.substack.com/p/crypto-will-change-value-nfts-will)

**Crypto fundamentals and NFTs** — eras of the web, blockchain architecture, last decade in crypto;  
rise of NFTs, future of NFTs  
by Patrick Rivera  
\[[link to presentation in Google Slides](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1sUpk0gbvRQelH0MUIOqjNeGe8nwRH4mhrhDHmI6qh4M/edit?usp=sharing)\]

### Beginners Guides and Explainers

**A beginner’s guide to NFTs** — what they are, why they’re interesting, applications  
by Linda Xie  
[https://linda.mirror.xyz/df649d61efb92c910464a4e74ae213c4cab150b9cbcc4b7fb6090fc77881a95d](https://linda.mirror.xyz/df649d61efb92c910464a4e74ae213c4cab150b9cbcc4b7fb6090fc77881a95d)

**What is an NFT?** — properties of blockchain-based non-fungible tokens  
by Devin Finzer  
[https://opensea.io/blog/guides/non-fungible-tokens/#What\_is\_a\_non-fungible\_token](https://opensea.io/blog/guides/non-fungible-tokens/#What_is_a_non-fungible_token)

**All about NFTs** — the what, why, and how of NFTs, their applications, and process as well as common questions & misconceptions  
by Jesse Walden, Linda Xie, Sonal Chokshi  
[https://a16z.com/2021/03/27/nfts-explainer-faqs-hype-reality-innovation-crypto-creator-economy](https://a16z.com/2021/03/27/nfts-explainer-faqs-hype-reality-innovation-crypto-creator-economy)

**8 Reasons why crypto art > art** — and the new economy of digital creativityby Scott Belsky  
[https://scottbelsky.medium.com/the-furry-lisa-cryptoart-the-new-economy-of-digital-creativity-6cb2300ea081](https://scottbelsky.medium.com/the-furry-lisa-cryptoart-the-new-economy-of-digital-creativity-6cb2300ea081)

**Demystifying NFTs** — ‘monetized memes’, NFTs tokenize all the things, authenticate the world  
by Naval Ravikant  
[https://twitter.com/naval/status/1378954767863443461](https://twitter.com/naval/status/1378954767863443461)

**What Critics Don’t Understand About NFTs** — the paradox of certain digital goods; NFTs’ value don’t convey anything resembling traditional ownership  
by Jonathan Zittrain with Will Marks  
[https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/04/nfts-show-value-owning-unownable/618525/](https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/04/nfts-show-value-owning-unownable/618525/)

**NFTs, the trend** — overview, projects, players, lessons, haters, opportunities  
by Dru Riley  
[https://trends.vc/trends-0050-non-fungible-tokens-nfts/](https://trends.vc/trends-0050-non-fungible-tokens-nfts/)

**The new magic of NFTs** — the case**s, the elements of crypto, and how it’s about so much more**  
Katie Haun interviewed by Tim Ferriss  
[https://tim.blog/2021/02/24/katie-haun-transcript/](https://tim.blog/2021/02/24/katie-haun-transcript/)

**NFTs  
**by Saturday Night Live  
[https://youtu.be/mrNOYudaMAc](https://youtu.be/mrNOYudaMAc)

### Technical Foundations

**NFT metadata** — on-chain, off-chain, storage, more  
by Devin Finzer  
[https://opensea.io/blog/guides/non-fungible-tokens/#Non-fungible\_token\_metadata](https://opensea.io/blog/guides/non-fungible-tokens/#Non-fungible_token_metadata)

**Do You Really Own Your NFT?** — data storage, URLs vs IPFS, off-chain, more  
by Dan Kahan  
[https://thedefiant.io/do-you-really-own-your-nft-chances-are-you-dont/](https://thedefiant.io/do-you-really-own-your-nft-chances-are-you-dont/)

**Non-fungible token standards** — from Ethereum to non-Ethereum standards  
by Devin Finzer  
[https://opensea.io/blog/guides/non-fungible-tokens/#Non-fungible\_token\_standards](https://opensea.io/blog/guides/non-fungible-tokens/#Non-fungible_token_standards)

**What is ERC-721?** — non-technical explanation of how the original standard powering NFTs on blockchains works  
by William Entriken  
[https://fulldecent.blogspot.com/2018/06/nontechnical-what-is-erc-721.html](https://fulldecent.blogspot.com/2018/06/nontechnical-what-is-erc-721.html)

