Why people are buying cartoon cats on the blockchain

Forget cryptocurrencies. These are cryptocollectibles.
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Every time you send something on the internet, it’s a copy. But using new technology, can we make digital goods that are... rare?
That’s the question behind CryptoKitties, a new game to buy, breed, and sell digital cats on the blockchain. These cats are more similar to real-world collectibles like beanie babies or baseball cards than they are to cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin or Ethereum.
In just the last few months, a whole community of third party sites and services has formed around CryptoKitties. And fans have spent more than $23 million playing along.
All of this is made possible by the clever and surprising code behind the game.
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[@Vox]

Watch the Verge video on prescription gaming, that Cleo mentions at the end, right here: bit.ly/2kld1op

[@Hello-qd3uy]

Why didn't you pin my comment?

[@joshotter4919]

Hey digital scarcity has been around for awhile before cryptokitties, one of the first and most popular is Pepe the frog and the term "Rare Pepe"

[@sandeepbanik]

What if I use a data driven technique like neural networks on the existing data of cats and their generation to uncover/decode the breeding mechanism ? Would that break the system ? What do you think verge ?

[@MrMysticphantom]

Just like art collection is one of the main places to store illegal money and avoid taxes, cryptokitties and their ilk will be the next level of this same problem, except much harder to deal with as it is in the digital space You might have a breaking story there (with this)which you can make a video out of. Just saying ;> There is already a lot happening, just not enough people know about it, unfortunately, hint hint. And you can actually find this nonsense if you just focus on it with a little research since it's hidden in plain sight.

[@Manuel_FM]

Vox can you do a video about flixxo?

[@zuko1569]

What new pokemon game is this

[@fittony]

a duelling game would of been a better use/mechanic, although, it would really been a Pay to Win game.

[@Hieroph4nt]

I always find you

[@Hieroph4nt]

This is like the 8th time

[@rasmusn.e.m1064]

"Pokémon $$"

[@klouiss686]

Gotta buy em all

[@kantpiyush12]

she looks like a mix of Natalie Portman & Keira Knightley

[@kierenmoore3236]

Yes, she is very beautiful.

[@VirgilioDeAndrade]

She was breed from them both on the blockchain. She exists only there, in the servers.

[@amitrajput8299]

What's her name?

[@MrJasa89]

I was just thinking exactly the same thing and I scrolled down the comments and there it is! :D

[@tommy35ss]

José Virgilio That was the COTD 🤣

[@BobTh3Bully]

“Digital scarcity is brand new” Tell that to the people trading and selling items on steam for years and years, like rare counter strike skins.

[@DarrenNoFun]

Tell that to Runescape users and their stupid party hats that I could never get my digi hands on...

[@DontTouchThatPootisBird]

Iv made over 500 bucks off trading.

[@thaerosthedragon1930]

Or tf2 hats…

[@zippyL8]

Thecontrodude proversial tell that to website designers who make custom CSS feature/designs

[@the_real_vdegenne]

what they really mean is it's decentralised. If one day the counter strike server responsible for saving your skin purchase record explodes, everybody could start to copy paste your skin file in their own counter strike directory and play it like you never owned it at any point of your lifespan. With a blockchain it's not possible, there is a strong proof that you possess the "thing" and it's impossible to say differently as everyone agrees it is.

[@BakedPotonion]

*over priced adoptables*

[@shaoji2235]

The lack of research with these people really shows.

[@parasiticwasps8536]

Honestly

[@teddybear7247]

yes

[@Tenatic-X]

shaoji, that's not a lack of research. that's the literal truth. Spending 400 dollars on a code is completely absurd

[@slark4201]

O h S h i t M y N i 🅱️ 🅱️ a

[@3p1cand3rs0n]

This is absolutely silly, and proof that people will waste money on anything. ... I want one *right now* ☺️

[@stephoncrack]

Why is it silly?

[@shortcatz]

just like when ur mom adopted you

[@davidhansson7041]

More like I want one *right meow*

[@anonx8822]

Is not a waste, you can breed them and sell them for profit, however it is not as profitable as when it came out

[@rodigoduterte9192]

ElyssaAnderson obsession create a dangerous hobby, it even led to a market bubble and crashed economy. Theres many proof an unhealthy obsession can suffer you more than gain

[@Crazelord91]

I already don't get the appeal of physical collectibles, so this is even more perplexing. The idea of rarity with something digital is fascinating, but at least to me, buying these seems like people with too much money wasting it.

[@roadmaster935]

Yes, exactly the same opinion

[@Mark-kt5mh]

Crazelord91 You could argue that these .... kitties have more permanence and uniqueness than physical objects. You can’t copy blockchain objects.

