DcentralCon came to Austin, Texas, this month and showcased some of the biggest names in Web3. Founders, influencers and entertainers showed up in Bat City to discuss and promote blockchain technology in its various forms. 

Women in blockchain

At the convention, BCCN3 spoke with Kitty Grier, founder of NFTGirlGang, and Phu Styles, founder of Women In Blockchain Foundation, both of whom were keynote speakers. We got their perspectives on women in the web3 on our podcast, BCCN3 Talk. 

Women have been underrepresented in the web3 space, but that trend is now shifting. They each told us that many women have found the blockchain space to be an intimidating ecosystem to learn and ask questions. 

Ms. Grier’s and Ms. Styles’ respective organizations provide women with the knowledge and tools needed to succeed in Web3. In these more relaxed ecosystems learning is better promoted.

As such, they both told us that they are seeing an emerging trend of more women entering the web3 space.

Metaverse and gamefi: the next big thing

Many in the Web3 space believe that the NFT market has reached the zenith of its fascination with expensive images and moved on to a more utilitarian value. 

We spoke with Ian Balina, founder of Tokenmetrics, who told us his view of where NFTs are going next. 

“The primary driver for [the next bull run] will be the metaverse and gaming. That’s the natural evolution. NFTs have taken crypto mainstream but then they have to hand off the baton to something that goes on top of that. That’s where gaming and metaverse come in.”

Certainly, tokenization has much more practicality than what it is currently known for in the broader culture. 

“GameFi is the next frontier. It kind of brings everything together; the next internet, ownership, the creator economy. Bringing everything together into something that has actual utility.”

Though many gamers have a negative view of NFTs being used in gaming, it is no less true that gaming is the natural first gateway to the metaverse economy. Gaming is the natural ecosystem for cryptocurrencies and NFTs to dominate with utility since they come prebuilt with NFT-friendly elements such as custom worlds, in-game economies and avatars

NFT utility ideas

The practical applications of tokenization is a truly untapped market. From real estate deeds to music production to fashion and luxury goods, the application of non-fungible tokens is only just beginning.

In the same interview with Mr. Balina, he told us his view on NFT utility:

“This bull run, in particular, there was actual utility. And that was primarily driven by NFTs… [they] gave Ethereum and other blockchains actual utility. From minting tokens, having actual ownership, creating the Creator and Ownership economy.”

Web3 outlook

DcentralCon Austin showed the fervent enthusiasm from some of the biggest names in the industry; about all the ways blockchain technology is providing solutions like nothing else can. The biggest takeaway is each speakers’ belief that the blockchain is the essential groundwork for building the future.

Join the discussion on our Discord and Reddit.