Hamster Kombat, a game app that lets you earn virtual currency just by tapping, is exploding in popularity and has reached 200 million players



Hamster Kombat is a game app that promises players can earn virtual currency simply by becoming a hamster who serves as the CEO of a virtual currency exchange. The game has gained popularity, with a total player base of over 200 million people.

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In June 2024, in Tehran, the capital of Iran, taxi drivers, bikers, and pedestrians waiting at red lights can be seen frantically tapping on their smartphone screens. The people frantically tapping on their smartphones are playing an app game called Hamster Kombat.

Hamster Kombat is an app built with the JavaScript-based app ' Telegram Mini Apps ' that can be launched directly within Telegram , and players can earn real virtual currency by operating an in-game virtual currency exchange. However, virtual currency is not being distributed at the time of writing, and the plan is that in the future, users will be able to exchange in-game currency for their own virtual currency, allowing them to earn money.



Hamster Kombat is a game that just started service in March 2024, but already has 200 million users as of June 24, 2024. Since

the total number of users just reached 100 million on June 5, it means that 100 million users were gathered in just under a month.




One of the countries with a particularly large population of Hamster Kombat players is Iran. Regarding Hamster Kombat's growing popularity in Iran, the Associated Press points out that 'Iranian Hamster Kombat users play the app in the hopes of becoming rich themselves,' and that 'Iran, which has been facing a recession due to U.S. sanctions, has long had a growing interest in virtual currencies such as Bitcoin.' Regarding the current situation in which Iranians are obsessed with such apps, the AP reported that 'it seems to highlight the harsh reality that Iran faces, an economy shackled by Western sanctions, persistent high inflation and a lack of jobs.'

'Frankly, this is a sign of desperation among Iranians,' said Amir Rashidi, director of the Miaan Group, which advocates for human rights in the technology sector. 'They're clinging to anything in the hope that it might be worth something someday,' he said. He also attributed Hamster Kombat's popularity in Iran to the country's recession.

Meanwhile, opinions among government officials seem to differ slightly. Iranian Deputy Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, Major General Habibollah Sayyari, said, 'One of the characteristics of soft warfare by enemy countries is Hamster Kombat,' and 'This is an effort by Western countries to distract the public from the plans of the presidential candidates,' claiming that Hamster Kombat is one of the Western countries' efforts to sabotage the election.

JameJam, a daily newspaper published by Iran's state-run television station, said the growing popularity of Hamster Kombat in Iran is 'a reflection of the dream of getting rich overnight and achieving wealth without effort.' JameJam warned the public that 'a society that relies on such games for shortcuts and unexpected gains, instead of trying to earn money through work and success, will gradually lose its hard work and entrepreneurial spirit.'



Iran is not the only country where Hamster Kombat is growing in popularity. Interest in Hamster Kombat has also been growing in countries where Telegram is popular, such as Russia, Uzbekistan and Ukraine, and government officials in these countries have urged users not to use the app.

Russian government authorities have pointed out that Hamster Kombat 'poses potential financial risks' and warned that it is dangerous for children. Some Russian experts have

called Hamster Kombat a ' pyramid scheme ,' and said, 'You need to remember that you can't make a lot of money that easily. Treat it like a normal game and avoid spending a lot of time on this type of game.' Irina Volynets, the child rights commissioner of the Republic of Tatarstan, also pointed out that 'the creators of this game are not aiming for entertainment, but are concerned about revenue, including advertising.'

Russian media outlet NEWS.ru also reported that a 14-year-old boy was setting his alarm every three hours in an attempt to get a high score on Hamster Kombat, prompting his parents to seek help from a psychiatrist.

Government authorities in Uzbekistan have warned users that Hamster Kombat players who try to convert their in-game currency into real money on cryptocurrency exchanges face 15 days in jail and/or a fine. Uzbekistan has strict regulations on the acquisition, sale and exchange of cryptocurrencies.

Additionally, Ukraine's National Center for Strategic Communications warned that 'user data remains stored on Russian servers, potentially putting users at risk.'



When contacted by the Associated Press, the developers of Hamster Kombat declined to comment on their identities or business plans, but did say that 'we do not offer virtual currency in the game' and that 'we want users to learn about virtual currency through the game's mechanics.'

Regarding the developer of Hamster Kombat, Ukrainian media outlet Ain reports that 'the app is registered by RU-CENTER, part of media group RBK , the largest domain name registrar and hosting provider in Russia.'

The Bell, an independent Russian media outlet, reports that 'One of Hamster Kombat's co-founders is Eduard Gurnovich, a Russian IT entrepreneur and founder of the car sales platform CarPrice.'

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in Mobile,   Software,   Game, Posted by logu_ii