[@pilotavery]

Gold is useless too. I think gold is worthless. but I know others thing gold is valuable, so I will gladly buy some at the right price to resell.

[@TheXasti]

+Crazelord91, it comes down to what value you assign something. I would argue that a blockchain kitty is worth more than a beanie baby, due to the unique nature of it. With collectibles in general, the price drops when there are multiple copies to be had. The idea of a truly unique item, an one of a kind, is actually very interesting. So having something that is truly "yours" but digital and cute, why not?

[@Mark-kt5mh]

Avery Kucan Gold is valuable to me because it’s a very low resistance electrical conductor and blocks radiation and rf interference very very well. So, it does have practical utility. Your point is still correct though. Tbh I read your comment as “God” not gold, so I was very confused.

[@gemgarcia726]

Oh so this is the precursor to NFTs

[@petar1008]

I am definitely not from this planet.

[@sabryon2765]

VoB That’s pretty edgy

[@traderjedi9002]

You are, dumb like 99% of the population, your are definitely from this planet.

[@adobotachibana732]

He/She is just saying that he/she is ashamed of being part of this world.

[@traderjedi9002]

Spartan 117 he should post that on Lil tay videos not here by seing a amazing technology that allow buying a digital asset that nobody can duplicate using blockchain technology. There is a old french expression that say « when you don’t understand you shut the f*ck up »

[@fhialsdhkt43tg72]

The single biggest waste of money and energy since cryptocurrencies, or in Trader Jedis words "a amazing technology". Another one with barnacles for a brain

[@kagitsune]

Rare Pepes really missed the boat on blockchain 😢⛓️

[@naughtiusmaximus789]

Naomi PR damn, that's a really cool idea. it would be a shame... if someone... stole it...

[@Chris-oo8ue]

there are rare pepes being sold now on the blockchain in the form of trading cards.

[@NexioGames]

Naomi PR pepecoin m8

[@Chris-oo8ue]

medium[dot]com/pepedapp/pepedapp-genesis-deck-is-live-cced3854d916

[@Lius525]

They are rare Pepes, not free market Pepes

[@DarrenNoFun]

Or... I can draw my own cat... It's completely unique, I can make it however I want and I spent nothing... Top that Neopets2018....

[@traderjedi9002]

Yes and people can duplicate it and you wont be able to prove that its yours.

[@glennwilkinson8663]

People could draw their own baseball cards, but that’s not the draw (pun very much intended).

[@randomnumbers84269]

@@traderjedi9002 Who cares who owns it? In the end it's just a picture anyways.

[@dorobee]

and print stickers of your hand-drawn cats... can paste it anywhere you want.

[@stw7120]

@@traderjedi9002 ...ever heard about copyright? You know, the only thing that presumably stops someone from duplicating the cryptocats?

[@TheDutchRiposte]

oh god this is where it all started

[@jonathanpalmquist4894]

She looks like a cross between Natalie Portman and Eleven from Stranger Things. They must have bred her on the blockchain.

[@user-vi4xy1jw7e]

Jonathan Palmquist You've already made this comment multiple times

[@jonathanpalmquist4894]

Christian B Yep, gotta spread the word. Plus I made this one before any of the others.

[@xoopaxoopa414]

Nah she looks like Cleo Abram

[@the_real_vdegenne]

wait.. she is not Natalie Portman ?

[@user-gz1ej4ig1q]

I am applauding

[@retrofury6365]

She looks a lot like Natalie Portman

[@rickhunter7]

Retro Fury I think she looks more like Kiera Knightley

[@AlphaHealthYT]

Actually she looks like Keira Knightley

[@msmeowmeow5107]

Agreed about Kiera

[@anastaspetrovski9576]

What's her name? instant crush

[@DemonZest]

kiera knightley isn't the pseudonym of Nathalie Portman ?

[@benjaminsolsvig5584]

Imagine spending all of your life’s saving on a picture of a cat. what’s next? chimpanzees? Lions? This will never take off.

[@grrr1351]

*"Can a digital good be rare?"* EA *"Can a digital good be expensive?"* EA

[@rauhaus3341]

Digital scarcity isnt brand new? People have been dealing with digital scarcity ever since TF2 had hats added.

[@JuxtaposedStars]

$23 million for some images that will be irrelevant sooner than later and a LOT of waste heat from all those servers and energy burnt for nothing. This the very definition of artificial scarcity. Its single purpose is to generate investor wealth that only leads to an inevitable boom-bust trajectory.

[@krowncarnival]

JuxtaposedStars exactly.

[@chinesesparrows]

Agreed.

