In that sense, it's more like gold which has investment potential, but also utility outside of its investment potential.
But if you're using gold as a productive asset, then you're modifying it and repurposing it to an extent that its value is no longer tied to its weight.
When you're using a token as a productive asset, its value is still tied to its market value. So in that sense, it's different and probably more closely related to an investment.