II. Characters also need to go “meta.”

5 min readFeb 8, 2022

Web 3.0 is the opportunity for us to become the imaginative and story-driven creatures we are meant to be

Continuing on the idea that — The metaverse shouldn’t be a game you play but an adventure you live–– this post will dive deeper in the how and focus on what we believe is the future of entertainment:

The ability to own and embody official characters of established IP and participate in the greater entertainment ecosystem— we call those NFTs: “meta-characters”!

If web3.0 communities can be likened to small nations, then can belonging into one be likened to citizenship?

Identity: a name + a citizenship
All of us are born in a country with a name and a citizenship, neither of which we chose and yet, they dictate much of our destiny.

Later in life we might be able to acquire a new citizenship and change our name but it is an extremely difficult process. The vast majority of us are stuck with one citizenship and one culture that defines who we are.

In the metaverse, however, there are no limits to how many web3.0 nations in which we can reinvent ourselves.

The fun part is that, those communities will compete for differentiation. They might develop their own lore & mythology (=culture and experiences) and/or will sign treaties and partnerships with other communities of like minds (which might be likened to travelling in foreign territories or cross-community opportunities).

With great power comes great responsibility

The reason most communities use the analogy of a nation and citizenship to describe themselves is because citizenship is both power and responsibility, privilege and duty.

In real life once you are adopted as a citizen, you acquire all the same protections against foreign powers, equal rights to vote and all social and economic benefits as natives. Not only for you but also for your descendants.

Citizenship makes the difference between having a voice or being invisible to the system.

The strength of communities lies in the combined power of each and every member. Decentralized organizations faces two challenges:

1. Maintaining a sense of belonging and attachment over the long term.

2. Accomplishing innovative and high-quality creative projects requires highly centralized team efforts, and might require some level of non-consensual executive decision-making.

The most exciting part of metaversal communities like Crypto-Z, is that governance itself can be part of the story. And because the story is both on-going and community-driven, what looks like fiction and storytelling suddenly can have a real impact on the community.

Governance should feel like storytelling — it should be both suspenseful and life-changing. That’s what we’re doing at Crypto-Z!

Ready for the ride?

To be part of the Crypto-Z nation, one must become a true Crypto-Z Agent! But beware: Agents are limited!

Crypto-Z Agents are what we coined meta-characters! And here is our working definition: [Def] Meta-characters: Characters created in the form of NFTs that grant utility and/or a form of ownership in a metaverse IP or web3.0 community”. Meta-characters have two main purposes:
1–Proof-of-identity, passport or citizenship, in the community.
2–Ownership (as a set of privileges, rights and duties) over a character that belongs in a larger piece of IP.

1–Meta-characters can truly be owned (unlike Digital Land)

Meta-characters are like the metaverse’s digital real estate NFT: a way to fractionalize IP ownership. But unlike a land NFT, meta-characters are a much safer way to own metaversal property.

1) They are real (unlike “Digital Land NFT”) characters and true defendable pieces of IP.

2) Characters are platform agnostic (unlike “Digital Land NFT”).

3) Characters are a lot more fun than an “empty lot.”

4) They truly are scarce! Even the Star Wars universe has only 21647 of them.

The Agency is planning to mint up to 21648 Crypto-Z Agents! (It felt like a nice round number…)

Meta-characters also serve as proof-of-identity or citizenship in the community, blurring roleplay and responsibilities.

But how?

2– Meta-characters can be much more than just cool NFTs!

Your adventure in Crypto-Z starts by creating your own character. Here are just a few ways we are thinking about approaching utility & gameplay.

Storytelling & Adventure
Minting a Crypto-Z Agent is the first step to getting a chance to be part of an ambitious collaborative storytelling adventure, one led by professional storytellers with community-created characters and storylines.
Reputation & Status
Immediately after your initial training at the Crypto-Z Academy, you will start your journey in the Agency. You are in control of your adventure and The Agency is always on the lookout for rising talent.
Role & Responsibility
“With great power comes great responsibility”. The Agency is here to create amazing media content and experiences with and for the Agents. However, Agents will have responsibilities as well.
Social Contract
The Agency has rules and regulations. They can be discussed, improved or changed, but they must be followed.
Leave your badge and your weapon!
As an esteemed member of the Agency, it is possible you will be offered other career opportunities, or you might decide to resign or take your retirement.
The Agency will offer several exit strategies, and while you will always keep the experiences you had with Crypto-Z, you’ll need to return your badge to the Agency.