[@NewMateo]

Etherium wont be using high end data centers anymore and the blockchain will be as energy efficient as running a normal laptop. You should do research into the technology behind it. Were sitting on the investment opportunity of a lifetime.

[@BullyHunter-sj3hm]

So I guess people shouldn't have hobbies, like toys, games, films....Even fan films? It's a hobby for collectors. Not a financial investment. And all those things like movies, music, toys, games, vintage cars, photography, and more also use energy and money.

[@chenyanhao676]

Bully Hunter1000 You cant compare artistic mediums which bring meaning and entertainment to people to just pure collectibles items. Its like collecting stamps but instead of fun as the primary goal you’re just exploiting a system of trust and mutual benefit among investors that jack up prices artificially. Kryptokitties is most definitely a financial investment

[@jakeroosenbloom]

Host looks like Keira Knightley

[@kovacskristofhun2278]

Jake Roosenbloom Thought the same :)

[@alecambo]

Yaz ma boye

[@jamesjross]

Parlay

[@laketuna]

no

[@OdysseyTag]

Jake Roosenbloom With a bit of Natalie Portman thrown in.

[@KingOChaos_]

Yo. Artists have been doing something like this for years. These are just glorified adoptables/breedables. I find it funny when someone does something that literally a bunch of people have done before and then all of the sudden it's new and innovative. There are no use for these. At least with most adoptables you can use the character and not waist a bunch of money on em. A lot are relatively cheap for what you're actually getting.

[@whoopsydaizy]

Dragon Artz Studios Yep. It's just a virtual pet website. Flight Rising does it better, in my opinion, and they don't glorify themselves.

[@rune2O2O]

So true. Cryptokitties can suck my ass lol ill stick to adoptables for like 5$/points and be able to draw it myself and do whatever with it. This is just pointless lol

[@emmytweetie2177]

Dragon Artz Studios For adoptables you get the image, for cryptokitties you get the code. I still think it's rather overpriced since the code seems rather simple.

[@toygarfieldinacar1048]

Dragon Artz Studios Some are for free! And that's cool

[@PoppyHapalopus]

Exactly!! This is literally just a glorified version of, like, Lioden, except this has worse art

[@oyuyuy]

The "profound idea" that digital goods can be rare and valuable was proven over a decade ago when skins and in-game items were added to the market.

[@traderjedi9002]

BudgeThePutcher unlike using blockchain technology the creators of those games can duplicate, create or remove them

[@Tiedyeban]

Is this what late capitalism looks like?

[@neo69121]

this is only the beginning actually

[@ameyas7726]

So how'z socialism working for you!

[@BullyHunter-sj3hm]

Damian D'Hennissement So you don't have any hobbies or spend any money on entertainment? It's not a financial investment. It's meant as a hobby for collectors and cat lovers

[@xdjrunner]

Bully Hunter1000 most would buy a cat, but hey!

[@JammastaJ23]

Go complain on r/latestagecapitalism

[@ESDAFable]

That dude's not a business revolutionary. 13 year old girls bought and sold colored in horsies with simple breeder coding has been going on since like the late 90s when viewing images online became less of a chore. That's just digital petsites. You can even sell them for bucketloads like this guy claims Cryptokitties is worth, and their transactions are secure because you have a public gallery that everyone can see, and when you sell the "pet", the purchase comes to your gallery. He's doing absolutely nothing new, and not even the best version of the thing. Go look at Flight Rising, that's got prettier art and stuff to actually /do/ with your acquisitions (like dress up or fights)

[@letrokid1121]

"They'll stop selling these rare collectible cats in November of 2018." *Hears this for the first time in 2019.* Me: "............Why......?"

[@thesarahdilemma9752]

Letrokid 11 same

[@__nog642]

The images are the part you don't actually legally own, and they're also the part you can copy infinitely. You can also copy the source code infinitely, you just can't insert it in the block chain so it won't be "legitimate".

[@MatthewDcy]

She’s absolutely beautiful

[@MalitisLP]

making money with cat pictures

[@jacobashcraft9062]

Malitis it's not even making money! It's just collecting crap!

[@krowncarnival]

JakeTheCheeseCake not even collecting you don't own the pictures .

[@jacobashcraft9062]

Dmix remix oh Crap

[@luf4rall]

Neopets

[@eadghe]

More like making money with abominations.

[@nyancat8655]

This just reminds me of "closed species" on DA, it's pretty much the same thing in a way. Someone draws a character a "adopt" if you will. And people bid on them or just autobuy. And in closed species there are traits that are also rare. Cryptokitties is just a more popular and modern version of what artists have been doing for years. And more expensive.

