Developer turns 'future of gaming' talk into a surprise attack on convention's NFT and blockchain sponsors

pcgamer.com:

Game developer Mark Venturelli received a spirited ovation at Brazil's International Games Festival on Friday after he surprised the audience for his «Future of Game Design» talk with a new title: «Why NFTs are a nightmare.» It was a loud statement against blockchain's push into gaming, one of the most divisive trends this year. The festival's list of 2022 sponsors include several NFT and blockchain companies, including Lakea and Ripio, and the festival's programming included panels from those sponsors, such as «Web3 and the New Generation of Games.»

Venturelli, who is best known for the game Chroma Squad, didn't just push back against those talks by calling NFTs a nightmare: He argued in detail that they're bad for gaming and run directly counter to his vision for the future of game design.

In a follow-up interview with PC Gamer, Venturelli said the event's blockchain sponsors needed «to buy their relevance, because they're not relevant.»

«These people are outsiders here, they're not important,» says Venturelli. «They're just trying to buy their relevance, because they have no actual influence over the future of our industry. If you just give them this space uncontested, you're just giving them exactly what they want, and buying their narrative that they're relevant.»

Before a recording was even available, Venturelli's talk went viral thanks to a tweet(opens in new tab) describing the moment he announced its real name and the applause that followed his talk. «It was a bit of a gimmick,» Venturelli admits. «I start, 'Hey, this talk is about the future of gaming'. And then I start talking about it, and I say, 'Well, actually, fooled you!' This talk is not about the future of game design, because I start talking about all