NFTs and gaming have gotten extremely popular in recent months, but most people are focusing on wearables, art, or PFP (profile pics).
There’s another aspect to the gaming world that could play a huge role – usernames and gamertags.
One of the first metaverse games to implement an in-game version of this was Decentraland.
You can reserve your avatar name and hold or sell it as an NFT. In fact, there’s a whole section on OpenSea for these names.
With the emergence of Web3, many have proposed that Ethereum or a blockchain with similar functionality will provide a universal login.
Meaning, instead of signing up with a username, email, Facebook, Twitter, Google, or similar account, you just connect your Web3 wallet like Metamask and you’re in.
This could streamline the entire process and create a sort of universal login that does not even require any user data to be handed over (meaning email, phone, KYC).
One way this could go down might be using Unstoppable Domains, which are basically NFT domains that have a variety of potential use cases:
As you can see, the first line says “universal username across apps and websites.”
Since it’s inception, Unstoppable Domains has released a number of domain extensions that are available:
- .crypto
- .coin
- .wallet
- .bitcoin
- .x
- .888
- .nft
- .dao
- .blockchain
Looking at this list, the most obvious candidates for universal login, username, or gamer tag are .crypto, .wallet, and .nft.
In fact, there is a newly created “.wallet” alliance that consists of 30 wallet providers pushing for adoption of this extension of the standard.
How to Register an NFT Domain
The sign up process at Unstoppable Domains is very straightforward, allowing an email and password sign up. You can also use Google to sign in.
Once inside, the first thing I would do is enable Two Factor Authentication.
Click Account Settings in the top right and enable this.
Next, search your domain from the top left side.
The important point about Unstoppable Domains you need to know – there are no yearly renewal fees, like you need to do with traditional domains and ENS domains.
This means once a name is registered, it could be gone forever unless the person sells!
Even if you aren’t a gamer, these domains can be attached to crypto wallets, so you can request payments from people or even build a website by visiting them in a browser such as Brave browser.
Again, I recommend getting .crypto, .wallet, and .nft for your name or any businesses or brands that you have.
You could also consider registering a .bitcoin NFT domain since it could become useful later.
Claiming Domains with ETH
Once you purchase the domain, the process is technically not complete, because the basic sign in the for the platform does not communicate with the blockchain directly.
You have to visit the My Domains tab and officially assign your domains to an ETH address.
Domains not claimed look like this:
This will trigger a claiming method such as Metamask, and you will need to pay a gas fee to assign the domain. Therefore, it can be worth waiting until fees are low.
How Unstoppable Domains Work
In the .com world, domains actually send a user to an ip address, such as 123.456.7890. However, these numbers would be too hard to remember, so we use the traditional domain name system.
Unstoppable Domains are similar in that they allow you to assign an Ethereum address to your human-readable blockchain domain. This means something like castlecrypto.wallet can be sent to a friend instead of the long, hard to remember Ethereum address.
They can also be used to host a website. As the decentralized web gains more and more adoption, Unstoppable Domains might be used to direct user to their website.
Potential NFT Domain Use Cases – How to Use Your Unstoppable Domain
One of the main use cases is to route crypto payments. If you assign an Ethereum, Bitcoin, Litecoin, XRP, Zil, Matic, or BEP address to your domain, then you can route payments.
Some time in the future, your NFT domain name might be your username or gamertag. If that’s the case, securing it now will be very important!
Logging in to any major dapp might request your ETH address, and if it accepts NFT domains from Unstoppable Domains, you could use that.
This lets you have one name across the metaverse or other applications.
Are Unstoppable Domains Safe?
Founded in 2018, Unstoppable Domains have built up a reputation for safety and security. They have continued to add more and more domain extensions while also allowing users to mint on the Polygon network.
So far, there have been no major exploits, hacks, or rug pulls with this service.
Is there an Unstoppable Domains Alternative or Competitors?
The most immediate competitor is ENS Domains, also known as .eth domains. You can read our comparison post outlining the major differences between ENS domains and Unstoppable Domains.
We recommend securing your domain names for both ENS and Unstoppable.
Where is the Best Place to Sell Unstoppable Domains?
Right now you can sell your domains on OpenSea or LooksRare.
Does Unstoppable Domains Have a Coin or Token Airdrop?
There is speculation that Unstoppable Domains will release a governance token, similar to ENS domains. It is unclear who would receive this token, but it makes the most sense to distribute it to anyone that owned a domain before a snapshot date.
This could result in the formation of a DAO sometime later on.
You can sign a message with the private key that controls the Unstoppable domain name in order to log into your account. You know that the person who is sending you the email is the correct domain.
Extension
There is currently a Google Chrome extension to surf domains.
Humanity Check
There is a new feature to identify yourself as a real human while providing some standard KYC type information, should you choose to sign in to a website with Ethereum and your domain.
Protected Domains
Unlike ENS, Unstoppable has “protected” domains which don’t allow people to acquire names for trademarked brands, famous names, and celebrities.
Stock
There currently is no available stock or token to buy.
Supported Wallets
Unstoppable Domains are supported by MyEtherWallet, Coinbase wallet, OpenSea, and over 50 other wallets, exchanges, and Dapps.
Unstoppable Domains Are Legit
In my opinion, this service is very easy to use and is the only place to buy a .wallet domain which might become the universal standard.
Therefore, I recommend buying all of your usernames, gamertags, and business brand names before someone else does!