[@arshanmostafavi9621]

Now check out what Bored ape yacht club, mutant ape yacht club , and Pixel vault/Metahero/punks comics are doing !

[@athanasios3019]

Did no one hear about tf2 or cs go cos and skinns before?

[@empru4553]

This uses the blockchain.. its 100% decentralized, no company has control on what you have.

[@rmc667]

And rocket league items like the white hat

[@FizzyDot]

He’s just saying that ‘digital scarcity’ is not even close to being brand new like the video says

[@metaleggman18]

Em Pru 1) he's making a point relating to the notion of digital scarcity, and 2) you actually don't own your crypokitty, perse. The code to the kitty is decentralized, but the image of the cat, as illustrated in the video, is explicitly not because they simply don't have the capability to de-centralize the images in a "robust way."

[@joeymontanez3249]

Lmao. As least you can use those for something.

[@donutello_]

So is this like the new rare pepes

[@thepixelleer8445]

I was thinking that the entire time xD

[@Dylan-oh1li]

or the new pog

[@thedeathlycow]

Wow that’s extremely racist and i, as polygender fluid pangendersexual Afro-Eurasian Pacific Islander American woman, am offended.

[@donutello_]

Deathly Cow Well sorry, but we former blue and white trans black and yellow gender fluid Boeing 707 humans are only stating a fact and you will have no rights to oppose us

[@Boyd2342]

Dio Grando I know its a joke but...comeon guys, i think this is officially the most overused joke. More than the hodor meme back in 2014

[@veerjain7498]

Imagine if someone asks you what your job is and you answer, "I breed bits of code".

[@idaparakila]

deviantart adoptables

[@cureholly.]

paraki-la Yeah lol

[@nyancat8655]

It made me think of that too!

[@alrakiaserpent]

Linda but Not reale because if you by an adobtable you own complete rights on the character Design but Here only a Code.

[@Albanez39]

No, it's an elaborate scam! Differently from Bitcoin, Monero and so on...

[@feelslikeflying23]

Next level Pokémon

[@nemociarenephorus]

Anybody who played neopets might disagree that digital scarcity is a new concept

[@curious-turtle]

That fact that this video is already 3 years old😳😳

[@delusionsofgrandeur1330]

If we can put 23$million towards digital kittens, imagine how much good we could do to help actual human beings without basic needs 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@anfechtung-143bgb4]

It helped to get people to know ETH and making real transactions on it and ETH Network is actually able to Bank the poorest People on the earth, so i think its not totaly useless

[@edand69others65]

I prefer rare pepes

[@JuuzouRCS]

Pepecoin when?!

[@edand69others65]

thatsideofutube 3 so what? Pepe is better than this upgraded MLP junk.

[@edand69others65]

Juuzou Heart they actually should start that, just like DogeCoin

[@jamestang1227]

Really shows the value of an object is only how much we think/say it is.

[@Derpywhalz]

“Digital Scarcity is brand new” *Thinks about TF2, CS:GO, WoW, Dota, LoL, etc.

[@eiehcabs]

Funny how we laughed at this concept back then but look at how NFTs have grown and developed now

[@hedgefund1844]

Yet CryptoKitties are now worthless.

[@janko1]

And we still laugh at this concept

[@graffiti9145]

And we will laugh even more when the NFT bubble burst and becomes worthless like Cryptokitties

[@elainelouve]

This is ridiculous. Cyber pets and games have been around for ages. I bred a new cyber cat breed based on real life genetics already in 2004 and it didn't cost much to play that game.

[@Andre-md1oh]

curvyquill ikr

[@chinesesparrows]

"new" when its all already in the code... its as valuable as a new hash value

[@jimmynguyen9658]

The difference is that this is decentralized. On the previous game you played, the gaming company owned the cat. In cryptokitties you own the cat yourself. It is in your possession completely. If the game shuts down tomorrow, you will still own that piece of the blockchain. This is what creates value in these cats.

[@Kattywampus]

I don't think you understood the video.

[@BullyHunter-sj3hm]

curvyquill you can buy these for as little as $10

[@lechi149]

youre saying digital rarity is brand new as if the cs:go market never existed

[@shan7982]

no, it is. csgo isnt scarcity, you only own a visual representation of that code, not the code itself.

[@GeneralZombie]

のにすこん Agreed

[@neil7737]

のにすこん it's still scarce. The reason why items are worth more than others is due to scarcity. Valve decides on how many items are released and the chances of them appearing. Aestetic and amount of use also play a part but the majority of the price is determined by scarcity.

[@empru4553]

the cats are decentralized, not the csgo skins.

[@lechi149]

facts

[@cheesecakelasagna]

So finding rare Pepes = CrypoPepes?

