‘Hamster Kombat’ Clicker Game Faces Criticism for Social Pressure Tactics

Hamster Kombat, the popular Telegram-based clicker game associated with an upcoming crypto token launch, has faced scrutiny due to its excessive use of social pressure tactics.

While the game’s viral success has propelled it to unimaginable heights, the mechanics that drive user engagement seem to have reached a saturation point, at least for me, Andrew Hayward, the Culture Editor and Hub Operations Lead at Decrypt, wrote in a recent post.

He claimed that this may also become an issue for the hundreds of millions of players who participate daily, unless they have a constant stream of friends to recruit.

Hamster Encourages Users to Invite Friends

Following in the footsteps of the original viral Telegram crypto game, Notcoin, Hamster Kombat requires players to tap the screen to accumulate in-game coins.

It introduces a unique twist by allowing players to invest these coins into a fictional hamster-operated crypto exchange, while also encouraging them to invite their friends to join the game.

This is where things take a peculiar turn, resembling something akin to multi-level marketing.

Hamster Kombat frequently introduces new exchange upgrade cards that promise higher earnings.

These cards are often tied to the game’s “daily combo,” which rewards players with a substantial 5 million in-game coins for using specific cards.

However, many of these cards can only be unlocked if players manage to persuade another friend to start playing through their referral link.

While it is a simple “number-go-up” game, players who are unable to increase their numbers due to the requirement of recruiting more people may find themselves at a disadvantage unless they can find additional participants.

Hayward said the shift highlights the limitations of an engagement-driven machine like Hamster Kombat.

It demonstrates the challenges of sustaining continuous growth without offering compelling new incentives and benefits.

“At some point, the hype is bound to cool, and the developers may be pushing a little too hard to make sure that doesn’t happen before July’s planned token drop.”

Iranians Flock to Hamster Kombat

As reported, Hamster Kombat has taken Iran by storm, drawing the attention of local users who eagerly anticipate its upcoming token launch.

The game’s developers announced last week that it has amassed a staggering 200 million players, a substantial portion of the reported 900 million Telegram users.

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

— Hamster Kombat (@hamster_kombat) June 24, 2024

The figure represents an increase from the claimed total of 150 million players reported on June 14.

Hamster Kombat’s developers have announced their plans to launch a token on The Open Network (TON) in July.

The game follows in the footsteps of Notcoin, a similar “clicker” game that debuted earlier this year and attracted 35 million players before releasing its NOT token on TON in May.

Notcoin experienced a peak market capitalization surpassing $2 billion in the weeks following its launch.

It is worth noting that Telegram’s “The Open Network” (TON) blockchain has been consistently outperforming Ethereum in terms of daily active addresses throughout this month amid the Hamster Kombat craze.