• barsoap@lemm.ee
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    2 days ago

    NFTs would make sense for things like tradable software licenses. E.g steam is going to be forced to allow users to sell their games soonish (they’re appealing the ruling and it’s only a matter of time until they lose) and you wouldn’t want such a license to be tied to a particular marketplace, so NFTs make sense: The game publisher mints it, it’s tradable freely, sites like steam and gog can look at them and say “yep this hasn’t been tampered with and was minted by the publisher”, and serve you the game files. Presumably they’d want you to occasionally buy something on their platform to let you use their servers to download games they didn’t sell you, or you could pay a small sum for the service.

    The NFT itself, of course, doesn’t enforce anything. It’s just a non-fungible token representing usage rights in the game. Like a cd key but more secure, for the publisher (key can’t be duplicated / used multiple times, I mean a platform that would allow that could just as well go all the way and be a torrent release group) and the buyer (can check validity of key before spending money) and seller (buyer can’t claim bullshit like “key didn’t work”).

    What you probably would not do is put that stuff on already-existing blockchains because why should the industry pay ludicrous transaction fees when you can roll your own.

    • finitebanjo@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      We could call it an “Activation Code” or “Software License Key”…

      Jokes aside how is it more secure than a CD Key to be on the blockchain? Also remember that form of validation would require online status, making it equivalent to CD Key security in that regard.

      • barsoap@lemm.ee
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        1 day ago

        A CD doesn’t really mean anything, the license and the physical medium generally aren’t tied. If you break the medium but have a backup you’re not pirating anything. I’d say the primary difference to a CD isn’t more or less secure but physical or not.

        Downloading the game also requires an online connection. You’d only need one when you’re buying or selling the license NFT or moving it from one download platform to another, and of course to download the game. Whether you need an online connection to play depends on the game, not the NFT.

        Oh, speaking of: Are you an EU citizen? Have you already signed this?