[@111michiel]

I believe there was pepe trading at one point

[@frebb9270]

Why yt didnt recommend it to me 3 years ago

[@sjohn5779]

Are rich people really this bored?

[@sleepyartist.]

S John seems that way.

[@eadghe]

*Are rich people really this stupid?

[@ameyas7726]

In the meantime, middle class people don't have healthcare, crushing student's debts, while rich people are throwing money at freaking cats (and not even real ones at that)..

[@BullyHunter-sj3hm]

Ameya S so I guess we shouldn't have Fan Films, games, toys, collect vintage items like cars or antiques, movies, music, and other forms of entertainment & hobbies? Entertainment and hobbies provide social benefits for mental health and stress relief. I'm sure you spend money on some form of entertainment or hobby, instead of giving every last cent to charity for healthcare and feeding the poor.

[@douglasneumeyer116]

I mean the Steam Market place has been around for years, games like CSGO and Team Fortress 2 are both infamous for its expensive cosmetics and collectibles. I don’t see how this is the “first” instance of digital rarity.

[@BullyHunter-sj3hm]

Douglas Neumeyer Your buying the code (which can be used to "breed" and create new code) which you own regardless if the company shuts down. Your not buying the image. With cosmetic skins, you don't own the code or image, you have no control. Plus the games creators can shut down the game or remove an item at anytime.

[@cemcoma4195]

Bully Hunter1000 but the video suggest that this is 'The First Collectibles'. That is why he is complaining.

[@emkot8790]

I immediately thought of steam market and specifically the csgo skin market being really serious..

[@BullyHunter-sj3hm]

Cemcoma It says the company is testing an idea "can digital goods be rare". Not that they are the first to ever test that idea. And then they go on to explain how this is different and a new idea, surrounding Ownership of digital collectables. You own the actual code. So it's an actual collectable. But things like in-game items are "yours" only thru licensing but not ownership. The game company actually own those items, and can make more copies if they so wish or remove your items. So this is a new idea using technology to actually own a one-of-a-kibd digital collectable.

[@emkot8790]

Bully Hunter1000 well csgo offers this unique trait as well.. every weapon skin is unique having a very specific pattern or float value which is a number reffering to its paint quality

[@Felix-fj4ib]

This was the beginning of the NFTs

[@sofamiller7133]

Yo, you guys should rerelease this now that NFTs are mainstream.

[@sanchirkh6019]

is she related to Natalie Portman ?

[@hijack69]

She does look like her

[@SAli-uh3qr]

Goat T maybe a doppelgänger

[@TheBijatch]

I think you mean Keira Knightley...

[@sanchirkh6019]

look more carefully and u will notice Keira looks different

[@rasmusn.e.m1064]

Convergent evolution or just a limited human gene pool?

[@MrTohawk]

The entertainment industry is going to use this to prevent piracy.

[@neeneko]

Unlikely. The entertainment industry can already use centralized servers to do something similar, they have no need of a distributed system that does not scale as well.

[@thetwoclearings4109]

MrTohawk That's what I thought too, but after some thinking, here's what it comes down to: Cryptokitties are, on the lowest level, a few lines of code. On a higher level, that code can be used to retrieve a few preset images. That's it. Obviously, entertainment companies are interested in protecting more than a few lines of code, set to retrieve preset images. Say, I want a kitty really bad, but I don't want to pay for it. Who's to keep me from screenshotting it or using Adobe Illustrator to do of myself.

[@NGC1433]

The Watching District! You can screenshot yourself a full garage of lambos, a wife and a life. You can't put it on a blockchain though. And things on blockchain can be verified anywhere in the world instantly. Like, you can check how much Ether or other relevant currency a wallet has. It is there in the open, or not so open with newer private blockchains. These kitties are useless by themselves, but they prove that you can have some digital immutable thing, a digital evidence of sorts, that would take an effort of a developed nation to override. Those attributes are there, digital and cant be overridden realistically.

[@dothedeed]

The heads of movie studios are all old. Even if they understood this technology they'd be reluctant to change

[@desp8161]

That's impossible. The only what would work is if everyone had an completely original movie, which would means billions of movies

[@tristanmoller9498]

This will make sense when we live in the metaverse and need our own non fungible home.

[@omordomo9685]

This is such a sick humanity. We find money to buy a digital file while we have people starving. Meteor... pls, come asap.

[@edi8718]

Amen

[@ignacioiniguez3970]

You guys never heard of CS GO skins

[@BullyHunter-sj3hm]

Ignacio Iniguez You don't own CS:Go or any of it's items. With this, your buying the code and the Copywrite (not the image) The block chain is used to verify your ownership. In gaming, the company can alter, change, or remove any items at will. With these, you own the code and copywrite even if the company closed.

