An Overview of the Tap-2-Earn Trend

Why Everyone Is Tapping

Tap-2-Earn games are particularly appealing because they are accessible and easy for players looking to earn from gameplay with little to no gaming experience or expensive hardware. Tap-2-Earn games make it easy for players to tap their way through to earning a decent amount of cryptocurrency rewards. The simplicity of the gameplay and ease of adoption have attracted many newbies looking to get their hands on their first cryptocurrency.

How It Started

The Tap-2-Earn narrative is one of the sudden inventions of developers in the crypto industry who are constantly looking for ways to create an engaging experience that combines gaming with earning. The first Tap-2-Earn games were browser-based and rewarded players in crypto through blockchain technology. As these games grew in popularity, developers started looking for platforms with an existing user base to double down on the growing interest. 

Telegram came in handy with a large user base and easy integration with its native TON blockchain. The messaging application already popular among crypto enthusiasts allowed developers to integrate game mechanics making it easy for an ideal T2E platform to flourish. Tap-2-Earn games spread like wildfire in no time and the trend continued to gain momentum.

Mechanics and Gameplay

Tap-2-Earn games have pretty simple, engaging, and irresistible mechanics. Players have to tap their screens repeatedly to mine, harvest, and collect in-game resources. These players receive cryptocurrency rewards in return. These rewards are sometimes the basis for progress and upgrades that unlock exclusive content, gaming items, and levels in the game. Some Tap-2-Earn games also allow players to purchase automated tapping assistants using earned coins to free up time while increasing earnings in the game. They also feature referral systems where players can invite their friends and family while sharing rewards as invited players progress in the game. The fusion of progression and visible reward for each activity in the game is enough to keep players glued to their screens as they tap their way to crypto riches. 

Notcoin (NOT)

• Creation: Notcoin, NOT was the pioneer Tap-2-Earn game created by anonymous developers. The game quickly rode the trend recording tremendous growth in record time.

• Impact: By amassing a user base of over 40 million players globally, Notcoin demonstrated that there was real potential in Tap-2-Earn gaming on Telegram.

• Significance: Notcoin’s native cryptocurrency—NOT—is the in-game reward for tapping on your screen, staking, and participating in the community. The token performed excellently and has enjoyed a strong user base post-launch. 

Hamster Kombat

• Creation: Hamster Kombat gained popularity following the success of Notcoin drawing in millions of users into a platform with engaging gameplay. 

• Impact: The wild growth of the game saw it surpass 250 million users and gain the attention of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov after doing incredible numbers in a short time.

• Significance: Hamster Kombat’s anonymous developer has revealed that they will be launching a token soon which could go further to boost the Tap-2-Earn trend.

CryptoRank

• Creation: At CryptoRank, we’re embracing the Tap-to-Earn trend with enthusiasm. That’s why we’ve launched our own tap-game, which offers players the chance to earn tokens from well-established projects across the entire crypto ecosystem, not just developer-specific game tokens.

• Impact: We have exciting announcements and upgrades planned for our roadmap, aimed at enhancing our app with engaging game mechanics and real DeFi functionalities. 

• Significance: With over 1,000,000 users already on board, we invite you to join us and be part of the action!

TapSwap

• Creation: TapSwap followed the trend as T2E continued to gain momentum. 

• Impact: As of early July 2024, the T2E game already boasts a user base of over 60 million.

• Significance: The Tap-2-Earn game has become a favorite of enthusiasts for its simplicity and promise of a token. 

Blum

• Creation: Blum is a gardening Tap-To-Earn game that started with a plan to evolve into a crypto trading platform. 

• Impact: The game made it fun to earn points by tapping to nurture virtual plants making it casual and easy for players.

• Significance: Blum appealed more to traditional crypto enthusiasts for its real use case as a trading platform. 

Catizen

• Creation: Catizen is a fun-themed feline frenzy game where it game earns players points leading to an airdrop. 

• Impact: Players loved the similarity with Ethereum’s Crypto Kitties. Citizen allows players to breed cats and earn coins for it.

• Significance: The collectible elements of Catizien bring back the good old days of NFTs and collectibles with a slightly cuter interface. 

Gatto

• Creation: Gatto started as a virtual pet-raising contest with unique options to train and customize pets for the contest. 

• Impact: The game is gaining popularity for rewarding good players with Toncoins. 

• Significance: Gatto is particularly important for rewarding skills in the game with real convertible cryptocurrencies.

Outcomes and Future Prospects

Tap-2-Earn has already succeeded in making crypto accessible to a broader audience who may now go on to become enthusiasts after learning more about blockchain technology. These games have also secured their place in the GameFi ecosystem given the millions of users already engaged. The challenges ahead, however, included regulatory and scalability issues. In terms of scalability, it is easy to imagine that Tap-2-Earn is just a fad like NFTs were in 2021. Although better tokenomics and innovations in game design are expected to mitigate the weakening trend soon. 

Overall, T2E games are expected to play a huge role in the future of crypto adoption and the evolution of more fun-driven crypto games enjoyable with or without fleeting token rewards. Join our Telegram Mini App!