Hamster Kombat- the viral play-to-earn Telegram game- has turned into an overnight sensation in Russia, a country that usually has a harsh stance against cryptocurrencies.
Barely three months after its launch, the clicker game has over 250 million dedicated players with a substantial fan share in Russia as well.
Recently, news articles emerged of a sporadic increase in sales of electric massagers in Russia due to the popularity of Hamster Kombat, which requires players to keep clicking on the Hamster icon to earn free tokens.Â
The craze for the game had reached new zeniths in Russia when a local lawmaker Anatoly Aksakov called for a ban on Hamster Kombat, labeling it a phishing scam that manipulates young users. Aksakov’s concerns emphasize the potential security risks and negative impact on youth associated with the game.
Recently, a survey conducted by the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) presented some interesting analysis about the craze of the game and the overall crypto landscape in Russia.Â
What survey revealed in Russia about Hamster Kombat players?
The poll involved 1600 adults aged 18 and over, and according to it, 87% of Russians know about cryptocurrency. However, only 42% of the respondents are aware of Hamster Kombat, a game that has recently become quite popular.
The survey reveals that while people are generally familiar with cryptocurrencies, they are less aware of Hamster Kombat. Despite the rising attention to digital currencies, Hamster Kombat remains relatively unknown to the general public.
From the survey, it emerges that the youth, particularly the GenZ generation, are more conversant with both cryptocurrency and Hamster Kombat.
Currently, 96% of Zoomers have heard about cryptocurrency, while 35% have a good understanding of it. At the same time, only 42% of this audience is familiar with Hamster Kombat. The game is popular among young and tech-savvy people.
The awareness of Hamster Kombat is considerably higher among those who know about cryptocurrency, those who use Telegram every day, and city dwellers.
For instance, 67% of the respondents who have knowledge about cryptocurrency stated that they know about the game, and 62% of the respondents who use Telegram daily also stated the same.
However, the extent of this exposure is still restricted since only 43% of the respondents claimed to have heard about Hamster Kombat while 57% of the respondents had no clue about the game.
Why is Hamster Kombat getting popular?
While the gameplay of Hamster Kombat is pretty simplistic, it is the ‘play-to-earn model’ that has made the Russian youngsters hooked to it. The game allows users to earn Hamster tokens by clicking non-stop on the Hamster icon. The $HMSTR tokens are then used to complete other activities in the game.
The developers of Hamster Kombat, who have chosen to remain anonymous, have claimed that users will be able to encash their tokens into cryptocurrencies once the $HMSTR token gets listed on major crypto exchanges.
Word of Caution:
The developers of Hamster Kombat have chosen to remain anonymous and there is little to no information available about the whitepaper of the project, its smart contracts and future roadmap. So, there is also no assurity whether the users will be able to convert their earned Hamster Tokens and at what rate.
Will Russia ban Hamster Kombat?
While a Russian lawmaker has called for a ban on the viral Telegram game calling it a phishing scam, the decision to outlaw the game will rest with the Russian authorities, only after the game developers start listing the token on exchanges. As of now, cryptocurrency awareness is widespread in Russia, but knowledge of Hamster Kombat is still limited to specific demographics.
Also Read: Hamster Kombat Craze: Hype Versus Reality
