Before 2021, few people had heard the term non-fungible-token, aka NFT. A year later, the world has lived through an NFT boom, with everyone from sports stars to fashion houses jumping on the bandwagon of the latest blockchain-related trend. 

NFTs have gone mainstream faster than anyone could have predicted, changing everything from how we consume art to how we play online games.  

This new multibillion-dollar industry has experienced a few setbacks over the past year, but that hasn't dampened the public's enthusiasm for these digital assets. NFT products continue to influence how we buy, sell, and create everything from videos to art and music. 

As we approach the midway point of 2022, it's a good time to look at this year's biggest NFT trends.   

Gaming 

NFTs are one of the most talked-about new trends in the gaming industry. Blockchain-based games began trending in 2021, with gamers taking advantage of the new play-to-earn model. 

Many games have incorporated NFTS, including slots, card-collecting, and adventure games. One of the most popular ways to use NFTs in a game is to allow players to collect, trade, and sell them. Unlike traditional video games, when a player buys a skin, weapon, or other in-game assets, it's theirs to keep. 

NFTs used in blockchain-based games are transferable and not locked into a single game's ecosystem, giving players the freedom to move their assets from one game to another. While blockchain-based games are still in their infancy, we can expect to see these games evolve quickly. 

Fractionalized Art 

For ordinary citizens, money has always been a barrier to entry into the art world. Historically, if you wanted to own a renowned piece of art, you had to fork out lots of cold hard cash, and only the wealthy could afford to hang Monet, Picasso, or Rembrandt artwork in their homes. 

Imagining owning a fractional piece of a famous work of art? With NFTs, you can do just that. NFTs seek to democratize artwork by turning the existing model on its head. As one of the biggest NFT trends, fractionalized art may succeed in equalizing the world of high art.  

NFT Loans 

Are you strapped for cash? If so, NFT loans offer a solution. NFT enthusiasts are now using NFTs as collateral when taking out loans on crypto exchanges and marketplaces. Nexo, ETNA, OpenSea, NFTFi. Arcade and Drops are just a few well-known platforms where you can use your NFTs as collateral.  

The Metaverse 

Like NFTs, the metaverse was virtually unknown until last year. Ever since Mark Zuckerburg announced the rebranding of Facebook to Meta, the world hasn't stopped talking about what the metaverse is and what it could become. 

What we do know is that the metaverse is a digital world that mimics reality, with some arguing it could replace reality as we know it.  

Since NFTs are unique digital assets, they're expected to play a prominent role in the development of the metaverse. In the same way that people collect rare items in the real world; they'll do the same in the metaverse using NFTs. 

Many well-known brands are already rushing to make a name for themselves using NFTs in the metaverse, and we expect the trend to continue well beyond 2022.  

Hollywood 

Crowdfunding, merchandising, and monetizing film and TV projects, are just a few ways NFTs are changing Hollywood. The live-action NFT TV series GenZeroes debuted earlier this year, and buyers of the NFT sold by the animated web comedy Stoner Cats got exclusive access to episodes of the show. 

You can expect NFTs to continue making inroads into Hollywood as their profile continues to rise.