**ERC-721 Non-Fungible Token Standard** — powering unique, rare, collectible tokens on the Ethereum blockchain  
[https://eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-721](https://eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-721)

**NFT standards wishlist** — from royalties to splits  
by Sean Bonner  
[https://seanbonner.com/2021/03/26/nft-standards-wishlist/](https://seanbonner.com/2021/03/26/nft-standards-wishlist/)

### Building with NFTs: Creator Economies, Communities, Tokens, DAOs

**Crypto Wants to Be Seen** — experiencing crypto in ways that enable creators to master it and be immersed in core concepts  
by Kayvon Tehranian  
[https://thedefiant.io/crypto-wants-to-be-seen-op-ed-by-kayvon-tehranian/](https://thedefiant.io/crypto-wants-to-be-seen-op-ed-by-kayvon-tehranian/)

**The Creator Economy: NFTs and beyond** — how musicians, artists, and writers can think about NFTs and social tokens; how different types of assets can interact to create models that haven’t existed before  
by Kevin Chou, Jesse Walden, Chris Dixon  
[https://a16z.com/2021/04/03/creator-economy-beyond-nfts-podcast/](https://a16z.com/2021/04/03/creator-economy-beyond-nfts-podcast/)

**Ideas for building in NFTs** — community as art, more \[thread\]  
by Dylan Field  
[https://twitter.com/zoink/status/1372561281002004481](https://twitter.com/zoink/status/1372561281002004481?s=21)

**On NFT consumption, audience, utility** — third-party consumption experiences and what’s needed  
by Jarrod Dicker, Tal Shacher, Jonathan Glick  
[https://darkstar.mirror.xyz/bOWhYyX4u5mY0AfY-ObnQSOOcMVEmJQPVUFSw1qJsdc](https://darkstar.mirror.xyz/bOWhYyX4u5mY0AfY-ObnQSOOcMVEmJQPVUFSw1qJsdc)

**On cryptocurrencies as content, communities, digital belonging**  
by Kyle Chayka  
[https://air.mirror.xyz/5A16bvvS2IJK7fVVNb2GwrrEcyey2B4UiH2l1DI\_Y2I](https://air.mirror.xyz/5A16bvvS2IJK7fVVNb2GwrrEcyey2B4UiH2l1DI_Y2I)

**Analyzing NFTs as Social Networks Using the Status-as-a-Service Framework**  
by Packy McCormick  
[https://www.notboring.co/p/status-monkeys](https://www.notboring.co/p/status-monkeys)

**Come for the creator, stay for the economy** — decentralized protocols aren’t social networks, they’re cryptoeconomic networks; milestones for phases  
by Patrick Rivera  
[https://p.mirror.xyz/1EpvJwUpx\_KlRcHOKLNqADEkwHL\_Z1ZYKobF2uLwgBg](https://p.mirror.xyz/1EpvJwUpx_KlRcHOKLNqADEkwHL_Z1ZYKobF2uLwgBg)

**Power to the person** — The creator economy, NFTs, and the rise of the solo corporation  
by Packy McCormick  
[https://www.notboring.co/p/power-to-the-person-audio](https://www.notboring.co/p/power-to-the-person-audio)

**Social tokens** — a broad category of tokens issued by individuals and communities  
by Linda Xie  
[https://linda.mirror.xyz/df649d61efb92c910464a4e74ae213c4cab150b9cbcc4b7fb6090fc77881a95d](https://linda.mirror.xyz/df649d61efb92c910464a4e74ae213c4cab150b9cbcc4b7fb6090fc77881a95d)

**Individual before community: Why creator tokens will precede community tokens  
**by Alex Masmej[https://future.com/creator-before-community/](https://future.com/creator-before-community/)

**The fractionalization of NFTs will lead to better social tokens** — objects, communities, more  
by Brian Flynn  
[https://jammsession.mirror.xyz/-xYcfFRlhDdLDSUgRMTYJAaRJBs2VG4LP34DnOV84mI](https://jammsession.mirror.xyz/-xYcfFRlhDdLDSUgRMTYJAaRJBs2VG4LP34DnOV84mI)

