NFT use cases
After reading this article, you'll understand why NFTs are helpful and how to use them in real life.
Introduction
Non-fungible token (NFT) is a type of unique digital asset that can't be replaced by another identical asset. This article describes the approaches and use cases of NFTs already implemented in TON Blockchain.
Item ownership
Non-fungible tokens are mostly known as cool pictures that can be bought and sold on NFT marketplaces like OpenSea or getgems.io.
NFT pictures and collections are funny and help people understand the concept of blockchain-based ownership. However, in the long term, the NFT focus should shift beyond this to illustrate its wide variety of potential use cases.
In 2024, Telegram introduced gifts as NFT items.
Support an artist
One of the initial motivations behind the development of NFTs was finding a way to support artists by buying their works packed as collections of NFTs stored in the blockchain.
In this way, artists could make money by selling new works and receiving royalties from subsequent resales of the NFT on the market.
This use case is one of the most common reasons why marketplaces like getgems.io or OpenSea are part of the essential infrastructure of any blockchain nowadays.
Accounts as NFTs
In November, the Telegram team launched the Fragment marketplace. This marketplace allows anyone to buy and sell Telegram usernames or Anonymous Numbers backed by an NFT on the TON Blockchain.
Moreover, in 2022, the Telegram team released No-SIM sign-up. You can buy a virtual phone number as an NFT to sign up in Telegram Messenger and ensure that your privacy is secured by the TON Blockchain.
Domain as an NFT
The TON DNS service works fully on-chain. If you want to own a domain in the decentralized web backed by TON like mystore.ton you need to buy the NFT domain on DNS marketplace for your wallet and pay a rental fee for storing and processing data in the blockchain.
You can also use the NFT usernames bought on Fragment for TON DNS to bind them to your wallet and use your username.t.me NFT as a wallet address.
NFT as an address for your wallet
Everyone in crypto understands the idea of a unique wallet address like Egbt...Ybgx.
But if you want to receive money from your mom, it's a useless approach to blockchain mass adoption!
That's why a wallet backed by the domain billy.ton would work better for users outside of crypto.
Various TON wallet apps, like Tonkeeper wallet, have already implemented this approach. You can go ahead and check it out now.
Ticket as an NFT
NFT tickets provide an excellent solution for verifying access to events, like concerts or conferences.
Owning an NFT ticket offers several unique advantages:
First and foremost, NFT tickets cannot be forged or copied, eliminating the possibility of fraudulently selling fake tickets. This NFT property ensures that buyers can trust the ticket's authenticity and the seller's legitimacy, giving them confidence in what they're paying for.
Secondly, NFT tickets open up exciting opportunities for collecting. As the owner of an NFT ticket, you can store it in your digital wallet and have access to a whole collection of tickets from various events. This opportunity creates a new aesthetic and financial satisfaction for music and art lovers.
Thirdly, NFT tickets provide accessibility and convenience. Users can quickly transfer NFTs using digital wallets, which eliminates the hassle of physically receiving or sending tickets. The process of exchanging tickets with friends or purchasing them on the secondary market becomes simpler and more convenient.
Additionally, owning an NFT ticket can include extra benefits and special privileges. Some artists or organizers may offer NFT ticket holders exclusive backstage access, meet-and-greets with artists, or other bonuses, adding to the unique cultural experience for NFT ticket holders.
Authorization token as an NFT
Using NFTs as authorization tokens introduces a revolutionary approach to granting access rights and permissions.
NFT tokens ensure elevated security and cannot be easily copied or forged. This eliminates the risk of unauthorized access or fake authentication and provides reliable authentication.
Furthermore, thanks to their transparency and traceability, the authenticity and ownership of an NFT authorization token unlock easy verification. This feature ensures convenient access to various platforms, services, or restricted content.
It's also worth mentioning that NFTs provide flexibility and adaptability in managing permissions. Since you can programmatically encode NFTs with specific access rules or attributes, they can adapt to different authorization requirements. This flexibility allows for fine-grained control over access levels, granting or revoking permissions as needed, which can be particularly valuable in scenarios that require hierarchical access or temporary authorization restrictions.
One of the services currently offering NFT authentication is Playmuse, a media service built on the TON blockchain. This service aims to attract Web3 musicians and other creators.
Owners of NFTs from Playmuse gain access to the holders' chat. Participating in this chat allows you to influence the service's development direction, vote on various initiatives, and receive early access to presales and NFT auctions featuring renowned creators.
A Telegram bot facilitates access to the chat by verifying the presence of a Playmuse NFT in the user's wallet.
It is important to note that this is just one example. As TON Ecosystem evolves, new services and technologies for authentication via NFTs may emerge. Keeping up with the latest developments in the TON space can help identify other platforms or open-source projects that provide similar authentication capabilities.
NFT as a virtual asset in games
NFT integrated into a game allows players to own and trade in-game items in a verifiable and secure way, which adds an extra layer of value and excitement to the game.