NFT virtual land is an ownable area of digital land on a metaverse platform. Popular NFT land projects include Decentraland, The Sandbox, and Axie Infinity. NFTs are suited to representing land ownership as each one is unique and easily proves digital ownership. You can use NFT land for advertising, socializing, gaming, and work, among other use cases.
The landowner can normally use their plot to host online experiences, display content, or gain benefits in a game. Large brands and celebrities, including Adidas and Snoop Dogg, are also beginning to invest in and use NFT land.
The value of a plot is affected by its utility, project, and market speculation. You can purchase NFT land from a project in a land sale or on the secondary market via an NFT exchange, such as the Binance NFT Marketplace or OpenSea. Before purchasing, make sure you understand the risks and use cases of the land and its associated project. In some cases, it might be better to rent instead of buying an NFT land.
What is NFT virtual land?
As mentioned, metaverse projects are digital worlds that users can usually explore with 3D avatars. SecondLive, for example, provides areas and venues for concerts, conferences, and expositions. While projects like SecondLive don't let users purchase a permanent virtual reality space, other metaverse worlds do. Developers create large maps of land divided into small parcels to sell on the market.
To represent the unique ownership of the area, users purchase NFTs linked to a particular plot of land. You can purchase these plots through a land sale directly from the project or on the secondary market. Exactly what you can do with NFT land depends on each project.
Apart from speculation, landowners can use their virtual space in various use cases:
- Advertising - If your plot is in a popular area or district and attracts many visitors, you can charge for advertising space.
- Socializing -You can host events on your digital land, including concerts, conferences, and community meetups.
- Gaming - Your NFT land might have a use in an NFT video game. For example, land in Axie Infinity can provide extra resources, tokens, crafting ingredients.
- Work - Land that can be explored with a 3D avatar can be used as a virtual office space or to provide digital services. PwC Hong Kong will use The Sandbox land in their Web 3.0 advisory services.
What affects the price of NFT virtual land?
The price of a plot of virtual land is determined similarly to other non-fungible tokens or cryptocurrencies.
There are three main factors to examine:
- Utility - Virtual land differs from many other NFTs as it usually has a variety of use cases. These will differ depending on the platform they're on. For example, digital worlds like Decentraland allow users to customize and create on their land.
If your land is in a popular area or receives many visitors, you could charge for advertising. Your land might also provide you benefits in a blockchain video game. You could have improved staking bonuses or experience unique in-game events like in Axie Infinity.
- The platform - Popular platforms like Decentraland, The Sandbox, or the upcoming My Neighbour Alice tend to have higher prices for their NFT land. This is due to market supply and demand. The user base and interest of these platforms are much higher than smaller projects.
- Speculation - Large sales of NFT lands in the past have led to an increasing amount of speculation. For example, the NFT real estate company Metaverse Group spent roughly $2.43 million in November 2021 purchasing a parcel of 116 plots of land in Decentraland. Each plot is 16 meters squared, giving them a total area of 1,856 meters squared of land in the Fashion Street district.
There are two main methods for purchasing Metaverse NFT land. You can take part in a land sale and purchase it directly from the project, or you can buy land from other users through a marketplace.
An NFT land sale is a good way of buying your land at a lower price than on the secondary market. Most large metaverse projects with NFT land have seen rising prices, meaning buying land in a sale tends to be better. Some projects sell all their plots in one go, while others sell them in rounds.
An NFT exchange is the safest and most reliable way to purchase land on the secondary market. This way, both the buyer and seller are protected by a smart contract that ensures the trades occur smoothly for both parties. Binance NFT Marketplace and OpeaSea are two of the most popular options to use. Binance NFT Marketplace supports Ethereum and Binance Smart Chain, while OpeanSea supports Ethereum, Polygon, and Klaytn.