Why is Hamster Kombat So Popular, and Will It Last?

One of the most impressive things about crypto is how utterly crazy projects can catch on in the blink of an eye — attracting millions of users in the process.

The latest trend to cause a frenzy is clicker games, which are as simple as they sound. Repeatedly tapping on the screen is all you need to do to make progress.

Hamster Kombat has sent the market into meltdown since launching in March — and if estimates are to be believed, it’s now amassed 250 million players worldwide.

gm to 200 million Hamsters! pic.twitter.com/7USoL6Lddd

— Hamster Kombat (@hamster_kombat) June 24, 2024

Based within the Telegram messaging app, the goal is pretty simple: tap, tap, tap, and slowly evolve from a bald hamster into the CEO of a major crypto exchange.

But as you might expect, there’s something else that’s particularly captured the interest of gamers: plans to airdrop a native token that’s going to go live on The Open Network.

It’s already been pre-listed by several major trading platforms, despite the fact that we don’t have the faintest idea about how the coin’s tokenomics will work.

Of course, incessantly tapping on a screen can take its toll — prompting some opportunistic Russian merchants to advertise massage guns that’ll help their fingers move faster.

Hamster Kombat hasn’t been without criticism, either. The game’s proven especially popular in Iran, with military chiefs claiming it’s a “feature of the soft war” being waged by the West — and prompting people to chase get-rich-quick schemes rather than work hard.

Meanwhile, the game’s also been scrutinized for social pressure tactics that encourage users to sign up their friends, with the prospect of additional coins as a reward — with comparisons likening it to nothing more than a multi-level marketing scheme.

But what’s the secret behind Hamster Kombat’s popularity, and is all of this hype sustainable?

The Psychology of Hamster Kombat

Leon Y. Xiao is a PhD fellow at the IT University of Copenhagen who researches the laws surrounding video games. He told Cryptonews:

“These clicker or idle games (broadly hypercasual games) are very easy to understand and play. No skill is required. Each play session can also be very short, so people can play whenever and wherever. The game being available on mobile and integrated into the Telegram app also helps with this accessibility. The player does not need to download any additional software.”

He added that it’s often incredibly satisfying for players to see “absurdly high” numbers within the game as they make progress — with immediate rewards for the actions they take.

Leon argues that there isn’t much risk of everyday gamers losing real-world money, as upgrades can only be unlocked whenever players advance to another level. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a cost to sitting on your sofa and spending endless hours on Hamster Kombat.

“Playing this game is not productive, so if a player is not enjoying the underlying gameplay, then arguably engaging with the game is a waste of time,” he said. “That time might be more productively put to use doing other activities. By not doing something else, the player might be effectively losing time and money.”

There’s little doubt that fervent speculation about an official token will have helped swell Hamster Kombat’s user numbers, but Leon points out that even clicker games that don’t promise airdrops have enjoyed immense popularity.

“Admittedly, those other games that are designed to be commercial products in their own right tend to have more gameplay mechanics and prettier graphics. Regardless, at least some players do certainly enjoy the clicker/idle gameplay experience,” the academic said.

He went on to explain that the upgrades offered within Hamster Kombat, which are all themed around crypto trading, “are interesting, different and might attract some players.”

Is It Sustainable?

Leon told Cryptonews that the history of Web3 games is littered with failures, with the likes of Axie Infinity and CryptoKitties proving to be unsustainable in the long run. In Axie’s case, some players in South East Asia were even managing to cover their rent through earnings within the game — but the devastating hack on the Ronin Network, coupled with revised tokenomics, meant this didn’t last.

“I would expect Hamster Kombat to lose nearly all of its users very soon when people realize either that they cannot actually earn real money from it — or that it would be extremely difficult to make any money,” Leon predicted. “However, despite losing most players, these games might still retain a strong core player base who actually enjoy the gameplay.”

And despite the crypto-centered storyline, Leon also argued that Hamster Kombat doesn’t really count as a crypto game as yet, simply because real digital assets and non-fungible tokens haven’t been integrated.

“I think it is more likely for this game to become an advertising platform given its large user base — such as rewarding players in-game currency for viewing a video advert — which many other games already implement to generate revenue,” he added.

On the issue of social pressure tactics, Leon went on to warn that Hamster Kombat might even be falling afoul of regulations in some countries. The Dutch Advertising Code states that users can’t be offered rewards if they’re inviting children to download the game — but at the moment, no age verification measures are in place.

Clicker games are undoubtedly in vogue right now, and there’s no sign of the market mania coming to an end any time soon.

But just like meme coins have seen their valuations rally hard and crater within a matter of weeks, it seems inevitable that the buzz surrounding Hamster Kombat isn’t destined to last forever.

The post Why is Hamster Kombat So Popular, and Will It Last? appeared first on Cryptonews.