[@user-ey9ny9ie1r]

Bully Hunter1000 it was a joke

[@ingrade9172]

One of my favorite vox videos.

[@ChescoYT]

There was a frog game for the iphone back in 2010 that did the breeding things. Rare digital goods, TF2 hats.

[@dogstreat]

Wow, it got so much worse

[@johnblaze8774]

How sad do I feel right now. Work hard all my life, just being able to afford to live in the cheapest part of town, drive the cheapest car and struggle to make ends meet at the end of the month. Meanwhile a couple people are making £millions selling some stupid cat drawings.

[@lioraselby5328]

Not too different from people making millions off of beanie babies or baseball cards, like they said. Or is your grievance with capitalism itself?

[@tannisroot]

These people came up with a business model , coded the project and launched it with a success. That’s a lot of work. Don’t blame people for achieving success on their own, and if you want change in your life, learn new skills that are in demand and change it yourself.

[@Compins]

Do you want a cookie with your bag of attention? Maybe a fortune cookie? You get it for free, but you only get 1/1.000.000 of it because you have to share it with a million other people. #justcommunismthings

[@ricardobarahona3939]

Compins ??? You dont have to claim communism just for someone criticizing capitalism. It also depends what form of capitalistic system he live in, because many countries have variations of capitalism.

[@Compins]

I know, I know. I just hate it when people complain about their life and how unfair it is that other people have a better one. That's like the stupidest thing you can do if you can't offer anything special in terms of skills. If the only thing you are capable of is speaking one language and math-knowledge of a high school graduate you better don't expect living in a gated community. And let's not forget that luck is a huge factor as well. I especially hate it when they complain about things that can't be changed with a flip of a switch. Not the easiest task to create social and financial balance in a year. Or in five. Or in a decade.

[@alejandropeca7515]

It's called contrived scarcity. Not that new. Also not new the testing of how far can you play with or even inculcate in humans stupidity.

[@johanngaiusisinwingazuluah2116]

I agree with what you say, since it's some goddamn digital cat pics after all. But imagine if something useful in the near future actually comes from the technology itself?

[@alejandropeca7515]

Johann Gaius isiNwinga Zulu Ahuitcoyotzin Hirohito as far as I see it, they are not bringing innovation into society. They are using already amazing technology handed over to them/us (computer science, the internet, etc.) Codes written for combining/permutating variables are also old. For instance for simulating cross-breeding, evolution, etc. Also yes, no one can really predict really the future. But I am confident that no inventor/scientist will draw inspiration from this stupefying BS. (A bit triggered because of the sad comment below of a hard-working guy...)

[@chinesesparrows]

Agreed.

[@IronManExtremis1]

Contrived scarcity is indeed nothing new. A diamond is forever. Got people paying $1,000s for compressed charcoal. Lets not kid ourselves now. The cats are a smorgasbord of a lot of existing tech, but lets not cat ourselves, this bastardization of tech is new and unique.

[@bacura101]

To argue in favor; the valuation comes from the name and team behind that name. Bitcoin isn't expensive because it's fundamentally better than other blockchains (it's relatively slower than some) it's because 1) it was the first and 2) the branding! To argue against; yes, realistically speaking you're not buying anything more than a jpeg that will outlive you and your grand children, same goes for sport memorabilia and people spend millions on that...paradigm shift or short lived trend? guess we'll find out.. Also, i'd recommend you google "the digital economy" and "the internet of things" to better understand the paradigm shift, people born before the computer/internet age tend to have a harder time grasping why there's so much valuation behind blockchain related tech, reading up on those two subjects might provide some insight. ...maybe us millennials are really as stupid as everyone says we are, or maybe we're onto something truly revolutionary ;)

[@nattiebeebaby777]

What about adoptables? They've been around for a while and they do cost money. (They are from the art side of the internet)

[@emmytweetie2177]

Bean juice You get the CODE for the cryptokitties. That's what makes it new. The code is rather simple, but I can see how it can be appealing, especially the breeding feature.

[@ganondorfchampin]

@@emmytweetie2177 The other difference is what ownership of that code means. It's enforced in a different way than it is for adoptables - at least adoptables that aren't sold as CFTs.

[@ThulZathoth]

Ultimately this is just a pet breeding simulator. Online games like this have been around for over a decade. One of these sites, called Wajas, has been around since at least 2006, and another called Pony Island has been around even longer. The only difference is that CryptoKitties users can potentially get real money from selling their virtual pets instead of just in-game points.