**Loyalty Points and Social Tokens** — social not just financial incentives in designing transactional communities of social tokens users  
by Wong Joon Ian  
[https://medium.com/rallynetwork/loyalty-points-and-social-tokens-5046d1ca993](https://medium.com/rallynetwork/loyalty-points-and-social-tokens-5046d1ca993)

**Social Tokens Year in Review** (2020) — digital assets backed by reputation of individual, brand, or community  
by Cooper Turley with Jess Sloss, James Young, Scott Moore, Brian Flynn, and Priyanka Desai  
[https://www.forefront.market/blog/review](https://www.forefront.market/blog/review)

**A beginner’s guide to DAOs** — with examples of NFT collectives for art, gaming, more  
by Linda Xie  
[https://linda.mirror.xyz/Vh8K4leCGEO06\_qSGx-vS5lvgUqhqkCz9ut81WwCP2o](https://linda.mirror.xyz/Vh8K4leCGEO06_qSGx-vS5lvgUqhqkCz9ut81WwCP2o)

**A prehistory of DAOs** — cooperatives, gaming guilds, and the networks to come  
by Kei Kreutler  
[https://gnosisguild.mirror.xyz/t4F5rItMw4-mlpLZf5JQhElbDfQ2JRVKAzEpanyxW1Q](https://gnosisguild.mirror.xyz/t4F5rItMw4-mlpLZf5JQhElbDfQ2JRVKAzEpanyxW1Q)

**On creator DAOs** — how is this different from crowdfunding or membership platforms? the main difference is the notion of ownership  
by Jonathan Glick, Jarrod Dicker, Tal Schachar  
[https://darkstar.mirror.xyz/Tf9IS6yNxtPXwC5mmfi\_UISe8v6BOfef2bDmQSxoJao](https://darkstar.mirror.xyz/Tf9IS6yNxtPXwC5mmfi_UISe8v6BOfef2bDmQSxoJao)

**Community DAOs** — what makes a DAO a DAO, growing them, more  
by Patrick Rivera  
[https://p.mirror.xyz/cVN3KOss0uqpZwxHQKtC4Syvn1RfXaxofFKHJuKLWS4](https://p.mirror.xyz/cVN3KOss0uqpZwxHQKtC4Syvn1RfXaxofFKHJuKLWS4)

**The DAO of DAOs** — from NFTs to DAOs; progressive decentralization; why DAOs, now and next  
by Packy McCormick  
[https://www.notboring.co/p/the-dao-of-daos-5b9](https://www.notboring.co/p/the-dao-of-daos-5b9)

**Protocols and creator DAOs** — analogy of cities and settlements for economic flows and cultural products around meme, message, protocols  
by Jonathan Glick, Jarrod Dicker, Tal Schachar, Brian Flynn  
[https://darkstar.mirror.xyz/yEK4DdvmxwZ2l-yHWGOQs3rMsLD6RYs\_phLUzSFdhAI](https://darkstar.mirror.xyz/yEK4DdvmxwZ2l-yHWGOQs3rMsLD6RYs_phLUzSFdhAI)

### Creator Journeys & Stories

**Tips for Creators Getting Into Crypto  
**by Patrick Rivera  
[https://p.mirror.xyz/WQQywdjjfnksMRPMaNKBMxPBqfE5k8nL6pCLe1roGyw](https://p.mirror.xyz/WQQywdjjfnksMRPMaNKBMxPBqfE5k8nL6pCLe1roGyw)

**How We Sold an NFT…** — step-by-step video walkthrough of what and how, from brainstorming, designing, and selling to setup, minting, and more  
by Colin and Samir  
[https://youtu.be/BSXMM9Y1blk](https://youtu.be/BSXMM9Y1blk) 

**Two artists on crypto art** — on galleries to tokenized collectibles  
by Pak, Signe Pierce, Zoran Basich  
[https://a16z.com/2020/11/22/crypto-for-creators-tokenized-collectibles-nfts/](https://a16z.com/2020/11/22/crypto-for-creators-tokenized-collectibles-nfts/)

**NFTs, digital art, and the value shift between IRL and virtual life  
**Trevor McFedries interviewed by Dan Frommer  
[https://newconsumer.com/2021/03/trevor-mc-fedries-interview-nft-fwb/](https://newconsumer.com/2021/03/trevor-mc-fedries-interview-nft-fwb/)

