Ever since skateboarding’s earliest days in the mid-20th century, it has held significant staying power as a countercultural symbol. It’s no surprise then, that various NFT projects have sprung up over the last year centered around this sport, hobby, and cultural mainstay. With so many facets of skateboarding to explore, there is a litany of ways upon which skateboarding NFT projects can execute their visions.
But there’s another reason skateboarding makes so much sense for NFTs: community. NFTs saw such a meteoric rise over 2021, with continued growth to this day despite the state of the market, due in large part to projects harnessing the power of community. Inexplicably, we’ve even seen large groups of the NFT community form a sort of goblin horde in the past weeks. So how does this relate to skateboarding? Followers of this subculture know that above all else, it’s a community.
In line with this, we’re highlighting four NFT projects primed to serve this community IRL and online.
Buy an NFT, help build a skatepark
NFTs being used for fundraising efforts is nothing new. Projects throughout the space have raised funds for everything under the sun, ranging from medical research all the way to the maintenance of a regenerative farm. So why not use NFTs to build a skate park? That’s exactly what Vancouver-based digital artist Fvckrender had in mind.
Instead of waiting around for a city-sponsored skatepark to clear numerous bureaucratic hurdles and complete construction, he decided to take this matter into his own hands. His upcoming project Fvck Park is slated to offer supporters digital — and physical — pieces of this planned IRL skatepark.
An interactive skateboarding NFT collection
Surprisingly, taking inspiration from the beloved Tony Hawk video game series isn’t the only route to creating an interactive experience centered around skateboarding. Upcoming game PLAYSK8 is a collectible card game that allows players to pit their collections against others in a virtual game of S-K-A-T-E.
So how does this work? Each card in SK8’s collection corresponds to a real skateboarding trick, and with it comes a built-in success rate. Whoever rolls three failed tricks first loses the match. Aside from this card game, PLAYSK8 also has a host of IRL merch, parties, and skatepark sessions planned in its roadmap.
Into the Sk8verse
With the inactivity of both EA’s Skate. franchise and the Tony Hawk video game franchise, the skateboarding video game genre is wide open. Several developers in the Web3 space are well aware of this, including the devs behind the upcoming Sk8verse video game.
As of writing, they’ve released a Founder’s Collection of NFTs consisting of virtual skateboard decks to help raise funds for the game’s development. Subsequently, they’re allowing these early supporters to provide design input on in-game decks. Development for the game is still in very early stages, but hopefully, the finished product will be able to scratch a long-present itch for gamers looking for a virtual skating experience.
A challenger appears
Another developer hoping to deliver a skateboarding video game project to the gaming masses is the team behind the upcoming SkateX. Headed by game industry veterans from developers like EA, Lucasfilm, Roblox, and Supercell, they’re starting off with an NFT drop hosted on green blockchain Solana. This drop is set to contain over 10,000 decks by artists like L’Amour Supreme, Hydro74, Novy, and Jimbo Phillips.
These NFT decks are planned to be usable in-game once development is complete. According to a blog post by its developers, gamers will also be able to collect in-game streetwear for their avatars as NFTs.