Tap to Earn - Just a Fad or Here to Stay?

A new type of game has emerged in the web3 gaming space. recently One specifically tied to the Telegram app and known as tap to earn.

What is Tap to Earn?

Tap to earn is one of the latest variations on play to earn. And the basics are as simple as it sounds. Tap on the screen or a button, and earn rewards, usually in the form of points which can be converted into tokens in some manner. The more you tap, the more you earn!

Back in the old days (early 2021), these games were often called click miners, and they were everywhere! Most of them are gone now, but one of the biggest Alien Worlds, survived and continued building, creating an entire game ecosystem where their click mining feature is only a small part of the larger system.

The new genre, these tap to earn games, run within Telegram and can connect to your TON wallet (also in Telegram) directly, though this connectivity isn’t available in all regions.

These games vary in complexity as well – some with more choices than others. Usually there are ways to get bonuses so your taps are worth more, and often chunks of rewards for referrals and the completion of social tasks.

Telegram’s blockchain, TON (The Open Network), the launch of their TON token, and the creation of Telegram Stars, an in-app, convertible currency, has seemingly been the catalyst behind this craze. And their recent update to allow mini-apps within Telegram is giving developers a chance to build more complex games. Plenty of developers are jumping onto the trend, launching new tap to earn games of their own, with most of them promising token releases in the near future.

And these games have indeed tapped into the app’s userbase, with the most popular boasting millions of users! And most likely, many of those haven't played a blockchain game before. So potentially, the tap to earn craze is introducing a completely new audience to the world of web3 gaming!

Tap to Earn on Telegram

Getting started with Telegram games is absurdly simple. Just open up Telegram on your phone, join the bot channel for the game, and then click the play or get started button. And just like that, you’re ready to start tapping and earning points!

The tap to earn genre grows every day, but here are a few games to get you started:

• Hamster Kombat - tap to earn, fight for more tokens
• PixelTap - passive collection, though you have to tap to collect regularly; invest to earn more
• Notcoin - the tap to earn game that started the frenzy

Even Gala Games is getting in on the tap to earn craze, recently releasing two games on Telegram,  Treasure Tapper and Flower Frenzy!

Will this Tap to Earn Phenomena Last?

As is often the case with new fads, the frontrunners to the whole thing, in particular, those who were able to claim the Notcoin airdrop, were able to actually make some money via tap to earn.

But as is also often the case, the market has quickly become saturated with copies, each trying to catch the same fire. Will this success continue for this next generation of tap to earn games? A lot will depend on the general market sentiment. And whether or not there are use cases for the tokens when they are released.

And apparently, I am not one to accurately guess where the whims of the players may take them. Because I would never have thought that this style of game would be back in vogue!

But here we are, and as the popularity of tap to earn gaming continues to grow, we’ll see if these games are able to evolve into something more, and provide value for both the tokens and the players, or whether they will fade away as quickly as they have appeared.