Dr. Mark van RijmenamArchitect of Tomorrow | Strategic Futurist & Global Keynote Speaker for Fortune 500

Everything You Need to Know About Avatars with Robby Ratan: Step into the Metaverse podcast: EP20

Name: Everything You Need to Know About Avatars with Robby Ratan: Step into the Metaverse podcast: EP20
Uploaded: 2025-12-12T17:50:51.416935
Duration: 52 s
Channel: Dr. Mark van Rijmenam
Description: A podcast episode (Step into the Metaverse, EP20) in which host Dr. Mark van Rijmenam interviews Robby Ratan about avatars and their role in the…

12 Dec 2025 · 1 min

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A podcast episode (Step into the Metaverse, EP20) in which host Dr. Mark van Rijmenam interviews Robby Ratan about avatars and their role in the metaverse economy. In this excerpt Ratan argues NFTs (as unique digital ownership of avatars) are foundational to the future metaverse economy because they let users distinguish themselves, carry personal digital assets across virtual spaces, and confer social status.

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How important are NFTs when it comes to avatars? Not so much JPEGs being sold for millions, but when it comes to avatars, very important.
I think it's the bedrock of the future economy. If you want to distinguish yourself from your peers in order to be cool and yet follow a trend, which is what all teenagers want to do, they buy. I got to have that cool T shirt with that cool logo, but I can't have the same one my friends have. That's the nft, right? That's the avatar. No one else has this avatar. You know, my rich daddy had it custom made for me, or, you know, I worked really hard at Burger King and bought myself an avatar. And so the ability to own and take this digital object with you through virtual space to represent you is very important. I would actually argue that it's probably the most personally important economic aspect of the metaverse.