**Why I’m Collecting Black Crypto Art** — on spurring a Black Digital Renaissance that could create and capture value for Black communities  
by Cuy Sheffield  
[https://medium.com/@cuysheffield/why-im-collecting-black-crypto-art-c3cbba939d64](https://medium.com/@cuysheffield/why-im-collecting-black-crypto-art-c3cbba939d64)

**How the blockchain broke the auction block** — how is a Beeple JPEG worth $69 million?  
by Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi and Mary Childs  
[https://www.npr.org/2021/03/12/976513031/the-69-million-jpeg](https://www.npr.org/2021/03/12/976513031/the-69-million-jpeg)

**Understanding NFTs as digital abstraction** — view from traditional art world, Christie’s auction lead  
Noah Davis interviewed by Valentina Di Liscia  
[https://hyperallergic.com/624053/nft-art-goes-viral-and-heads-to-auction-but-what-is-it/](https://hyperallergic.com/624053/nft-art-goes-viral-and-heads-to-auction-but-what-is-it/)

**What NFTs mean for contemporary art** — artist talks with MoMA curator about recent trends and where immaterial art is taking us in a material world  
Seth Price interviewed by Michelle Kuo  
[https://www.moma.org/magazine/articles/547](https://www.moma.org/magazine/articles/547)

**What makes a museum object NFT valuable beyond the scope of the technology?**  
by Frances Liddell  
[https://www.artnome.com/news/2021/5/1/what-makes-a-museum-object-nft-valuable-beyond-the-scope-of-the-technology](https://www.artnome.com/news/2021/5/1/what-makes-a-museum-object-nft-valuable-beyond-the-scope-of-the-technology)

**Why museums should be thinking longer term about NFTs  
**by Jason Bailey  
[https://www.artnome.com/news/2021/7/28/why-museums-should-be-thinking-longer-term-about-nfts](https://www.artnome.com/news/2021/7/28/why-museums-should-be-thinking-longer-term-about-nfts)

**“The Greatest NFT Film Ever Made”** creators share views on NFTs, properties, platforms, scaling, exhibitions, more across art, music, fashion, defi, the metaverse  
The Defiant  
[https://youtu.be/cY9lM73ie0Q](https://youtu.be/cY9lM73ie0Q)

**Artists on NFTs and more  
**[https://foundation.app/blog](https://foundation.app/blog)

**Artists on collecting NFTs  
**by Samantha Ayson  
[https://foundation.app/blog/why-artists-are-collecting-each-others-nfts](https://foundation.app/blog/why-artists-are-collecting-each-others-nfts)

### Applications & Experiments: Arts, Music, Games, More

**Monetization for Gamers in the New Cryptoeconomy** — how blockchain technology realigns economic relationships, collaboration, community, and creativity  
by Kevin Chou  
[https://a16z.com/2020/03/09/monetization-for-gamers-in-the-new-cryptoeconomy/](https://a16z.com/2020/03/09/monetization-for-gamers-in-the-new-cryptoeconomy/)

**Community economics and the limits of today’s game economies** — on the economic activity inside and outside virtual game worlds like Animal Crossing  
by Kaiser Hwang  
[https://techcrunch.com/2020/07/17/animal-crossing-new-horizons-and-the-limits-of-todays-game-economies/](https://techcrunch.com/2020/07/17/animal-crossing-new-horizons-and-the-limits-of-todays-game-economies/)

**“Fantasy Hollywood”: Crypto and Community-Owned Characters** — how DAOs and NFTs enable a new model for bringing new characters into the world  
by Cuy Sheffield  
[https://future.com/fantasy-hollywood-crypto-and-community-owned-characters/](https://future.com/fantasy-hollywood-crypto-and-community-owned-characters/)

**Musicians meet audio NFTs** — an overview of audio NFTs, limited edition audio/visuals experiences issued and sold as tokens on Ethereum  
by Cooper Turley  
[https://coopahtroopa-eth.medium.com/musicians-meet-audio-nfts-aa495cfd2996](https://coopahtroopa-eth.medium.com/musicians-meet-audio-nfts-aa495cfd2996)

