julie.blank14 posted the question:
"Do NFTs have a real value, or are we just fooling around with “monopoly money”?"
While all things have value to some extent, NFT's values are not set like other cryptocurrencies are. This means that each NFT you find will have a different price than other NFTs. When an NFT is purchased, the buyer receives a token on a blockchain that proves they alone own the NFT. This token can be sold, displayed, stored away, or whatever you wish to do with it.
The problem with NFTs is that digital files are a lot more difficult to keep for yourself than physical objects. For example, if you were collecting NFTs that showed a custom drawn Pokémon, you couldn't stop other people from using, posting, or saving that image even though you own that image. The purpose of NFTs is to act like a cryptocurrency that exchanges internet goods for money. The goods have value, but especially image and video files can be copied and distributed even though you own the token for it.
These NFTs may be easy to copy, but they still hold a value. "Monopoly money" is a common phrase that means a currency that is purchased via a more legitimate currency. For example, Oklahoma State University's meal plans give students an even ratio of money that can only be spent on food vendors in the university, this is a good example of monopoly money as U.S dollars is being exchanged for a currency of less/limited value. NFTs can be bought and sold via U.S dollars and is at the moment not "monopoly money". However, if the NFT exchange slows or stops, then NFT's will become more difficult to sell and eventually become a worthless product. While not exactly monopoly money since NFTs are nonfungible, they would be considered almost the same.