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Once again, the world of video games and NFTs are intersecting, and once again, people appear largely unhappy about it.
On Friday, prolific video game voice actor Troy Baker, best known for playing Joel in The Last Of Us, Booker in Bioshock Infinite and countless other roles, tweeted that he was partnering with NFT collective Voiceverse to "explore ways where together we might bring new tools to new creators to make new things, and allow everyone a chance to own & invest in the IP’s they create." The tweet also included an eye-raising rhyming couplet in reference to NFTs: "You can hate, or you can create."
I’m partnering with @VoiceverseNFT to explore ways where together we might bring new tools to new creators to make new things, and allow everyone a chance to own & invest in the IP’s they create.
We all have a story to tell.
You can hate.
Or you can create.
What’ll it be? pic.twitter.com/cfDGi4q0AZ— Troy Baker (@TroyBakerVA) January 14, 2022
For many, it seemed the answer was "hate," as doubters quickly replied to Baker with the various ethical issues surrounding NFTs, such as the damage they cause to the environment and the idea that they're sometimes scams.
Nfts are a scam. They help no one and are extremely harmful to the environment. pic.twitter.com/TyUJC7KomU
— Mothra gave me power of attorney (@cocothnda) January 14, 2022
troy, this is not about "hate." nfts are unethical. they have a severe impact on the environment, and are creating a massive shortage in chips, computer parts, etc. do you know how nfts are mined? have you done research on any of this?
— mossball 🦋 (@NIMR1EL) January 14, 2022
A lot of folks will come at you with a lot of info about why this is no good. I hope you'll be the type of man you seem to want to be, and listen to them. And not just the ones telling you what you wanna hear. You're one of the greats, but I won't be with you on this one, sir.
— Gianni Matragrano (@GetGianni) January 14, 2022
Others flooded his mentions with memes to mock or disagree with the NFT collaboration.
You can create THIS. pic.twitter.com/1SOViKxHa2
— Suzi Hunter (@TheSphereHunter) January 14, 2022
— Unwilling Capital Meat Shield (@DoomScrollingML) January 15, 2022
— Jewels💎 (@JewelsVEVO) January 14, 2022
The Voiceverse project attempts to market voice actors saying things in the NFT space. Basically, a voice actor records a line, someone buys it, and then they have ownership of that reading for videos on YouTube and TikTok.
The exposure Baker lent the project brought heightened scrutiny to Voiceverse, as people discovered it uses 15.ai, a free software that has been used in memes years before NFTs became a cultural phenomenon, without giving its creator credit. The creator was also not pleased to learn about this.
I've been informed that the aforementioned NFT vocal synthesis is actively attempting to appropriate my work for their own benefit.
After digging through the log files, I have evidence that some of the voices that they are taking credit for were indeed generated from my own site.— 15 (@fifteenai) January 14, 2022
Since the tweet has since been deleted, the video itself contained something along the lines of "voice generated by [NFT vocal synthesis twitter]" without giving me an ounce of credit.
I don't even know what to say.— 15 (@fifteenai) January 14, 2022
Baker followed up the backlash with a very diplomatic series of tweets in which he said he appreciated "being a part of the conversation" and encouraged others to share their thoughts on his venture. He notably did not provide an update on whether he was backing out of the Voiceverse partnership.
hoping I can help others do the same. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. I’m grateful there are those who are passionate about their stance & not only feel safe to express that but also have the means to do so.
The “hate/create” part might have been a bit antagonistic…— Troy Baker (@TroyBakerVA) January 14, 2022
Hope y’all will forgive me for that. Bad attempt to bring levity.
Anyway, feel free to resume the conversation, or not as you please. I appreciate those with truth showing it, those with support offering it, and those with anger doing their best to express with it. 🤘🏻— Troy Baker (@TroyBakerVA) January 14, 2022
For its part, Voiceverse put out a statement responding to some of the criticism that came from Baker's announcement. In essence, the statement adds some clarity to their business model and promises that the venture is not looking to put voice actors "out of work." It does not address claims made by angered fans that NFTs are "useless" or "bad for the planet."
— Voiceverse NFT (@VoiceverseNFT) January 14, 2022
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