**The relationship between visual art and music  
**Devendra Banhart interviewed by Samantha Ayson  
[https://foundation.app/blog/devendra-banhart](https://foundation.app/blog/devendra-banhart)

**Creators, Artists, and Athletes** — messaging creator coins to fans in videos  
by Kurt Patat  
[https://medium.com/rallynetwork/video-creators-artists-and-athletes-discussing-their-creator-coins-with-fans-e633391b59e3](https://medium.com/rallynetwork/video-creators-artists-and-athletes-discussing-their-creator-coins-with-fans-e633391b59e3)

**What is crypto art**   
by Jason Bailey  
[https://www.artnome.com/news/2018/1/14/what-is-cryptoart](https://www.artnome.com/news/2018/1/14/what-is-cryptoart)

**Generative art and NFTs**  
by Brian Droitcour  
[https://www.artnews.com/list/art-in-america/features/generative-art-and-nfts-1234586572/](https://www.artnews.com/list/art-in-america/features/generative-art-and-nfts-1234586572/)

**Exploring the world of generative art** — what it is, a brief history of generative crypto art, more  
by William Peaster  
[https://www.bankless.com/how-to-approach-the-generative-art](https://www.bankless.com/how-to-approach-the-generative-art)

**Where crypto meets the metaverse** — without the assumption of a robust economic membrane, the entire concept of the metaverse quickly collapses  
by Piers Kicks  
[https://naavik.co/deep-dives/into-the-void/](https://naavik.co/deep-dives/into-the-void/)

**Where Web3 meets the metaverse** — NFTs & digital ownership, open vs. closed metaverse, “Direct-to Avatar Economy”, value chain of the open metaverse  
by Packy McCormick  
[https://www.notboring.co/p/the-value-chain-of-the-open-metaverse](https://www.notboring.co/p/the-value-chain-of-the-open-metaverse)

**The Great Online Game** — on the internet as an infinite, abundant game, imitating but beyond video games, including NFTs as ways to express oneself online to signal who you are and what you care about  
by Packy McCormick  
[https://www.notboring.co/p/the-great-online-game-audio](https://www.notboring.co/p/the-great-online-game-audio)

**Gamers want virtual goods with real-world value** — survey from Vorhaus  
by Dean Takahashi  
[https://venturebeat.com/2020/12/09/vorhaus-advisors-63-of-gamers-would-spend-more-on-virtual-goods-with-real-world-value/](https://venturebeat.com/2020/12/09/vorhaus-advisors-63-of-gamers-would-spend-more-on-virtual-goods-with-real-world-value/)

**NFTs are becoming a major source of income for crypto newbies in the Philippines to Colombia** — from Axie Infinity to Yield Guild Games and beyond  
by Dan Kahan  
[https://thedefiant.io/nfts-are-becoming-a-major-source-of-income-for-crypto-newbies-in-the-philippines-to-colombia/](https://thedefiant.io/nfts-are-becoming-a-major-source-of-income-for-crypto-newbies-in-the-philippines-to-colombia/)

**Play-to-Earn, NFT gaming in the Philippines**  
by Yield Guild Games  
[https://youtu.be/Yo-BrASMHU4](https://youtu.be/Yo-BrASMHU4)

**Axie Infinity, Yield Guild Games, & the play-to-earn economy**  
by Justin Mart, Connor Dempsey, Hassan Ahmed  
[https://blog.coinbase.com/axie-infinity-yield-guild-games-the-play-to-earn-economy-e73ac6b39e6c](https://blog.coinbase.com/axie-infinity-yield-guild-games-the-play-to-earn-economy-e73ac6b39e6c)

**Why Bored Ape Avatars Are Taking Over Twitter** — each avatar club is a combination of gated online community, stock-shareholding group, and art-appreciation society  
by Kyle Chayka  
[https://www.newyorker.com/culture/infinite-scroll/why-bored-ape-avatars-are-taking-over-twitter](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/infinite-scroll/why-bored-ape-avatars-are-taking-over-twitter)

**A brief guide to Loot**, the NFT project that’s surged onto the scene  
by William Peaster  
[https://metaversal.banklesshq.com/p/loot-explained-](https://metaversal.banklesshq.com/p/loot-explained-)

