Why Are Oddly Satisfying Videos Trending In the World of Crypto Art?

Learn about the oddly satisfying 3D animation videos that are fetching high prices in the NFT market

Thanks to the fascinating universe of NFTs, the option to tokenize digital artworks, as well as the sudden emergence of a marketplace where you can trade them, have opened up new possibilities for artists. Two of the factors that have brought about this transformation of the digital art world are the global economic crisis and the subsequent need to generate new sources of income.

Many digital artists have already dived straight into exploring the market, taking a practical approach–in other words, looking at supply and demand–and have found themselves drawn in by the substantial (or not quite so substantial) figures that sales are fetching every day at auctions held by new galleries. Within this arena, a genre of animation known as oddly satisfying videos has stood out as one of the most highly valued forms of digital art. In this post, we explain exactly what oddly satisfying videos are and share examples of works currently on sale.

What are Oddly Satisfying Videos?

As the name suggests, they are oddly satisfying videos or animated gifs showing sequences or moments that are surprisingly pleasurable to watch. The pleasure brought about by watching these videos might be down to the order of the elements, the hypnotic and predictable dynamic between the objects, or the tidal wave of sensations they unleash (synaesthetic images).

What images are these videos usually made up of?

In the universe of oddly satisfying videos, you will find many many loops of geometric or liquid shapes that stretch into infinity or replay infinitely. You will also find objects that assemble and disassemble themselves, cogs that magically fit together, and items that pulverize before returning to their previous form. You will see how the visual identity of these videos zigzags between industrial perfection and surreal landscapes. The more artistic pieces often feature sequences and characters that you’d only expect to come across in dreams.

How did this phenomenon begin?

Weirdly, this phenomenon started as something quite physical in 2013, when people began sharing gifs on Reddit of high-pressure hoses and industrial pasta cutters.

The first oddly satisfying videos were real images of people physically doing things that were pleasurable to watch, such as squishing soap with their hands, mixing colored liquids, or pouring paint. In response to the success of these videos, some animators began to experiment: they set out to capture and enhance these moments and the sensations they caused. Not only did they succeed in doing this, but they perfected these videos and added some of their own magic.

Why are these videos so satisfying?

There are many hypotheses about why these videos are so satisfying. They all revolve around the idea that watching these videos is like visiting a mind spa. As we watch them, our brain finds the order, repetition, and perfect flow incredibly soothing. Each loop that appears in our feeds presents a space where things are simple, pleasant, and slow: the exact opposite of how things are in the current world. Consumption of such videos has skyrocketed during the pandemic. Reddit’s forum dedicated to oddly satisfying videos has grown overwhelmingly this past year: it currently has 5.6 million members. YouTube’s playlists of oddly satisfying videos for watching before bed have also been a real hit.

What kind of artists produce and sell such work?

Many animation artists are making headway in the crypto art market with oddly satisfying videos.

Swedish animator Andreas Wannerstedt’s work has become very popular and viral. With around 20 years of experience, Andreas creates visuals that often break the boundaries of tolerances, friction, and gravity, enabling endless motions with simple and fun geometric shapes. His artworks are available on galleries such as Nifty Gateway, Superare, and Market Place. Some frames from his videos can be found on Infinite Objects. Wannerstedt's talent is not just down to his animation skills but also his awareness of the effect his work produces.

In a recent interview with Guardian Australia, the artist admitted to being a specialist in ASMR. ASMR is a neologism that refers to an aesthetic experience that manages to trigger a very particular sensation: a tingling in the skin that usually starts at the scalp and runs down the back of the neck and spine.

In the interview, Andreas Wannerstedt explained that his job is to find those triggers that more or less make people enter into a state of involuntary concentration. Until now, the most well-known triggers were audible. However, this artist has studied and discovered the possibility of achieving similar effects with visuals. His artworks have been sold for $2600 each, and their value is expected to rise as the NFT phenomenon evolves.

Currently, all crypto art galleries are selling multiple oddly satisfying artworks. Works by Render Burger (@renderburger) start at $1700 on Foundation. FMK7, the French artist who has gained popularity in the GIF universe, now sells his works for $2000 upwards each. You can also find works by ARC4G, Oscar Petterson, and Extraweg for sale starting at a similar price.

It is logical to think that some popular gifs that have oddly satisfying influences could also take the market by storm. Laurie Rowan (@laulrowan)’s works have wracked up more than 700 million views, making him a well-known name.

When it comes to oddly satisfying videos, surprisingly, the popularity of the artist does not necessarily seem to determine how much an artwork will sell for. Many creators with just a few thousand followers can attract attention and secure prices of $600 upwards. What seems to matter the most is how satisfying their creations are to watch.

If you're interested in learning the animation techniques used to create oddly satisfying videos, you can sign up for Laurie Rowan's course, Creative 3D Characters with 3ds Max, or Render Burger's course, 3D Animation with Cinema 4D and Redshift for Beginners.

English version by @eloiseedgington.

You may also like:

–What Are NFTs, and How Are They Transforming Digital Art?
–How Can Artists Tokenize Their Work and Enter the New Crypto Art Market?
–Top 10: Fantastic Animated Short Films