[@ganondorfchampin]

No. You could use real money in the old systems as well. What makes this different is the trading can be done autonomously.

[@VocalMusicMinority]

Neopets for real money with no discernable value besides what you yourself appraise it for. Got it.

[@Snix121]

Not what "you appraise it for", what other users are willing to pay for, so a commodity.

[@elfrank333]

You dont understand how the market works...

[@mikejohnstonbob935]

Initial Cat Offering

[@Martinpintos13]

"Can a digital good be rare?" Have you ever heard about *Skins* in videogames?

[@Rohith_E]

The precursor to NFTs

[@TYGR2115]

You did a great job presenting this interesting cryptocraze!

[@babaispink1051]

Some one very clearly hasn’t seen the trading community in tf2 and csgo

[@jasonsmith13th]

I have a curious question maybe vox could answer. Why aren't there hardly any fruit trees? I live in a small town surrounded by corn in Indiana. I see a lot of trees but never see fruit. Why? With how important fruit are to the human diet I would imagine there should be but there's not, and we get our fruit from our local Walmart where they the fruit is shipped in from California.

[@alinoor2149]

This just shows how amazing vox has been repotrting on things that go viral a few years later

[@antoniakristi]

thought for sure she natalie portman

[@RayRayDontPlayPlay]

In all honesty, what makes this any different from the art community? It's a rare, collectible, one of a kind picture that can be imitated but never truly duplicated. Now, do I think the art community value is fair and real? No. But people make a lot of money doing it, so I don't see why people are crapping all over this. Yet if I said, I'm an art dealer you wouldn't bat an eye. Just funny to me.

[@KatzenworldCoUk]

thanks for uploading this!

[@ditto1047]

I knew neopets would take over the world!

[@DrewskiTheLegend]

Because people are dumb and don’t understand crypto, but they don’t want to be left out in the off chance that somehow a commodity that has no physical existence and zero security, becomes worth something, proving that people really will buy anything and will do just about anything short of actual hard work to try and make a profit. There, I answered the question posed by the video.

[@BullyHunter-sj3hm]

DrewskiTheLegend Except these are meant as entertainment and hobby collectables. Not as a financial investment product.

[@normiemango]

I agree, this is a concept and building block for blockchain developers to create even more complex games or services.

[@nathanscanlon2302]

I get the idea that using block chain for digital collectibles is new but as many have said, digital scarcity is not. Epic WoW items, limited edition Eve skins, CS:GO items, the list goes on and dates back at least as far as Ultima online with thier housing market. The only real difference here is the use of block chain and the fact that, unlike a piece if game equipment which is stored on server, this is, in a sense, yours. Interesting to be sure but not ground breaking in my mind.

[@IronManExtremis1]

You don't own the "wow" items. You own the cats as a token. The Gen 0 cats are cat miners. Its different. Don't quit your day job for cats.

[@Zeejoey]

Digital scarcity is not brand new... How did Vox miss decades of virtual economies in online games and digital collectible card games? I guess maybe this is a first for people who are thought of as non-gamers? But even crypto-currencies themselves can be treated as commodities, and their value is built off of digital scarcity. So annoying that this fascinating topic is being treated as "brand new" when it has been an important topic for roughly two decades.

[@potatofries571]

Digital scarcity is not "brand new." Valve has had digital scarcity for their platform which millions of people use for many years, there are items as cheap as three cents and others worth tens of thousands. The items are all digital and are typically used within video games in Valve's platform. For example, a "Dragon Lore" rifle for the Valve game Counter Strike can easily be valued over $10k depending on its condition.Valve also hosts a market were users can buy and sell their items with real money, I've sold Counter Strike items worth tens of dollars as well as bought items with my own money. You can trade them for other items, sell them for paypal money, and even gamble them, and countless third party sites have come up to serve these functions (although the gambling ones have been under fire for allowing children to gamble and lose hundreds to thousands of dollars).Thus while not old, digital scarcity is not brand new; but its weird to see how cryptokitties get far more attention than a platform with millions of people doing the same thing in perhaps a more sophisticated and developed environment.

[@ganondorfchampin]

It's NOT the same thing. The difference is Dragon Lore rifles are only scarce because Valve says they are. With crypto-kitties though the company doesn't actually control the kitties, who ever owns them does. It's scarcity manifests in a much different way, it's actually tied to the data itself rather than where the data is hosted.

[@SeaBassVEVO]

Damn the presenter is very cute

[@vivekmaharaj8672]

Seems like a waste of money.

[@ella4323]

Do you pay somebody else to breed with their crypto kitty, or must you have two of your own?

