WHY TAP-TO-EARN MARKS A BIG SHIFT 👏🏼
Clicker giants like Notcoin, Hamster Kombat, Yescoin, Tapswap and many more have shown how blockchain games can reach millions of users.
Play-to-earn (P2E) games quickly came on the scene, but they failed. WHY??
P2E games tried to bring gamers into crypto, which we've all learnt is neither the key to trust nor mass adoption. Instead, the focus has shifted. Give crypto-enthusiasts exactly what they want: A Way To Earn Crypto Quickly & 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. By utilising the social layer, such as Telegram, that live at the hands of consumers and tap into (no pun intended) where people already spend their time, a window into mass adoption has opened, intentionally or not.
Mini apps drive adoption
Telegram mini apps are one of the narratives or rather engines of this adoption cycle, and the Tap-to-Earn trend seems to have become it's main fuel. Though mid-core Telegram games like Gatto or fantasy sports games like Fanton have shown good progress too.
It all started with Notcoin, which managed to attract over 40M playerssince it's launch on New Year's Day 2024. 11.5M of these became web3 users by claiming Notcoin ($NOT ) tokens after its listing on Binance and other top tier exchanges.
Other strategies have worked quite well, too. Yescoin and Catizen (a popular P2E Telegram Mini App) introduced on-chain mechanics early on. Time will clarify how the different approaches chosen by each team affect conversion and retained users, especially once Hamster Kombat, TapSwap, and PixelTap launch their tokens. Catizen and Notcoin boast a conversion rate from an off-chain to an on-chain user of 7% and 6.2% respectively – much higher than Telegram’s 0.6% average.
The Success Factors
What is the secret sauce of a viral Telegram game? The obvious simplicity of the gameplay (e.g., clicking and completing easy quest tasks) and an entertaining game progression (e.g., finding new daily card combinations or ciphers as found in Hamster Kombat) is a major reason why Tap-to-Earn has seen incredible growth in such a short time frame.
The promise of community airdrops is another point of success for these types of games. Unlike DeFi protocols or Ethereum L2s, clicker apps do not require any complex on-chain actions, and Notcoin provided illustrative proof of that. Around 90% of the token supply went to the community with an average reward per wallet reaching $200, according to the Notcoin team.
Another essential ingredient of success is leveraging the social layer and encouraging players to invite friends and compete in squads to get higher rewards. All these viral apps chose TON’s blockchain which can be explained by the ease of onboarding into Telegram, along with its global user base of 950 million, the technical advantages of the chain, and the recent success of Notcoin on top-tier centralized exchanges.
Not just fun and games
Notably, the Tap-to-Earn approach is being adopted by applications other than games. A hybrid crypto exchange Blum by ex-Binance top managers started with a simple clicker and Quest-to-Earn mechanism and managed to attract 30 million users before launching the core product functionality. This is an indication that Tap-to-Earn is essentially viewed as an effective onboarding tool and lucrative revenue source.
In 2024, users feel that the apps and games deserving of their attention are those that reward everyone for their sweat equity, time and attention. Only time will tell how high the cat (or hamster) jumps. Telegram and TON remain open to all game types and genres, but mass adoption will apparently be driven by a modest few. One truth has become self-evident — the next industry giant is only a few taps away.