Games with the purpose of earning money (P2E) quickly emerged and were well received, but now we can admit that they have not been as effective. This is because games, firstly, attracted users to an as yet unfamiliar form of payment – cryptocurrency. And secondly, they require increased attention and time, which not everyone can afford.
Now the focus has shifted. Crypto enthusiasts want something different: a way to earn cryptocurrency quickly and easily. While traditional P2E models often require complex gameplay and significant time investment, so-called “Tap-to-Earn” games offer a more accessible and engaging approach. With the use of social networks such as Telegram already a big part of people’s lives, the opportunity for mass adoption of games has opened up.
In the past three months, 210 million people have become participants in a simulated cryptocurrency exchange in Hamster Kombat, a viral clicker game on Telegram. Other successful Tap-to-Earn has relatively lower but still impressive numbers for Web3 games: the total number of TapSwap users is 50 million, and Yescoin has surpassed 26 million active players in less than one month.
Mini apps drive cryptocurrency adoption among the masses
Telegram’s mini apps attract people, and gradually people come to realize that cryptocurrency is simple. Games help to understand the new economic phenomenon and get acquainted with new forms of money in a simple way that anyone can understand.
It all started with Notcoin, which has managed to attract more than 40 million players since its launch on January 1, 2024. 11.5 million of them became Web3 users, receiving Notcoin tokens ($ NOT) after its listing on Binance, OKX and other top-tier exchanges.
The developers’ strategy was brilliant, and has since been adopted by other apps like PixelTap. They started with a fully offline gameplay, attracted as many players as possible through rewards and referrals, and then announced an upcoming token draw.
Other strategies have worked pretty well too. Yescoin and Catizen (a popular Telegram P2E mini app) introduced online mechanics fairly early on. Time will tell how the different approaches chosen by each team affect conversion and user retention, especially after Hamster Kombat, TapSwap, and PixelTap launch their tokens.
Success factors
What’s the secret to Telegram’s viral game? The obvious simplicity of the gameplay (e.g. clicking and completing simple quests) and addictive gameplay (e.g. finding new combinations of cards or ciphers every day, as in Hamster Kombat) are the main reason for Tap-to-Earn’s incredible growth in such a short period of time.
Promising giveaways in the community is another factor in the success of these types of games. Unlike DeFi or Ethereum L2 protocols, clicker apps don’t require any complex blockchain activity, and Notcoin has provided clear proof of this. According to the Notcoin team, about 90% of tokens were received by the community, and the average reward per wallet reached $200. Catizen promises to pay out 42% of the $ CATI in the future, while the other aforementioned apps have yet to reveal their tokenomics.
Another important component of success is utilizing social networking and encouraging players to invite friends and compete in teams to earn higher rewards. All of these viral apps have chosen the TON blockchain, which can be attributed to the ease of connecting to Telegram, the global user base of 950 million, the technical advantages of the network, and the recent success of Notcoin on top-tier centralized exchanges.
Major players in Web3 have also appreciated this strategy. Renowned game studio Web3 and venture capital firm Animoca Brands made a significant bet on Telegram and now choose TON as their Web3 partner, including Animoca-owned gaming platform GAMEE, which has over 80 million users. They recently announced the launch of their token on TON.
Not just fun and games
Notably, the Tap-to-Earn approach is being implemented not only in games, but also in other applications. The hybrid cryptocurrency exchange Blum by former top Binance executives started with a simple clicker and quest mechanism to make money and managed to attract 30 million users before launching the main product functionality. This shows that Tap-to-Earn is essentially seen as an effective user adoption tool and a lucrative source of revenue.
Many have justifiably questioned the sustainability of the Tap-to-Earn trend as well as the quality of the traffic it attracts. How teams will manage to educate and retain users and offer long-term value remains an open question. Some plan to act as game publishers or quest platforms, while others promise to engage in e-commerce or merchant products. Notcoin has managed to keep its online performance at a respectable level, maintaining its status as the largest meme coin in terms of the number of token holders on the network – nearly 2.5 million.