[@GabrielBaradee]

great video, is ist still worth starting it in 2020 and are there other more recent cryptocollectables to start in 2020

[@rmc667]

Ever heard of a white hat in rocket league. Yeah its worth $7000 There is only 7 The way you get them is by telling the developers about a bug that should be fixed.

[@BullyHunter-sj3hm]

* Thunderclapped except you don't own the code, the image, or Copywrite. With this, your buying the actual code and copywrite. You own the code & Copywrite, which is verified by the block chain. That's why this is new

[@shtuffs]

I think the person is referring to being a white hat hacker, although the white hat thing could be a real thing in Rocket League (I don't play it)

[@SciencewithKatie]

Maybe I missed something.. what makes the code by itself valuable?

[@PanzerFaustFurious]

Science with Katie speculation

[@neeneko]

The value is in other hobbyist willing to trade and buy so that they can have it and use it to produce new generations.

[@grantdewaay4535]

It's a Digital Collectable, so it's one of a kind. It's Value is because it's one of a kind.

[@SciencewithKatie]

neeneko but could one not just write their own code to create a kitty of their own?

[@TagS883]

blockchain makes it impossible to copy and paste a new code into that blockchain they made. The other blocks will reject it. But yeah you can make your own crypto kitty chain with even more scarcity :) I would not touch this with my toe :3

[@user-gz1ej4ig1q]

I need more of this lady's videos

[@mightbebobbie]

this reminds me of my days on gaia online. sometimes they would release a certain amount of items during a special event, and now, they're sold at the marketplace for extremely high prices in game with a currency you buy with real money. It's kind of the same concept, isn't it?

[@Fernando-nz3gm]

This program can be used in any kind of file. Blockchain makes it near impossible to replicate. I can see this used in the future to protect from piracy and illegal copy

[@hfredydl]

Wow a fool and his money are soon parted

[@jackkraken3888]

How they they get that much money though?

[@hfredydl]

Jack Kraken ... it’s a bubble and that means they’re worthless but until it crashes the bubble will rise and peak with unreasonable prices... look up Tulip Mania and you’ll understand although at least a tulip is a physical object... here you only own code, not even an image so the worthless nature of what you bought is even more evident

[@jackkraken3888]

I mean the fools, how did they get their money. I know this thing can't last.

[@hfredydl]

Jack Kraken ... 😂 his parents of course!!!

[@fhialsdhkt43tg72]

At least one advantage.

[@SatanenPerkele]

This is a new level of Deviantart

[@Josue166]

This is why there's homeless people in this world

[@lioraselby5328]

God, I really need to learn how to master the block chain.

[@Ucuz_]

This is getting out of control, wtf

[@Bxu021]

I feel like we already have experienced digital scarcity like how you can get limited edition digital items ether from purchase or participation in an event (ie pokemon or getting unique skins in a game or limited run music in a game)

[@lefthand8051]

I didn't know Nathalie Portman was working for vox now.

[@leopoldstotch8479]

Reminds me of Steam Trading Cards. So it's not brand new, just new to the blockchain

[@BullyHunter-sj3hm]

Leopold Stotch Except, you actually own the code for these (not the image) which can be combined with other code to "breed" new code (a new cat). Within games, for instance, the items and images are actually owned by the creators and can be removed or modified at the owners will. Your just licensing the product, not owning the product. With these, you own the code, you own the Copywrite. Even if the company shuts down, you retain & own the unique code.

[@salokin3087]

Alright, i'm done with humanity, we deserve our hell

[@TagS883]

Idd. Useless use of blockchain.

[@Miggy9]

edge

[@Goldbob360]

The technology behind it is actually a credit to humanity

[@paullalalapauly9929]

Salokin this was your breaking point ? Not war or crocs ?

[@houssembenabdallah6599]

or alien invasion.

[@lwcaexii]

Hey, this is just like those old games where you'd breed virtual ponies which were generated by a similar code idea. It's wild this idea has just gotten big now.

[@theproffessional9]

"Digital scarcity is brand new" >tf2 australium weapons >tf2 australium pan >unusual hats >weapon rarities in CS:GO

[@arthurg5966]

New member at Vox

[@AvalenFrost]

Is digital scarcity new? Haven't videos games, that involve grinding, been doing this? Especially with loot crates that can be sold and traded, I don't believe digital scarcity is new at all.

[@BullyHunter-sj3hm]

xKazaf The video explains, your buying the code (not the image) and you actually own the Copywrite which is verified on the block chain. In games, your licensing the product, and the company can remove, change, or close the product at their will. You don't own the product, the code, or the Copywrite. That's why this is New

[@Christiahn]

Is it really scarce if you can just take a screenshot or make your own in Adobe illustrator?