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Blockchain gaming can be described simply as games that utilize blockchain technology, whether through rewarding players in cryptocurrency or utilizing NFT’s (non-fungible tokens) in-game. Whether or not these types of games will gain mainstream mass-adoption has been a point of contention among blockchain enthusiasts, despite previously seeing some waves of popularity with games such as Crypto-Kitties and Axie-Infinity.
Currently, on the TON Blockchain, we are witnessing a resurgence and evolution of blockchain gaming, with massive growing participation as hundreds of millions of people have been playing mini-games on this blockchain within the past few months. The TON Network is the blockchain of the popular messaging app “Telegram”, and the network has recently given rise to a new phenomenon of “Tap to Earn” games.
These are simple, mini-games available through the Telegram mobile application that reward users for engaging with the application, normally through simply clicking a button to its maximum limit every day. These apps have their own cryptocurrencies based on the TON blockchain and reward users accordingly based on how much they have tapped or engaged with the mini-game. Early users who can accumulate more coins through daily “tapping” are at an advantage, as they have more time to earn more coins. Users can increase the amount of coins they earn by referring others to the applications or through completing extra tasks.
A notable example of one of these mini blockchain games is “Notcoin”, which was released in late 2023 on Telegram. Users had to repeatedly click a gold coin in the app in order to earn the coin. This proved immensely popular, with the game’s user base growing to over 35 million users within just a few months. In addition, the Coin, which users had been earning through tapping, was recently released on exchanges allowing users to sell it. The price soared on release, which meant that many people earned thousands of pounds just from the simple action of tapping the app everyday for a few months. An even more popular TON Blockchain mini-game called “Hamster Kombat“, reached 200 million registered users in just over 3 months from its release in March 2024. Hamster Kombat utilises the same “click-to-earn” mechanics as Notcoin, allowing users to repeatedly tap a button to increase their share of the Coin.
It is important to note that these blockchain games give an opportunity to people from countries with weaker economies to earn money, which is one of the reasons they are so popular. In addition, the barrier to entry is low, with the ability to potentially earn a good amount of money with only an internet-enabled mobile phone and the Telegram app. Coupled with the fact that Telegram has over 900 million global active monthly users, it is serving as a great on-boarding tool for millions of people into the web3 world. This new trend of “Tap-to-earn” mini-games merge entertainment with financial reward, therefore introducing cryptocurrencies to users who might not be familiar with blockchain technology. It seems that TON may have just initiated the next wave of global cryptocurrency adoption through mobile gaming.