Comic-Con guru says storytelling is the key component for successful NFT projects

NFT Steez, a new weekly Cointelegraph podcast exploring nonfungible tokens and Web3 projects, spoke to Comic-Con legend Gareb Shamus about how he has used storytelling to build engagement and a “maker world” that grows and strengthens communities.

What started off as a newsletter about comics — Shamus’ passion project — ultimately 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 within 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’s a natural synergy between comics and NFTs.

“We need to promote storytelling”

When asked about the role storytelling will play in the Kumite NFT project, Shamus explained that Web3 allows for greater participation and engagement whereby multiple stories, from multiple 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 in their journey.” 

Regarding sustainability, Shamus said it was essential for Kumite to develop a “gaming mechanic” from day one — one that enables holders to not only participate but recognize that the story is not linear, as the community can participate and have a say as to how the story will progress.

Pondering future trends for Web3

When asked about future trends for NFTs, community and Web3, Shamus went out on a limb and suggested that there certainly has to be a semblance of a “morality guideline,” but the ultimate goal in exploring these uncharted territories of Web3 is to allow people to “explore their creativity.”

Shamus believes it would be a “mistake” to assume the team behind Kumite will take full control of the project’s lore. Instead, holders can create and develop the story of their respective characters, as according to Shamus, the fans can very well “create better stories” than the team can.

Placing restraints on creativity is the way “it’s always been,” said Shamus and Web3, and NFTs have unlocked the means to tap into “global creativity,” especially when it comes to storytelling. The most exciting element of limitless creativity, said Shamus, is that “you don’t know where it’s going to go” — and therein lies the fun.

For more on the chat with Shamus, make 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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