**The Loot project flips the script on NFTs** — what it is, why is this interesting  
by Kyle Russell  
[https://techcrunch.com/2021/09/03/loot-games-the-crypto-world/](https://techcrunch.com/2021/09/03/loot-games-the-crypto-world/)

**Loot is a viral social network** that looks like nothing you’ve ever seen — Dom Hoffman on on creating an open-source, decentralized game / financial asset / art project / metaverse (?)  
by Casey Newton  
[https://www.platformer.news/p/loot-is-a-viral-social-network-that](https://www.platformer.news/p/loot-is-a-viral-social-network-that)

**The Most Important Scarce Resource is Legitimacy** – on NFTs as public goods funding  
by Vitalik Buterin  
[https://vitalik.ca/general/2021/03/23/legitimacy.html](https://vitalik.ca/general/2021/03/23/legitimacy.html)

**“Post-Venture” Capital and the Crypto Nobel Prize  
**by Matt Stephenson  
[https://glyphx.medium.com/post-venture-capital-and-the-crypto-nobel-prize-29847faf3f08](https://glyphx.medium.com/post-venture-capital-and-the-crypto-nobel-prize-29847faf3f08)

### NFT Ecosystem, Markets, and FAQs

**Ecosystem overview** — marketplaces; art, collectibles, games, virtual worlds; finance & trading  
by Andrew Steinwold  
[https://andrewsteinwold.substack.com/p/-quick-overview-of-the-nft-ecosystem](https://andrewsteinwold.substack.com/p/-quick-overview-of-the-nft-ecosystem)

**Where do NFTs capture value?** — the NFT stack, breaking down the various layers, honing in on curation  
by Cooper Turley  
[https://coopahtroopa.mirror.xyz/A16NP2XXi9RdHptfdF9WHR0Xq\_E1XDmUgMwPmJYOG7w](https://coopahtroopa.mirror.xyz/A16NP2XXi9RdHptfdF9WHR0Xq_E1XDmUgMwPmJYOG7w)

**The non-fungible token market** — market size & growth (2019-2020), sale mechanisms, distribution  
by Devin Finzer  
[https://opensea.io/blog/guides/non-fungible-tokens/#The\_Non-Fungible\_Token\_Market](https://opensea.io/blog/guides/non-fungible-tokens/#The_Non-Fungible_Token_Market)

**Check My NFT** — do you know how your NFT assets are stored?  
[https://checkmynft.com/](https://checkmynft.com/)

**How to display crypto art** — showcase sites, digital displays, metaverse galleries  
by William Peaster  
[https://metaversal.banklesshq.com/p/how-to-display-cryptoart-](https://metaversal.banklesshq.com/p/how-to-display-cryptoart-)

**How to use NFT furniture** — collect, display; where, how  
by Gabriella Fuller  
[https://nymag.com/strategist/article/how-to-use-nft-furniture.html](https://nymag.com/strategist/article/how-to-use-nft-furniture.html) 

**How the CryptoPunks took physical form to participate in their first gallery show** — paper wallets and a physical model for digital ownership  
[https://www.larvalabs.com/blog/2019-2-1-15-1/a-physical-model-for-digital-art-ownership-the-cryptopunks-in-their-first-gallery-show](https://www.larvalabs.com/blog/2019-2-1-15-1/a-physical-model-for-digital-art-ownership-the-cryptopunks-in-their-first-gallery-show)

**NFTs: A Legal Guide for Creators and Collectors** — primer on just some of the considerations in the United States  
by Amy Luo  
[https://www.coindesk.com/nfts-a-legal-guide-for-creators-and-collectors](https://www.coindesk.com/nfts-a-legal-guide-for-creators-and-collectors)

### Rankings, Glossaries, Other Resources

**OpenSea  
**[https://opensea.io/rankings](https://opensea.io/rankings)

**CryptoSlam!  
**[https://www.cryptoslam.io/](https://www.cryptoslam.io/)

**CryptoArt  
**[https://cryptoart.io/](https://cryptoart.io/)

**spreadsheet comparing** **NFT platforms**  
[nftart.lol](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1eji5PVW-TQ8FbAaGTFR7tGwYeZ92pQss30ttLJjw3yg/edit#gid=1125331922)

