VOA慢速英语2021--为虚拟服装埋单

Paying Real Money for Virtual¹ Clothing

An avatar is an electronic image that represents a certain person in a video game. So people who play video games want their avatars to look good. And they care what their avatars are wearing.

One game company, Decentraland, announced in June that players could design and sell clothing for their avatars to wear in the game. Not real clothes made from fabric² – just clothing designs.

The idea of spending real money on clothing that does not physically³ exist is confusing to many people. In the virtual world of video games, however, these sales can make big money. They are used in online environments where people gather, meet friends and play games.

Hiroto Kai lives in the American state of New Hampshire. His real name is Noah. A digital artist, he began designing Japanese-style clothing at night.

Kai said he sold kimonos for $140 each and earned about $15,000 in three weeks. After earning a lot of money making virtual Japanese clothing, he quit his job at a music store to design full-time⁴.

"It was a new way to express yourself and it's walking art, that's what's so cool about it... When you have a piece of clothing, you can go to a party in it, you can dance in it, you can show off and it's a status symbol," he said.

Kai's kimonos include beautiful blue fabric with golden dragons, all virtual, of course.

In Decentraland, clothing for avatars – also called "wearables" – can be bought and sold, but not for dollars.

The money players use is called a non-fungible token⁵, or NFT. A non-fungible token is a part of data stored on a digital account called blockchain. NFT is one-of-a-kind and can be sold for real money.

NFTs became popular earlier this year, as believers in cryptocurrency began to buy possessions that only exist in the virtual world, such as digital art or land in an online game.

This new virtual world has gotten the attention of some of the world's biggest fashion companies. They want to develop online fashion into a real part of their industry.

Louis Vuitton has launched⁶ a game where players can collect NFTs. Burberry has created products for Blankos Block Party, a game owned by Mythical⁷ Games. And Gucci has sold clothing for avatars within the game Roblox .

"Your avatar represents you," said Imani McEwan, a Miami-based fashion model and NFT buyer. "Basically⁸, what you're wearing is what makes you who you are."

McEwan says he has spent $15,000 to $16,000 on 70 NFT wearable pieces since January. He used money he made from cryptocurrency investments¹⁰. He recently bought a black hat designed by his friend.

The size of the NFT wearable market is difficult to know. In Decentraland, wearable sales came to about $750,000 in the first six months of 2021. The information comes from NonFungible.com, a company that follows the NFT market.

Julie Schwartz is the director of Republic Realm¹¹, a virtual investment⁹ company. The company recently built a shopping area inside Decentraland. Game players can shop for virtual wearables or real pieces that will be shipped to their homes.

Paula Sello and Alissa Aulbekova are co-founders of the digital fashion company Auroboros. They say this new kind of shopping is more environmentally friendly. Buyers send Auroboros an image of themselves and have clothing designs digitally added for a cost of $80 to $1,300.

Then, there are virtual shoes from the company RTFKT. The company sells NFTs representing shoes that can be worn in games or on social media. The business grew a lot "when COVID started and loads of people went more online," said Steven Vasilev, the company's co-founder.

RTFKT has made more than $7 million in sales. Some of their shoes sell for $10,000 to $60,000 in NFTs.

Words in This Story

fabric – n. woven or knitted¹² material

virtual – adj. existing or occurring on computers or on the Internet

style – n. a particular way in which something is done, created, or performed

kimonoa - n. loose piece of clothing with wide sleeves that is traditionally worn on formal occasions¹³ in Japan

status – n. the position or rank of someone or something when compared to others in a society, organization, group

dragon – n. a popular way of dressing¹⁴ during a particular time or among a particular group of people

crypto-currency – n. virtual money

fashion – n. a popular way of dressing during a particular time or among a particular group of people

1 virtual   

adj.实质上的，事实上的，实际上的

参考例句：

• This reply is a virtual acceptance of our offer.这一回答实质上是接受了我们的建议。
• At that time the East India Company was the virtual ruler of Bengal.那时东印度公司是孟加拉的实际统治者。

2 fabric   

n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织

参考例句：

• The fabric will spot easily.这种织品很容易玷污。
• I don't like the pattern on the fabric.我不喜欢那块布料上的图案。

3 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

4 full-time   

adj.满工作日的或工作周的，全时间的

参考例句：

• A full-time job may be too much for her.全天工作她恐怕吃不消。
• I don't know how she copes with looking after her family and doing a full-time job.既要照顾家庭又要全天工作，我不知道她是如何对付的。

5 token   

n.筹码，信物，纪念品，礼券；adj.象征性的

参考例句：

• This little gift is a token of our regard.这点礼物是我们大家的一点心意。
• Black is a token of mourning.黑色是沮丧的象征。

6 launched   

v.发射( launch的过去式和过去分词 )；[计算机]开始（应用程序）；发动；开展（活动、计划等）

参考例句：

• He launched a bitter diatribe against the younger generation. 他对年轻一代发起了猛烈的抨击。
• The product was launched amid much fanfare worldwide. 这个产品在世界各地隆重推出。

7 mythical   

adj.神话的；虚构的；想像的

参考例句：

• Undeniably,he is a man of mythical status.不可否认，他是一个神话般的人物。
• Their wealth is merely mythical.他们的财富完全是虚构的。

8 basically   

adv.基本上，从根本上说

参考例句：

• His heart is basically sound.他的心脏基本上健康。
• Basically I agree with your plan.我基本上同意你的计划。

9 investment   

n.投资，投资额；(时间、精力等的)投入

参考例句：

• It took two years before I recouped my investment.我用了两年时间才收回投资。
• The success of the project pivots on investment from abroad.这个工程的成功主要依靠外来投资。

10 investments   

n.投资( investment的名词复数 )；投资额；（时间、精力的）投入；值得买的东西

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile, investments are at great risk. 由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All their money was tied up in long-term investments. 他们所有的钱都搁死在长线投资上了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 realm   

n.王国，国度；界，领域，范围

参考例句：

• The king was concerned about the safety of the realm.国王十分关心王国的安全。
• Students' interests are mostly limited to the academic realm.学生们的兴趣大多限于学术领域。

12 knitted   

v.（使）愈合( knit的过去式和过去分词 )；编结；（使）紧密地结合；织平针

参考例句：

• I knitted this cardigan myself. 我自己织的这件开襟毛衣。
• Our two nations are knitted together by common concerns. 共同关心的问题使我们两国团结一致。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 occasions   

n.机会( occasion的名词复数 )；时刻；原因；需要

参考例句：

• The prosecution stated that intercourse had occurred on several occasions. 控诉方称发生过数次性交。
• He has been late on numerous occasions. 他已经迟到过无数次了。

14 dressing   

n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料

参考例句：

• Don't spend such a lot of time in dressing yourself.别花那么多时间来打扮自己。
• The children enjoy dressing up in mother's old clothes.孩子们喜欢穿上妈妈旧时的衣服玩。