Comic-Con guru says storytelling is key component for successful NFT projects
NFT Steeza new weekly Cointelegraph podcast exploring non-fungible tokens and Web3 projects, spoke with Comic-Con legend Gareb Shamus about how he’s used storytelling to build engagement and a “maker world” that grows and empowers communities.
What started as a comics newsletter – Shamus’ passion project – eventually became known to the world as Wizard magazine. According to Shamus, Wizard was an outlet where he could “create a voice” and share with his friends the things he had discovered that excited him.
Shamus touched on the importance of building elements of engagement and not limiting creativity in communities to further “unite them around what they love.” More importantly, he explained how building engagement allowed him to reach billions of people around the world in a way that made it “fun to be a fan of culture.”
According to him, there is a natural synergy between comics and NFTs.
“We must promote storytelling”
When asked about the role storytelling will play in the Kumite NFT project, Shamus explained that Web3 provides the opportunity for greater participation and engagement where more stories, from more points of view, can be told and expressed. Shamus described Kumite NFT as bringing the hero’s journey to holders, and in this way “everyone can be a hero on their journey.”
In terms of sustainability, Shamus said it was important for Kumite to develop a “game mechanic” from day one – one that allows holders to not only participate, but also recognize that the story is not linear, as the community can participate and have an opinion about how the story will develop.
Contemplating future trends for Web3
When asked about future trends for NFTs, community, and Web3, Shamus went all out and suggested that there certainly needs to be some semblance of a “morality guideline,” but the ultimate goal of exploring these uncharted territories of Web3 is to allowing people to “explore their creativity.”
Shamus believes it would be a “mistake” to assume that the team behind Kumite will take full control of the project’s history. Instead, holders can create and develop the story of their respective characters, as according to Shamus, the fans may very well “create better stories” than the team can.
Placing limits on creativity is the way “it’s always been,” Shamus and Web3 said, and NFTs have unlocked the means to harness “global creativity,” especially when it comes to storytelling. The most exciting element of limitless creativity, Shamus said, is that “you don’t know where it’s going to go” — and therein lies the fun.
For more on the chat with Shamus, be sure to listen to the full episode of NFT Steez on the new Cointelegraph Podcast page or on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or TuneIn.
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