Tag: digital art

Forgotten Playland's NFTs Unlock Southeast Asian Artists' Untapped Potential

Forgotten Playland's NFTs Unlock Southeast Asian Artists' Untapped Potential

• Commentary

Forgotten Playland is an experimental social indie party game evoking a stylized attic atmosphere. On the surface, it would appear to be a universe apart from the dynamic creative sphere of Southeast Asia. Its recent addition of support for NFTs flips the script. This kind of initiative can connect underappreciated...

5 Ways Decentralized Token Launches Empower Emerging Artists Now

5 Ways Decentralized Token Launches Empower Emerging Artists Now

• Commentary

The crypto world had promised a revolution, a democratization of finance. Recently, it has seemed like the same old inequitable power structures are just donning a blockchain veneer. Venture Capital firms are the de facto new Medici family, picking winners and losers and sitting on billions. Centralized exchanges are the...

5 Ways Quantum-Proofing Bitcoin Empowers Emerging Artists in Web3

5 Ways Quantum-Proofing Bitcoin Empowers Emerging Artists in Web3

• Commentary

Okay, let's talk about something really important: the future of art, money, and freedom, especially for those hustling in Southeast Asia. You might be thinking, "Quantum physics? Bitcoin? What does this have to do with me, an artist trying to make a living?" Everything. Absolutely everything.Project Eleven’s recent $6 million...

Pengu Clash Dip: Is Web3 Gaming Failing Emerging Artists?

Pengu Clash Dip: Is Web3 Gaming Failing Emerging Artists?

• Commentary

The release of Pudgy Penguins’ Pengu Clash was heralded as a success for the Web3 gaming sector. A fun, “play-to-win” mini-game developed on the TON blockchain, creating yet another stride forward for NFTs. Except… the PENGU token sank almost 8% right out of the gate.While analysts point to market volatility,...

Pump.fun: Democratizing Crypto or Just Another Digital Casino for Artists?

Pump.fun: Democratizing Crypto or Just Another Digital Casino for Artists?

• Commentary

On a visit in September last year to Jakarta I met a wonderful young artist who is making waves – Anya. She’s super talented, creating these moody, almost ethereal digital art works based on Indonesian myth. Anya put everything that she had into her art, and she was reaching a...

NFT Casinos: Empowering Southeast Asian Artists or Exploiting Them?

NFT Casinos: Empowering Southeast Asian Artists or Exploiting Them?

• Commentary

Add in the birth of “NFT casinos”—aka, let’s be honest here, crypto casinos—and a decentralized future arrives, full of potential and on the cusp of revolutionizing everything. Let’s ask a critical question: Whose future are we celebrating? If not, are we really empowering Southeast Asian artists, or just remaking exploitation...

5 Ways Crypto-Native DevOps Empowers Southeast Asian Artists in Web3

5 Ways Crypto-Native DevOps Empowers Southeast Asian Artists in Web3

• Commentary

In this context, Southeast Asian artists—marginalized even within the larger Asian American and Pacific Islander category—are at the brink of an exciting revolution. Web3 does hold the promise of greater democratization of access, but the technical hurdles might seem tedious or impossible at times. Crypto-native DevOps provides that lifeline, turning...

NFTs Are Dying But Southeast Asia's Artists Can Still Thrive

NFTs Are Dying But Southeast Asia's Artists Can Still Thrive

• Commentary

The NFT bubble has burst. We all saw it coming, didn't we? And now headlines are shouting about the massive decrease in trading volumes. With each passing day, marketplaces shutter their digital doors for good and “I told you so” vibes fill the crypto-sphere. So it would be very easy...

GENIUS Act Ignites Southeast Asian Artists' Crypto Dreams or Nightmares?

GENIUS Act Ignites Southeast Asian Artists' Crypto Dreams or Nightmares?

• Commentary

To do just this, the U.S. Senate recently passed the GENIUS Act which would help ensure crypto—particularly stablecoins—are effectively regulated. What does this all mean for the amazing, exciting, developing creative class in SEA? A major step towards legitimacy, or a Western-imposed stranglehold on innovation. The response, like a great...

5 Ways UK Crypto Regulation Can Empower Southeast Asian Artists

5 Ways UK Crypto Regulation Can Empower Southeast Asian Artists

• Commentary

Let's face it, when we hear about UK crypto regulation, Southeast Asian artists probably aren't the first thing that springs to mind. That's precisely where the opportunity lies. Creating out-of-the-box connections is essential. Smart regulation in one corner of the globe can send a positive ripple effect around the world,...

Japan's Bitcoin Revolution: A Boon for Artists and Web3 Creators?

Is Japan on the verge of accidentally unleashing a tsunami of creative destruction and financial liberation onto the rest of the emerging markets? I know this seems like a tall order, but hear me out. Japan’s regulatory change to officially recognize Bitcoin as a financial product. This step is a...

Crypto's 'Light-Touch' Regulation Gamble Will It Protect You?

The Senate Committee’s proposed “light-touch” regulatory framework for crypto is a long high-stakes poker game. Are we all truly holding a winning hand, or are we collectively bluffing our way into a future financial crisis? It’s a question every investor, every innovator, and frankly, every citizen should want to know....

Trump Jr. at KBW2025: Web3's Punk Rock Moment or Sellout?

Or I think about Nandar, a wonderful Burmese artist that I met in Yangon, sharing with me her latest NFT collection. Each work exploded with vivid imagery, bravely fighting back against the junta’s repressive hold. She began selling them directly to supporters around the world, allowing her to cleverly sidestep...

KBW2025: Is Trump Jr. Web3's Trojan Horse or its Savior?

Donald Trump Jr. at Korea Blockchain Week? It's a head-scratcher, isn't it? About as easy as locating a MAGA hat at a Burning Man soirée. Before we put this down as just another short-lived publicity stunt, let’s take a closer look at what this could IoTally Web3 means. Cynical ploy...

Schiff's Crypto Ban: Is He Protecting Us or Silencing Innovation?

Senator Adam Schiff's proposed crypto ban, the COIN Act, aimed at preventing the President (read: Donald Trump) from dabbling in digital assets, raises a critical question: Is this genuine protection against corruption, or a veiled attempt to stifle innovation, especially for emerging markets? Let's be real, the optics are terrible....

Immutable's Gamble: Will Gas-Free Trading Save Web3 Gaming?

Yet the hype around Web3 gaming is real, offering gamers true digital ownership and player-driven economies. Let’s get real: that promise usually meets a very different fate. High gas fees and a clunky user experience can quickly derail those intentions. Immutable is taking a big bet with its zkEVM and...

Kazakhstan's Solana Zone: A Web3 Oasis or Just Another Crypto Mirage?

Is Kazakhstan really developing a true Web3 utopia, or just another playground for the crypto elite? The establishment of a Solana Economic Zone Kazakhstan (SEZ KZ) in Astana has generated much enthusiasm but criticism. The prospect of a blockchain-powered haven in Central Asia, however, is tantalizing. We need to take...