The crypto and decentralized gaming space has been pretty active recently, with a number of developments signaling its mainstream integration. A total of seven incumbent gaming brands have now initiated crypto gaming projects, including the likes of Square Enix, Ubisoft and Bandai Namco. Konami Holdings, the Japanese video game developer behind the massive Silent Hill and Castlevania franchises, has become the most recent world-class company to enter the space, announcing its Avalanche-powered NFT platform in June.
While it’s certainly encouraging to see such Big Tech luminaries embracing crypto and blockchain technology, it also comes with increased competition for existing GameFi projects, most of which are headed up by indie creators. Of course, gaming with cryptocurrencies is a wide spectrum, spanning activities as diverse as playing online casino games with Bitcoin to battling Axies for Smooth Love Tokens (SLP) in Sky Mavis’ pioneering game. However, one of the core goals of the sector is to democratize both the opportunity to own digital assets and how players are rewarded for the time they spend gaming, so having big names from the pay to play world does tend to leave a sour taste in the mouth.Â
Nevertheless, there are some factions in the GameFi space who are upholding the radical, decentralized ethos that propelled the crypto industry forward in the first place. Enter, Telegram!
Telegram and Crypto Gaming—the Perfect Match?
Telegram, the cloud-based messaging app, has newly emerged as a pivotal platform for the crypto-gaming community—an event that doesn’t require too great a leap of imagination to get your head around when you consider the overwhelming popularity of mobile gaming. The same privacy features and user-friendly interface that has made Telegram instrumental in decentralized communication processes are also proving to be a major draw for the GameFi community across the board.
It’s easy to see why transforming the app into a P2E gaming hub has taken off the way that it has. For starters the platform’s ability to support both public and private groups makes it ideal as a central channel to manage global communities as well as fostering more intimate discussions. Plus, countless ICOs, as well as, among others, the Bitcoin and Ethereum projects leverage Telegram for real-time updates and community engagement.
The real-time, instant nature of Telegram also makes it a platform that can support the fast-paced nature of the crypto gaming sector, particularly when you consider the latter’s impressive growth trajectory. In just a few years, the market has seen rapid developments in both the quality and reach of P2E games, while players engage with them not just for entertainment but also as a potential way to generate income.
Getting to Grips with the Telegram Gaming Landscape
There’s now a rapidly growing array of Telegram-based games that are pulling in millions of players in search of virtual asset rewards. It started with Notcoin earlier in 2024 and the vertical has now swelled to include Pixelverse’s PixelTap, TapSwap and Catizen, with promises of more to come still.
How exactly do crypto games on Telegram work, though?
Well, they work much like most other crypto games do in terms of gameplay, but developers and players have found smart ways to leverage the messaging app’s features to support and facilitate tap to earn gaming.
For example:
- Bot Integration
Telegram is known for its bots, automated programs that can perform various tasks. When applied to gaming, they can automate in-game actions, manage game logic, and facilitate cryptocurrency transactions within the game. Bots can even send real-time updates to players about their status, new rewards and community events.
- Community Engagement
Speaking of community, Telegram’s groups and channels functions are used to build and engage with the gaming community. Developers, for instance, can set up channels to broadcast announcements, updates and events, while players can join groups to discuss strategies and share experiences.
- Development and Customization
Developers can also enhance the gameplay of their titles by creating custom Telegram bots. The platform’s Bot API allows developers to build sophisticated bots that can handle complex game mechanics, as well as ones that can be integrated with blockchain networks to verify transactions and manage digital assets.
Telegram itself is also embracing gaming, having recently unveiled a new mini app bar feature that will simplify the process of swapping between different games across both the iOS and Android apps. The new feature will enable gamers to switch between multiple mini apps, fostering shameless gameplay and making the process of farming crypto games much easier.Â
Top Telegram Games to Check Out
Alongside Notcoin, which has just announced plans to launch its Telegram Gaming Accelerator in partnership with the AI-powered analytics firm Helika, there are several crypto games running across the app that are worth checking out.
For instance, Hamster Kombat is one of the most well-known games, with a gaming audience of 60 million players. This tap to earn game features simple gameplay—you tap on a digital hamster to mine HMSTR coins—and it can be easily accessed simply through a Telegram bot.
Alternatively, Catizen is a must for cat-lovers! It transports players into a world where they’re charged with managing a colony of cats. A fusion of strategy and simulation, this plays to earn game rewards players with digital assets as they build and expand their cat colonies.