**Crypto Glossary: Cryptocurrencies & Blockchains** — key concepts and terms to know that relate to NFTs (cryptography, proof of stake, more)  
by Alex Pruden and Sonal Chokshi  
[https://a16z.com/2019/11/08/crypto-glossary/](https://a16z.com/2019/11/08/crypto-glossary/)

**language & terminology** — among NFT community online, a thread  
punk6529  
[https://twitter.com/punk6529/status/1433002033242595338](https://twitter.com/punk6529/status/1433002033242595338)

**The Forefront Newsletter** — weekly digest of developments in social tokens, NFTs, DAOs  
[https://forefront.market/newsletter](https://forefront.market/newsletter)

**Zima Red** — newsletter on NFTs, virtual worlds, blockchain games  
[https://andrewsteinwold.substack.com/](https://andrewsteinwold.substack.com/)

### History: Origins; Earlier and Other Forms of Crypto Art, Collectibles, & Games

**Crypto trading cards (1993)** — idea to promote digital cash  
Hal Finney  
[https://protos.com/bitcoin-hal-finney-predict-nft-market-joke-1993/](https://protos.com/bitcoin-hal-finney-predict-nft-market-joke-1993/)

**Colored coins (2012)** — earliest NFT project (tracking origin of a given bitcoin to distinguish it from the rest so it can have special properties or value for various applications)  
by Yoni Assia, Vitalik Buterin, Lior Hakim, Meni Rosenfeld  
[web pdf](http://bitpaper.info/serve/AMIfv94V0F8kxt1ACXga9Tc1V0jm-u-Jf2evCmcHWsZJmYSBG6JB5qA5E3J5eNToOSfOFs7LKfC6X8Y-_nUQR-C-qQC10aruJIVDG0ueU_qdZ4yG5l_VftKoBXs1xzpZHgCTx23tErQ1glKv0XrDC07gvNNINlM-QV1pWzdqhCM1MtubSUA7fyg.pdf)

**History of NFTs** — from and before CryptoKitties onwards, games, and other experiments  
by Devin Finzer  
[https://opensea.io/blog/guides/non-fungible-tokens/#History\_of\_non-fungible\_tokens\_2017\_2020](https://opensea.io/blog/guides/non-fungible-tokens/#History_of_non-fungible_tokens_2017_2020)

**Rare Pepe (2017)** — digital trading cards  
by Fred Wilson  
[http://avc.com/2017/05/rare-pepe/](http://avc.com/2017/05/rare-pepe/)

**Skin-in-the-game coins (2018)** — reputation mining, token-curated registries, early utility tokens  
by Ryan Selkis  
[https://medium.com/messaricrypto/skin-in-the-game-coins-da0afdfdc650](https://medium.com/messaricrypto/skin-in-the-game-coins-da0afdfdc650)

**Will cryptocurrencies be the art market’s next big thing? (2018)**  
by Scott Reyburn  
[https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/13/arts/cryptocurrency-art-market.html](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/13/arts/cryptocurrency-art-market.html)

**Smart media tokens (2017)  
**from Steemit  
[https://smt.steem.io/smt-whitepaper.pdf](https://smt.steem.io/smt-whitepaper.pdf)

**Digital collectibles and the weird future of “digibles”  
**by Josh Stark  
[https://hackernoon.com/digital-collectibles-and-the-weird-future-of-digibles-f75f4bf0f9aa](https://hackernoon.com/digital-collectibles-and-the-weird-future-of-digibles-f75f4bf0f9aa)

**How to code your own cryptokitties-style game on Ethereum (2017)  
**by James Martin Duffy  
[https://medium.com/loom-network/how-to-code-your-own-cryptokitties-style-game-on-ethereum-7c8ac86a4eb3](https://medium.com/loom-network/how-to-code-your-own-cryptokitties-style-game-on-ethereum-7c8ac86a4eb3)

*Acknowledgements: Thanks also to Guy Wuollet and Carra Wu for their additions above as well*

*image: [Mona Lisa](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Da_Vinci%27s_Mona_Lisa_with_original_colors_approximation.jpg)/ [Creative Commons 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en); changes made by Greg Truesdell per Sonal Chokshi*

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Source: [NFT Canon](https://a16zcrypto.com/posts/article/nft-canon) — a16z crypto. Full archive: https://a16zcrypto.com/posts